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Virginia country singer Oliver Anthony, a former factory worker, is going viral thanks to his song “Rich Men North of Richmond,” a scathing tale of greed and injustice that is rapidly being embraced and promoted by right-wing pundits.
“I’ve been selling my soul, working all day/ Overtime hours for bullsh– pay,” he sings in the song’s opening lines. A video, posted by radiowv, shows Anthony offering an acoustic performance, funneling the pain, frustration and angst of the working class into lines that rage against greedy rich men. The song takes on high taxes, abuse of welfare, and selfish politicians, with lyrics that have resonated mightily with music listeners. Elsewhere, he sings, “Lord, we got folks in the street, ain’t got nothing to eat and the obese milking welfare/ Well God, if you’re 5-foot-3 and you’re 300 pounds/ Taxes ought not to pay for your bags of fudge rounds.”
In a YouTube video posted Aug. 7, Anthony shared that the performance video of “Rich Men North of Richmond” was his “first song to get out there that has been recorded on a real microphone and a real camera, and not just on my cell phone.” He also noted that he began writing his own music in earnest in 2021.