“I wont be reconstructed I’m better now than then And for that carpetbagger I dont give a damn I’m off for the Frontier Soon as I can go I’ll prepare a weapon And start for Mexico” Those alternate lyrics really hit hard. Like something out of Firefly but for real
Yeah I really like this version. However, Hoyt Axton and 2nd South Carolina String Band renditions are pretty awesome too. There were some fantastic songs from US Civil War on both sides; really good tap your toes and sing along music, not like the modern stuff that assaults the senses and passes for music these days
I like Hoyt Axton's version best, too. I know all the words, and like to sing it when I'm driving, or hanging out by myself (I don't like to torture others with my singing - not blessed with singing talent, I'm sorry to say!) However, I love War for Southern Independence music, especially that of the 2nd South Carolina String Band - sensational! Wish they'd tour Australia ...
Oh, I'm a good old rebel Now that's just what I am For this fair land of freedom I do not care a damn I'm glad I fought against it I only wish we'd won And I don't want no pardon For anything I've done I hates the Yankee nation And everything they do I hates the declaration Of Independence too I hates the glorious Union 'Tis dripping with our blood And I hates their striped banner I fought it all I could Three hundred thousand Yankees Is stiffed in Southern dust We got three hundred thousand Before they conquered us They died of Southern fever And Southern steel and shot And I wish it was three million Instead of what we got I won't be reconstructed I'm better now than then new And for that carpet bagger I do not give a damn So I'm off for the frontier Soon as I can go I'll prepare a weapon And start for Mexico
Check out Hoyt Axton's version of this song also. I love his Blind Fiddler also. It shows how the South had a hard time after the war...and is a beautiful song. My best to you, Moppet
Those two verses are often left out because "The Freed Man Bureau " was coloreds making us kiss their ass. Also "I hates the Constitution"...because we were forced to ratify the 11, 12 , 13, and 14 Amendment before "allowed back in"...Hell we wanted out and still do. Mississippi did not ratify the Amendment until the mid 1990s because the Yankee nation threatened to cut off ALL FEDERAL FUNDING under that bastard, Clinton.
Hmm...I now recall that 1990s thing in Mississippi. Of course, if it hadn't been that POS, the way things have gone since then, the "New South" GOP would have imposed the same bs on us.
As the Great Great Grandson of three Confederate patriots, I salute you for uploading this song. Mississippi Division Sons of Confederate Veterans Sam Davis Camp 596 Biloxi Mississippi.
Had 5 great great grandpaws and 6 great great great grandpaws, and a whole slew of uncles that fought in defense of Dixie against Mr. Lincoln's invading hordes. Main units were the 6th Georgia Cavalry, 24th, 52nd, and 65th Georgia Infantries, 25th, 60th, and 62nd(Thomas' Legion) North Carolina Infantries. Deo vindice!
@@jojokrako7818I hope your brother's and children are attending the reenactments in your state on a regular basis. Keeping this hobby going is important because it's real White American Southern Culture and you won't experiance what you will there anywhere else. If your a White Man you should give reenactment a try. Just show every Company brings extra equipment and gear for randoms that you can rent out for the weekend.
"I won't be reconstructed. I'm better now than then." That is 19th century "attitude." There's more to that line than most realize. That's GFY and I'm proud to do what I did and I'd do it again if I could... and I was right.
aka Exploited - the freedom they brought to the slaves was simply the freedom to starve - they were no longer housed, clothed or fed. Wage slaves instead of chattel slaves but still slaves
@@hellbillybilly4770 Ex-slaves did not starve anymore than poor people. But, you are correct that legal emancipation came with the Civil rights act and the abolition of the Jim Crow laws in the South.
@@bradfordwilliams5971 Agreed. The blacks that migrated to the North starved. In the South the freed black slaves and the poor white share croppers suffered alike.
We all picked the cotton but never got rich… we weren’t rich but we were doing alright till the yanks went and burnt down my family farm. Majority of it fell into disrepair and got stolen by the banks in the depression time. Now there’s a high end clothing store sitting on top of 300 years of my family and their work…
The last verse, which describes Gen. Jim Shelby's retreat to Mexico, shows how much effort Ry Cooder put into the soundtrack. Shelby was a popular figure in Missouri and this alternate set of lyrics was likewise well-known in that region, but almost unknown outside of the Kansas-Missouri area. The "popular" version ends as such: Can't take up my musket And fight 'em now no more But I ain't a-goin' to love 'em, Now this is certain sure! And I don't want no pardon For what I was and am, And I won't be reconstructed, And I do not give a damn.
Thanks for that. I'd always wondered about where that alternate ending came from. I always sort of assumed that it was about the confederate soldiers that left the United States entirely, for Mexico, Nicaragua, Egypt, etc. That makes more sense.
Lyrics: "I'm A Good Old Rebel" (from "The Long Riders" soundtrack) Oh, I'm a good old rebel Now that's just what I am For this fair land of freedom I do not care a damn I'm glad I fought against it I only wish we'd won And I don't want no pardon For anything I've done I hates the Yankee nation And everything they do I hates the Declaration Of Independence, too I hates the glorious Union 'Tis dripping with our blood And I hates their striped banner I fought it all I could Three hundred thousand Yankees Stiffen in Southern dust We got three hundred thousand Before they conquered us They died of Southern fever And Southern steel and shot And I wish it was three million Instead of what we got I won't be reconstructed I'm better now than then And for that carpetbagger I do not give a damn So I'm off for the frontier Soon as I can go I'll prepare a weapon And start for Mexico
@@madlilpony2768 if you don't respect the confederacy you are uneducated on the particular subject and likely have the entire conflict rooted in racism rather than economic tyranny.
@@Donald_Xavier Yes, but it was the line just before that I learned differently growing up, spending each summer in Georgia. I knew the line as, " Three hundred thousand Yankees are stiff in Southern dust. We got 300,000 before they could stop us! " No Rebel I've ever known would concede to having been "conquered" by the North. But I grew up in England. So I'm staying out of it!
@@gabrielagustinhomas bullfuckingshit....wait until the Dems try/do steal more elections coming up.... the WASPS down South have had enough... they are pissed to the hilt as it is...
Always loved this song. Long Riders was my introduction to Ry Cooder, and I've been hooked on his genius ever since. What a talent. And what a heartfelt song of defiance.
@ Katrina, ( 10yrs ago! ) Katrina, have you seen the Buena Vista Social Club? Ry Cooder had to technically " break the law", to do the music for this film. This stuff was all outlawed (treason) after the Civil War. It became antiquated but remained on the books. The Buena Vista Social Club is about music in Cuba before communism. It's very good.
Oh make no mistake there were rebels in the north....just don't hear about it much...but there were uprisings in NEW york against the blue belly devils....remember ut was more ABOUT States rights.....
@@SilencedP2P only 4 of the states that seceded mentioned slavery as a reason for doing so, the war was over a mixture of economic interests (the north preferred policies which favored industry and protectionism while the south favored pro agricultural policy and didn’t like tariffs) and the conflicting desire for centralized government and uncentralized government (north wanted the former). Slavery was just one of many aspects of the economic conflict and was not something that the average southerner had anything to do with, to destroy the notion that the war was to free the African I’m simply going to point out that the north had segregation long before the south did (this is where we copied our system from) and the abolitionist movement was only for the most part against slavery because the system brought blacks to the nation. the righteous cause of the union is a complete falsehood and your beloved Lincoln was just as willing to deport the African as he was to utilize them against the south.
i raise a glass of finest western kentucky (where I hail) sippin' whisky aka bourbon 7 years old and 54% minimum to you and that sentiment as there ain't one chance in hell of that ever happening here - It is the duty of a patriot to protect one's self from one's country - Patrick Henry
There is a better James Gang movie that had Brad Pitt in it. I think it came out almost ten years ago. Very accurate portrayal. "The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford. Really great cast. The Long Riders was my favorite up until that newer one came out.
@@robertweber567 ...........I loved 'em both but, for purposes of historical accuracy and re-creation, I have to go with "The Assass......Ford". Exceptional film. Brad Pitt was amazing.
Yeah, sure...just like WW1 was about money....and the Jews. The Confederacy alternative history lovers and the Third Reich have much in common. The Wa-Wa was about the morality of slavery and nothing but. Read the memoirs on both sides.
+bendsomemetalFord Untrue; There were only 7 seceded States up to April 1861, and those 7 did list "Slavery" as one reason for secession. In VA, NC, TN & AR, the people were against secession and would have remained in the Union. In April 1861, Lincoln issued a call for troops to invade the seceded States to put down the "Rebellion" (Secession is NOT rebellion). The sentiment then totally shifted in VA, NC, TN & AR and the people of those States then voted for secession, as Lincoln was then viewed as a Tyrant. The Civil War is MUCH more complicated than "Slavery".
"So far from engaging in a war to perpetuate slavery, I am rejoiced that Slavery is abolished. I believe it will be greatly for the interest of the South. So fully am I satisfied of this that I would have cheerfully lost all that I have lost by the war, and have suffered all that I have suffered to have this object attained." (Robert E. Lee)
God bless the old South. South Carolina, North Carolina, Louisiana Georgia, Texas, Kentucky, Virginia, Missouri, Florida,Alabama, Mississippi Tennessee and Arkansas.
It has feeling both in the words and in the music. Something that is so lost in so much modern music. watching the Long Riders soundtrack so made a flatfoot like me wanna get up and dance.
I’m 23 and I used to watch this as a child. Absolutely the top of my movie list. Gold. Ending sucked balls even though it’s on a true story but they def could of saved a lot of despair by having Jesse live.
This reminds me about when the first American Soldiers arrived in Europe during ww1 the British band played Dixieland because it was the only American song they new
Thank you. It's a cold, bitter song but it reflects the Southerner's view of the betrayal by his northern 'brothers' we had fought for in three major wars
+george gorritti I am glad you enjoyed this. I have a playlist on my channel with all the music from this movie. The Playlist is called "Soundtracks". I also have "Civil War Era" music which has many songs of this type. Feel free to look around at any time, Moppet
TheBlackSheep Thank you for listening & taking the time to leave a "hello". I've been organizing my Channel & have a Playlist called "Soundtracks" which has this movie, Crossroads, & some of Southern Comfort. I also have a Ry Cooder Playlist so it has all my music from him. Appreciate you leaving a comment. Some of my videos have been up since 2011 with zero comments, so I mean it. My best to you, Moppet
@@psychobillynumbnuts1 It used to be. Now its about fighting large big goverment. Irony. My theme is columbia the gem of the ocean. And I say this being half porto rican and half Jew. Trump won! America forever. WWGIWGA.
My Confederate ancestor fought at Gettsyburg, PA and I'm proud of your G.Grandfather that fought with the Miss. 3rd Cal. Thank you for his courage and love for freedom.
thank you for posting, love it. Texas has got so many Yankee's moving in . And now they tell us people from California are coming in, Jobs are few 'round here. not to mention the farm land has been taken for housing 'cause of population growth. I don't mean to sound bad but Texas is full y'all need to move on.
This comment is more relevant now than ever. We should take Oklahoma Arkansas and Louisiana with us and sell oil to the US at $100 a barrel. We’d all live like kings lol.
@@SStupendous some of us are cut from a different cloth I guess. Some of us don’t want this version of America where you are not manipulated by the US government and have rights that will not be infringed upon.
As a limey who attended high school in the US, I understood the divide between the north and the south when I called a southern boy, raised to be proud of his rebel ancestry, a "yankee". He did not take kindly to that slur, and taught me a valuable lesson about the difference between the people of the two nations.
@@jeffgreer198613 He was a BIG dude, probably held back a year, used to smoke on campus in front of teachers, wore a rebel flag patch on his bag, generally did not give a f*ck and other kids kept their distance. As the British kid, I refused to recognize cliques, and would have the odd bit of banter with this guy from time to time, hence why he started calling me "Limey". He also used to call the biggest black kid the N word and tell him to go pick cotton while laughing, and the black kid wouldn't even dare make eye contact. On the day I called him a yankee (at the time I wasn't aware of just how wide the divide between north and south truly is - being in Florida this distinction gets a little blurred, especially if you're an outsider), he grabbed me by my collar and growled his words at me in a very intimidating low tone. I don't remember his exact words, but he implied he would let me off this time, because I clearly didn't understand what that meant to him, but if I ever called him that again he would essentially end my life in a very painful way. After that we were still cool.
@@FLThunderbird1 Not quite the same. The British were the "Yankees" in those instances, as in we came out on top (for the most part). Call a Brit a Paddy or Frog, and he's more likely to do a stereotypical impersonation of an Irish or French person. On the other hand, call an Irish person a Brit, and depending on their level of intoxication, you may end up stabbed. Whereas call a Frenchie a Brit, and he'll simply think of you as a stupid American while not doing anything.
You do realize it's based off the soldiers who fought that they don't care about glory and or being famous they only care for their rights of freedom and hatred for the Union blue boys who they believe stole their land and rights and wanted to take their people into a new modernized society.
@@bulldogsbob I don't hate my country. It was just a movie. If you ever studied history that's just how it was back then. I'm a Veteran I fought for my country son. You went and hid.
Love the movie and the song! I crank it up when I need to get my blood to pumping! I believe the nation would have been better off in the long run, if the Confedercy had prevailed. We have no states rights anymore
The south should hate the union... a “union” that’s applied with force isn’t a union it’s occupied land. Proud Ulster nan here love all my Scots Irish cousins
@Cleo Fierro You do know where the Southerners got the majority of their slaves from, right? It wasn't from Africa, it was from Northern businessmen who sold off their slaves to Southerners when their states abolished slavery. The greatest lie ever told in American history is that the South is to blame for slavery. Get off your high horse.
I like how the veterans would shout out the name of a battle they fought at on the line: Im glad I fought at xxxx. I can imagine a drunken group shouting different place names all at once lol.
Watching the movie now again! For the 100th time on dish tv ! Great movie about James and younger families after the war! Which they probably seen my great great great grandfather in the 8th Ohio cav during Sherman’s march to the sea
This song is catchy and im a big Trumper too. But im glad we lost. I even reenact as a Confederate. But to support a nation that keeps men in bondage is shameful. Christ would cry.
The South's concern about the Fed was completely justified; it wasn't a war between Southern vs Northern Americans, but rather against government overreach.
No disrespect But if you look into it the South had the higher percent of free black Americans than the North. Also a majority of white people in the South was against slavery because of Christian beliefs
RANDOMLETTERS1111 So glad you found the song here. It is a good movie. The music is so good I added a Playlist for it & another of Ry Cooder's soundtracks, "Crossroads". It is called "BLUES - Soundtracks". The Long Riders videos are also on "Ry Cooder" , "BLUES - all types", & "Civil War Era Music". I've tried to hit all the search areas. Hope you enjoy the movie & hope you have fun if you explore any of the Playlists on my Channel. My best to you, Moppet
I enlisted in the us army at seventeen, I fought in Iraq, Serbia, and Somalia. I was 23 years old when I got out. I was a medic. I got out and plied my trade for 14 years, my talents were wasted stateside. I lost my son in 2007 and went bat shit crazy, and re enlisted when I was 37 years old. I did two tours in Iraq and three in Afghanistan. In exchange for my loyalty I have been labeled a mental defective and stripped of my rights. When the second civil war comes, not if, but when, I will not side with the country that made me an, “other”
You're a good man, God bless you, think I'll join ya, America has gone to shit, they have forgotten us veterans and the common folk ! J.Ortega US Army veteran.
May I ask what rights have you lost? Are you in prison for so called hate speech? have you been disenfranchised from voting? Sounds like to me that you are a sore loser over 2020.
Not the only one. They stripped my father of his rights and now coming after mine because I refused to get a jab. This country has no love for thier citizens
Born and raised in the blue ridge mountains of north Georgia. Heard this song my whole life going back to the early 80’s. Means a whole lot more with democrats this time pissin’ off the whole country, again.
I agree, Ry Cooder's version is excellent. The first i ever heard this song, was also in this movie. The original version was written by Major Innes Randolph, C.S.A.-I also strongly recommend a book by Sam R. Watkins, 'Co. Aytch' (his pronunciation of Company ' H'). It is a realistic account of of his experiences as a confederate private during the entire length of the war. Co. H in 1861 consisted of 120 men, only 7 were still alive at surrender in 1865.
+bendsomemetal Ford It would have been so different. He asked for "Dixie" to be played at the White House after the ending of the War. He was for healing the country. I don't know if there would have been peace, but is sure would have been different. Thank you for commenting.
@amsedan43 You should be proud of your Great Grandfather. He fought for his beliefs & also helped make this country what it is. (The BEST of what it is!). Dixie & The North should be blessed & those dear men who lost their lives on both sides should never be forgotten. I am glad you found this song here & hear it with pride. I love the song. I love Hoyt Axton's version also, though this is probably a more accurate tune. My best to you, Moppet
