He continues to write and record new material and performs live frequently throughout Canada, the United States, Europe and Australia.
Thompson was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2011 New Year Honours for services to music. On 5 July 2011, the degree of Doctor of Philosophy honoris causa was conferred on Thompson by the University of Aberdeen, in a ceremony at the University's Elphinstone Hall.
Yankee Go Home
Richard Thompson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The sun is setting on another day
Why don't you leave me alone
Yankee go home
They're burning effigies out in the street
Man the lifeboats, sound the retreat
Pentagon's on the phone
You can't just kiss and run away
There ain't enough money on a sergeant's pay
When the dance hall girl you banged's in the family way
You turned my sister into a whore
With a pair of silk stockings from the P.X. store
Why don't you leave us alone
Yankee go home
My girlfriend won't talk to me
Since she met with a sailor from the land of the free
I'm tired of being alone
Yankee go home
I've lost count of the chewing gum that I've had
And vodka-cola make my teeth go bad
We'll handle this on our own
Yankee go home
Dow Jones going into a stall
Spray paint saying it on every wall
The climb was fine, now it's time to decline and fall
Overpaid, oversexed and over here
Get smart, gringo, disappear
The Hun's at the gates of Rome
Yankee go home
The song "Yankee Go Home" by Richard Thompson is a protest song against American soldiers who were stationed in the UKÂ during the Cold War era. The song calls on American soldiers to end their stay in the UK with the repeated refrain of "Yankee go home." The first stanza calls for peace with a soldier, and the second stanza describes the public's burning effigies, sounding the retreat and political pressure for the soldiers' removal.Â
The final three stanzas describe the negative impact that the US soldiers have on the daily lives of the British people. The third stanza portrays how the soldier has impregnated a dance hall girl, adding a human dimension to the complaints against American soldiers. The fourth stanza suggests that American soldiers have brought streetwalkers to the UK, corrupting British young women. The final stanza describes the economic and political harm caused by the US soldiers, painting them as overpaid and oversexed.
The song was released in 1983 and became one of Richard Thompson's most popular protest songs, attracting controversy from British and American soldiers in equal measure. The song was inspired by real events, such as the Greenham Common Women's Peace Camp, which protested the United States' deployment of cruise missiles in the UK.
Line by Line Meaning
G.I. Joe put your gun away
Put down your weapon, soldier. The day is almost over.
The sun is setting on another day
The day is coming to an end.
Why don't you leave me alone
Please stop bothering me.
Yankee go home
Americans should leave.
They're burning effigies out in the street
Protestors are burning effigies in public.
Man the lifeboats, sound the retreat
Prepare to evacuate and retreat.
Pentagon's on the phone
The United States government has been contacted.
You can't just kiss and run away
You can't just have a one-night stand and leave.
There ain't enough money on a sergeant's pay
A sergeant's salary is insufficient.
When the dance hall girl you banged's in the family way
When the woman you had sex with at the dance hall is pregnant.
You turned my sister into a whore
You corrupted my sister and made her promiscuous.
With a pair of silk stockings from the P.X. store
You used a gift from the P.X. store to do it.
My girlfriend won't talk to me
My girlfriend is ignoring me.
Since she met with a sailor from the land of the free
Since she met an American sailor.
I'm tired of being alone
I'm tired of being single.
I've lost count of the chewing gum that I've had
I've consumed too much chewing gum to keep count.
And vodka-cola make my teeth go bad
Drinking vodka mixed with cola is ruining my teeth.
We'll handle this on our own
We'll take care of this situation ourselves.
Dow Jones going into a stall
The stock market is experiencing a downturn.
Spray paint saying it on every wall
Anti-American messages are spray-painted on walls throughout the area.
The climb was fine, now it's time to decline and fall
Things were going well, but now it's time for failure.
Overpaid, oversexed and over here
American soldiers are overpaid, overly sexual, and present in this area.
Get smart, gringo, disappear
Leave, smarten up, and don't come back.
The Hun's at the gates of Rome
The enemy is at our doorstep like the Germanic forces of Rome's time.
Lyrics © BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC
Written by: ERROL THOMPSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Blake Havard
What an amazing tune. Mickey Curry on drums. Timeless tune. Has he played it live. A little scared to share it on Facebook. He goes for it here.
lyonslaforet
Amnesia (1988) is an excellent Richard Thompson album!
sezles1
Seen Richard many times but not for a few years now. I have never seen him.play Yankee go home at any of the concerts I have been to.
He once asked for songs and I shouted out Yankee go home. He looked towards where Inwas sitting and just stared but didn't respond. Anybody ever hear him live sing Yankee go home?
D'Ascoyne
Great song! He should play it live in Texas.
sezles1
I don't think Richards ever played this live or am I wrong? I have seen him many times and once a few years ago he was asking for requests. I shouted out for "Yankee go home" amongst all the others shouting for songs. He stopped looking in my direction and gave a funny look but ignored me. Oh well that's life I guess.
Matthew Smith
I've got a couple of his live recordings from that period and this isn't on them. Don't Tempt Me is though.
city zen
i AGREE, AND i'M AN aMERICAN FROM THE deep south, WHERE ALL THE BEST POPULAR MUSIC ORIGINATED.
D'Ascoyne
I just wanna see their reaction.
benchpresser356
How come? Is there a lot of carpetbaggers there?
TreeTrash
this entire comment section reeks of boomer.