This is further emphasized by the following lyrics, “We just wanna party, Party just for you, We just want the money, Money just for you”. This could be indicative of the tendency of society to ignore blatant social issues, simply going about the business of their day to day lives. It’s almost as if the choir is suggesting that there isn’t really any problem and that we don’t really have to pay to close attention. This is one of the first of many repetitive phrases, creating an almost hypnotic suggestion. The opening is introduced with a gentle gospel choir in the background singing, “Yeah, yeah, yeah, go, go, away”. The song is probably most effective in the jarring transition between the verses and chorus. However, enough focus on verbal choice to create thoughtful and somewhat haunting possibilities is strongly suggested. Gambino’s lyrics are fascinating due to a certain ambiguity of specific meaning. Childish Gambino’s “This Is America” highlights this unfortunate state of events both through the lyrical poignancy, tonal contrast and disturbing visuals through the accompanying music video.
The sad truth is, these unfortunate altercations are simply putting a deeply embedded issue under a much brighter spotlight. Shootings involving black men and police officers became a prominent focal point of social media outlets. In the last few years, social media has significantly boosted awareness of violent racial oppression, particularly towards black men. There may be some who state that these problems are exaggerated, but those voices probably aren’t too steeped in personal experience. Despite many great leaps forward in the Civil Rights movement, most prominent in the 1950’s and 60’s, there are still various issues that remain sadly prevalent in the 21st century. The Unites States has had a long history with strong elements of racial oppression. This is America: Exploring Lyrical and Visual Symbolism