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Great Nations of Europe Lyrics

Artist: Randy Newman
Album: Bad Love

The Great Nations of Europe had gathered on the shore
they'd conquered what was behind them and now they wanted more
so they looked to the mighty ocean and took to the western sea
The great nations of europe in the 16th century

Hide your wives and daughters, hide the groceries too
The great nations of europe comin through

The Grand Canary Islands first land to which they came
they slaughtered all the canaries there which gave the land its name
there were natives there called guanches, guanches by the score
bullet's, disease the portugese, they weren't there any more

now they're gone, they're gone, they're really gone
you never seen anyone so gone
there's pictures in a museum, some lines written in a book
but you won't find a live one, no matter where you look

Hide your wives and daughters, hide the groceries too
The great nations of europe comin through

columbus sailed for india found salvidor instead
he shook hands with some indians and soon they all were dead
they got tb and typhoid and athletes foot, diptheria and the flu
'scuse me great nations comin through

balboa found the pacific and on the trail one day
he met some friendly indians whom he was told were gay
soooooooooooooo
he had them torn apart by dogs on religious grounds they say
the great nations of europe were quite holy in their way

now they're gone, they're gone, they're really gone
you never seen anyone so gone
some bones hidden in a canyon some paintings in a cave
they're no use tryin to save them, there's nothin left to save

hide your wives and daughters, hide your sons as well
with the great nations of europe you never can tell

where you and i are standing on the end of a century
europes have sprung up everyone as even i can see
but there on the horizon is the possiblity
that some bug from out of africa might come for you and me
destroying everything in it's path from sea to shining sea
like the great nations of europe in the 16th century

Comments/Interpretations

by Naomi Winterfalcon on 8/23/2008 3:49pm
I LOVE this song!!! I teach history and have just added it to my syllabus since it sums up colonialism very well.

by Michael O'Donnell on 10/20/2010 12:16pm
Randy Newman is the only song writer that could be compared with Dylan. One definition of conscience is the observation of our thoughts and deeds--in this sense Randy is the conscience of western civilization--to some an odd observation given his penchant for hookers and cocaine.

by Grammar Gurl on 5/9/2012 7:28pm
e in Europe should be cap

it's bullets not bullet's
& check your spelling

by Grambuoy on 12/6/2012 9:56am
it's path > its path

by Greg B on 12/11/2012 1:29pm
In the Balboa paragraph, "whom the church told him were gay" is how Newman sings this line in Songbook Vol. 1.

by Baby Blue on 1/6/2016 10:54am
It's "Salvador," not "salvidor."

It's "Europes have sprung up everywhere" (not "everyone")