OPINION | This article contains the author's opinion.
Country songwriter Wynn Varble is one of the most prolific artists in the industry, working alongside Garth Brooks, Trace Adkins, and Brad Paisley.
In a new song titled “I’m Just Sayin’,” Varble argues “wokeness” is destroying America from within. The song was performed by rising star Austin Moody.
The lyrics read: “They call themselves enlightened but cancel those who don’t agree / I wish all these folks who claim they’re woke would just go back to sleep.”
The song continues: “I’m just sayin’ Have we all lost our minds? / I’m just sayin’ where do we draw the line / I know y’all think it takes balls to be singing what I’m singing / But I’m just singing what you’re thinking”
The term “woke” has become increasingly common in recent years in reference to radical left-wing social activism.
Varble said, “Nashville in the last couple of decades, it’s been turning a little more to the left.”
“I don’t have a problem with any of these people — I mean we’re all Americans, right?” he added.
Epic Night at The Screaming Goat in Bulverde, Texas for The Hitmakers and Trailblazers with David Lee and Wynn Varble! #hitmakersandtrailblazers #songwriters #screaminggoat #countrymusic #texas pic.twitter.com/rZ1gDiaHtb
— Dallas Moore (@dallasmoore) April 21, 2023
“But when they force their stuff on us — that’s the whole thing. It’s a very small percentage of the population, these woke folks — they try to tell you who to love, how to feel. It don’t feel right,” Varble said.
Varble wrote the song because he wanted to he believes it’s wrong for culture to attempt pleasing “a small portion of the population.”
The origins of wokeness can be traced back to the African American community, where it was used as a way to describe people who were aware of and actively opposed to racism. In recent years, however, the term has been adopted by a wider range of people, including white progressives and liberals.
“Wokeness” has been widely criticized by Americans in recent years who believe it is an overt form of political correctness that is stifling free speech and basic American freedoms.