The Great Nations of Europe Lyrics

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
But bullets, disease, the Portuguese ...
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

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About

Genius Annotation

“The Great Nations of Europe” by Randy Newman appears on his 1999 album, Bad Love.

The Newman sarcasm is at full strength here; this time it’s 16th – 17th century European arrogance, and their “take what you want” view of the New World.

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Release Date
June 1, 1999
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