[Verse 1]
Down at the bus stop, the cleanin' lady waits in the exhaust and gnats
She's growlin' inside that Red Mountain mansion
The rabble and the election, the reddenin' face, the sneerin' lip
She grinds her teeth on the remains of the smog-choked old-time girls
She scrambled over and above
The velvet cover on that hard-edged Jones Valley twang starts to slip

[Chorus]
Don't call her a redneck, she's your sister
You ain't no better than her or anybody else
When she struggles, you struggle with her
If you go against your sister, you go against yourself

[Verse 2]
Skyline goes pink beyond the warehouse wall
The crickets start to fiddlin', we grab our puny pay stubs
Drag the dyin', achin' day to the truck
Down the line, E pulls on his wave cap, pries off his boots
Groans and sparks a blunt
I can smell the whiskey on Jim's mustache, talkin' that same old junk like

[Chorus]
Don't call him a thug, he's your brother
You ain't no better than him or anybody else
When he struggles, you struggle with him
If you go against your brother, boy, you go against yourself
[Refrain]
Ah-ah
Don't go against yourself
Don't go against yourself
Don't go against yourself
Don't go against yourself
Don't go against yourself
Don't go against yourself

[Verse 3]
Outside the punk show, down a dark side street
In the San Francisco of the Smokies
They try to bum a light, he shakes his head, and they shuffle past
He smokes and cocks his head at their faded hair-dye and baggy clothes
And groans in his Midwestern drone
"At least back home, poor people have the dignity to pull up their pants"
I'm like, listen here, son

[Chorus]
Don't call them trash, buddy, they're my kinfolk
You ain't no better than them or anybody else
When they struggle, you struggle with them
If you go against my kinfolk, hoss, you go against yourself

[Outro]
Ah-ah
Don't go against yourself
Don't go against yourself
Don't go against yourself
Don't go against yourself
Don't go against yourself
Don't go against yourself
Like a dog gnawin' off its tail
Don't go against yourself
Don't go against yourself
Don't go against yourself
Like a saw cuttin' off its cord
Don't go against yourself
Don't go against yourself
Don't go against yourself
Like the desperate denyin' the sweet grace of the Lord
Don't go against yourself (Don't go)
Don't go against yourself (Don't, don't)
Don't go against yourself (Oh, don't go)
Don't go against yourself (Don't go)
Don't go against yourself (Don't go)
Don't go against yourself (Oh, please don't go)
Don't go against yourself (Don't)
Don't go against yourself (Don't go)
Don't go against yourself (Please don't go)
Don't go against yourself (Oh)
Don't go against yourself
Don't go against yourself (Please don't go)