Thread: Sum 41 faced with deportation from USA for their lyrics?!?

I just found out that Sum 41, a pop-punk band, are being threatened with deportation from the us buy the american govornment for the lyrics to one of their new songs, March of the Dogs:

the lyrics in bold are the key ones:

Ladies and gentlemen of the underclass,
The president of the United States of America,
Is Dead!

I don't believe in the politics,
Of chosen fools and hypocrites,
Who walk a line that stretched so fine,
Is death or glory had in mind?

And here we go,
I guess the resolution,
No-one knows,
Who'll lead this revolution now,
attention grows,
the way to a conclusion,

It's too late there's no time, (its too late there's no time)
All for none, never was two, three, four

March of the dogs,
to a beat of disillusion
sworn under god,
breeding panic and confusion,
the white flag is down,
send in the clowns,
the carnival of sins is now going to begin,

It may be I'm a pessimist,
but I say we need an exorcist,
the root of all evil standing tall,
Under god and above us all,

And here we go,
I'm getting desperation,
all we know
Is confusion and frustration,
Ditch your clothes,
no vision of salvation

It's too late there's no time, (it's too late there's no time)
All for none, never was two, three, four

March of the dogs,
to a beat of disillusion
sworn under God,
breeding panic and confusion,
the white flag is down,
send in the clowns,
the carnival of sins is now going to begin,

Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey!
A-one, two, three, four

Another president dead,
because they blew off his head,
no more kids to be led,
yes to heaven he fled,
was it something he said,
because of who's in his bed,
by who will we be led?
by whose hand will we be fed?
all the lies by the lying liars who said
we'll be fine,
its OK,
hey look mom no head

la la la la la la la
(random)
It's OK, it's alright


I just find it increadibly sad that th American govornment would try to deport the band for a few lines of one song. Its not like its in every song from every album like the Sex Pistols did in the Uk, and they weren't threatened with deportation! What happened to freedom of speech?

I think this just shows America's insecurities, they can't stand anyone to say a word against them, and when someone does stand up to them, they are silenced.

It probably doesn't help that Sum 41 are Canadian.

An angry Comrade

Sum 41 SHOULD be deported, SOLELY for them being a totally shite band!

Based on what I've read (see below) and Googled for, I'm not seeing that it was anything more than a congressman suggesting it after learning it from journalist. I'll do a Nexis search later, but I've not found any reports of this being a pending possiblity.

Sum 41 frontman Deryck Whibley was apparently threatened with deportation from the US last week due to some of the lyrics on his band's new album. Apparently an American journalist took offence to the lyrics of the track 'March Of The Dogs' from the band's new record 'Underclass Hero' and petitioned Congress’s House Minority Leader to have Whibley and his band mates banned from the US.
"The reporter went to the House Minority Leader who tried to have me deported," explains Whibley. "He was trying to say I was threatening the president."
The offending lines are as follows: 'Ladies and gentlemen of the underclass / The president of the United States of America is dead... And now the president's dead / Because they blew off his head / No more neck to be red / I guess to heaven he fled'
Never mind threatening the president, Whibley should have been deported for his trite rhyme scheme.

Source: Kerrang! Sum 41 threatened with deportation from the US

I do think it would be repressive to deport someone for the content of the lyric, though, Comrade. If it comes to that, I'll have a problem. But it seems more like a case of entertainment writers looking for some punk credibility for Sum 41.

Billy Bragg comes an goes to the US as he pleases.

Does that mean that Nicole Ritchie is going with them?

Originally Posted by freckles

Does that mean that Nicole Ritchie is going with them?

Oh if we were to be so fortunate!

That would be very interesting. Canada would be happy to have them back but it would be a huge blow to them financially if they could no longer perform in the US.

I wonder how Island Records and Universal Records would react since it would be a fair chunk of money that they'd lose out on too.

Originally Posted by ...of J.Temperance

Sum 41 SHOULD be deported, SOLELY for them being a totally shite band!

Ive never heard anyone be so wrong.

Comrade

Deport them. I won't care. I'd rather be listening to Washington is Next by Megadeth. At least the music is good to make up for the lyrics.

Originally Posted by Comrade

II just find it increadibly sad that th American govornment would try to deport the band for a few lines of one song. Its not like its in every song from every album like the Sex Pistols did in the Uk, and they weren't threatened with deportation! What happened to freedom of speech?

Freedom of speech is limited. I can say I hate Granholm. That's okay. I can say I wish I could kill her. That's okay. I could say to an audience, "How about I grab my AR-15 and we have ourselves an old fashioned Granholm hunt?" or like Sum 41 essentially said, "We should whip out our twelce gauges and obliterate George Bush's dome," that ain't right.

Killing and saying your going to kill have a fine line. Every threat must be weighed the same. If Sum 41 publically said they wanted to take a Benelli to your head, I'm sure you would ask thay they be taken into custody.

I mean, my grampa gets strange looks because he keeps a Mossin Nagant ( I love hunting with it) in his safe. A genuine Soviet bolt action sniper rifle. There's even a fine line between ownership of that rifle and suspected potential for murder.

It doesn't take much for the government to fear you. In this day and age, many don't joke. Sum 41 wants him dead, no doubt.

I don't think I'd go to Russia and perform a song saying I wanted Vladimir Putin dead or to France and say I wanted Nicolas Sarkozy shot. There would be no threat of deportation as a result of my vocalizing, I'd immediately be imprisoned or shot and killed. Sum 41 is lucky it was just a suggestion for them to be deported by the MINORITY House leader. Still, who the fuck do they think they are as visitors to another country to be singing about wanting our president being dead??? It wouldn't matter who the president was, they're fucked up for even writing that shit.