Posted by Andrew Unterberger on 10/11/2011 at 10:12 AM News

The Popdust Files: diss tracks, espn, feuds, fox news, hank williams jr

At long last—after like a couple of hours—we’ve got our hands on the Hank Williams Jr. dis track, his retort to being exposed on FOX News and consequently excommunicated from ESPN’s Monday Night Football. The song is a version of an older cut called “Keep the Change,” which song sees Williams claiming that he’ll hold on to his freedom, guns, money, religion, big V8 (like the veggie drink?), friends, Christian name and privacy while y’all can “keep the Change.”

In the new edit, Williams lashes out at FOX News (“Ask for my opinion / Then twist it all around / Supposed to be talkin’ about my father’s new CD / Well, two can play that gotcha game, just wait and see”) and ESPN (“Cause Bocephus and all his rowdy friends—and his song—is out of there!”) specifically, and claims the USSA (the “United Socialist States of America”) to be “goin’ down the drain.” Aww, c’mon Hank. Real Steel probably isn’t that bad.

You can sign up on his website to download the new version of the song via e-mail, though now it’s on YouTube as well, and for the perversely curious, we have all the lyrics, courtesy of Deadspin, with the new verse in bold:

I’ll keep my freedom
I’ll keep my guns
Try to keep my money
And my religion too
Try to keep on workin’
Try to keep on smilin’
I will keep my Christian name and y’all can keep the change

I’ll keep my heroes
Pictures on the wall
I’ll keep my family safe
You’re [something] when I call
I’m gonna keep my big V8
Keep my friends the same
Keep the government outta my business
And y’all can keep the change

This country sure as hell been goin’ down the drain
We know what we need
We know who to blame
United Socialist States Of America
How do you like that name?

I’ll keep the U.S.A. and y’all can keep the change

So Fox & Friends
Wanna put me down
Ask for my opinion
Then twist it all around
Supposed to be talkin’ about my father’s new CD
Well, two can play that gotcha game, just wait and see
Don’t tread on me!

This country sure as hell been goin’ down the drain
We know what we need
We know who to blame
United Socialist States Of America
Don’t you just love that name?

I’ll keep the U.S.A. and y’all can keep the change
I’ll keep the U.S.A. and y’all can keep the change

Yeah, you can keep Fox & Friends and ESPN outta yer homes, too! ‘Cause Bocephus and all his rowdy friends—and his song—is out of there!