| "Choctaw Bingo" | |
|---|---|
| Song by James McMurtry | |
| from the album Saint Mary of the Woods | |
| Released | 2002 |
| Genre | Southern rock |
| Length | 8:49 |
| Label | Sugar Hill |
| Songwriter(s) | James McMurtry |
"Choctaw Bingo" is a southern rock song written and performed by musician James McMurtry and appears on his album Saint Mary of the Woods and Live In Aught Three. The song uses the narrative of a family reunion in Oklahoma to describe the economic dysfunction of inner America at the time.[1] The sound borrows from Chuck Berry.[2]
The song appears on the soundtrack for the movie Beer for My Horses.[3]
In 2009, American writer Ron Rosenbaum, writing for Slate, proposed Choctaw Bingo as a new national anthem for the United States. Rosenbaum argued that the themes of the song are more representative of life in a post-financial crash America than "The Star-Spangled Banner."[1]
"Choctaw Bingo" has been covered by Ray Wylie Hubbard on his album, Delirium Tremelos, 2005.[4]
An almost ten-minute long live version of this song appears on McMurtry’s album Live in Europe.[5]
