Farmer becomes voice of America’s working class as viral conservative anthem hits 9.6 million views

The viral clip uploaded to YouTube, which received almost 10 million views, thrusted the ex-off-grid farmer from a small town in Virginia into the public eye overnight.

The ballad’s lyrics express working-class frustrations about the so-called Washington elites.

It has become an anti-establishment anthem and appears to particularly resonate with blue-collar workers.

Anthony’s lyrics include a verse which says: “I’ve been sellin’ my soul, workin’ all day.

“Overtime hours for b******t pay so I can sit out here and waste my life away.

“Drag back home and drown my troubles away.”

I can’t listen to Oliver Anthony's “Rich Men North of Richmond” without getting chills.

It's raw, it's true, & it's touching the hearts of men & women across this great nation.

Thank you, @AintGottaDollar for writing the anthem of this moment in American history. pic.twitter.com/D7VTtMVv97

— Kari Lake (@KariLake) August 12, 2023

Another verse adds: “Well, God, if you’re five foot three and you’re 300 pounds taxes ought not to pay for your bags of fudge.”

Kari Lake, an ally to US President Donald Trump and Arizona’s gubernatorial candidate in 2022, was among several conservative commentators to compliment Anthony.

She said: “I can’t listen to Oliver Anthony’s Rich Men North of Richmond without getting chills.

“It’s raw, it’s true and it’s touching the hearts of men and women across this great nation.”

Conservative commentator Matt Walsh added: “The main reason this song resonates with so many people isn’t political.

“It’s because the song is raw and authentic. We are suffocated by artificiality.

“Everything around us is fake. A guy in the woods pouring his heart over his guitar is real.”

Georgia Republican Marjorie Taylor Greene also said: “I ran for Congress because our Government has trampled our people and I represent the forgotten Americans.

“This is the message that Washington needs to hear because this is how our people actually think and feel.”

However, not everyone was fully supportive of Anthony’s conservative ballad.

Jonathan Mann, a musician known for having written a song a day for more than a decade, posted a response ballad called Fat People on Welfare (Are Not Your Enemy).

He sang: “You diagnose yourself as a very old soul, yeah, but you haven’t quite grasped the basics yet of solidarity, no.

“You see, the powers that you rail against have only one hope to survive, and I hear it in the words you sing. It’s divide, divide, divide.”

Another X user said: “Tax money in America serves many purposes including: infrastructure, military, government, and yes social programs.

“That said only a small percentage of money goes to welfare, but welfare is for everyone that needs it, not just fat lazy people who game the system…”