Oh, The Irony...

"The Great Nations of Europe" Randy Newman

IRONIC EXAMPLES:

"He (Columbus) shook hands with some Indians and soon they all were dead."

• This is not literal, he rather is exagerating the situation because when the europeans arrived they came over with many diseases that caused the indian population to die due to the foreign diseases.

"Balboa found the Pacific, and on the trail one day, he met some friendly Indians whom the Church told him were gay, so he had them torn apart by dogs on religious grounds they say the great nations of Europe were quite holy in their way."

• The fact that he had the indians "torn apart" in religious grounds is not something very holy at all, it is rather disrespectful. The song exemplifies the truth about the view of Europeans, and mocks them by saying "they were quite holy in their way", which isn't very religious at all as they massacred people in holy grounds.

"On the horizon is the possibility that some bug from out of Africa might come for you and me destroying everything in its path"

•  The diseases brought by Europeans into America caused many people to die, and only those who survived were immune to them. The chances that a new "bug" comes from Africa and clears everything in its path, is highly unlikely. 

"The Great Nations of Europe"

• From how the song portrays the nations of Europe, they were not great at all. They might have been powerful but they swiped with them hundreds of cultures and populations of indians, forcing them to do hard and dirty work they refused to do. Turning indians into slaves is not "great" at all. 

NOT IRONIC EXAMPLES:

"Now they're gone, they're gone, they're really gone. You never seen anyone so gone."

• This in fact is true. The Europeans killed everything in their path, including thousands of indians and even leading to extinction different civilizations like the Mayans, Incas and Aztecs. 

"Some bones hidden in a canyon some paintings in a cave they're no use tryin to save them, there's nothin left to save."

• As well this isn't ironic because the europeans killed them all, and so there is nothing left for us to do than admire at the things they left behind as there is no one else left to save. All the natives were wiped out, and are all dead now. 

"There's pictures in a museum, some lines written in a book but you won't find a live one, no matter where you look."

• The europeans led to extinction different tribes of indians by massacring them and kidnapping them, so there are only what they have left behind to admire in museums, but you'll never find a living Aztec or Mayan alive.