Glover may be sending a message about how the US prioritizes the protection of guns over the protection of black bodies. Glover moves fluidly from violent act to violent act, just as America does with mass shootings.

The lyrics and accompanying music video, reflecting the core of the Black Lives Matter movement, confront issues of ongoing systemic racism, including prejudice, racial violence, the ghetto, and law enforcement in the United States, as well as the wider issues of mass shootings and gun violence in the United States.

The white horse. Some viewers interpret the appearance of a rider on a white horse as a reference to the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. In the Bible's Book of Revelation, the horsemen represent the evils that come at the end of the world. The white horse appears behind Glover as he dances with schoolchildren.

Written by Gambino and songwriter Ludwig Göransson, "This Is America" features a gospel-type choir and variety of artists, including Young Thug, Slim Jxmmi, BlocBoy JB, 21 Savage, and Quavo. Likely the driver for the song's chart-topping success this past week has a lot to do with its gripping video.