Born in the USA

It seems all classic rock radio stations are having a countdown this weekend and all of them are playing "Born in the U.S.A." by Bruce Springsteen.

It's funny that people think that is a pro-US, patriotic song. When I see masses of faux-patriots rocking down to Born in the USA because they think it is a pro-America song I have to laugh. Have they have ever bothered to listen to or read the lyrics?
In the event that they have not I am going to post them here.

Born down in a dead man's town
The first kick I took was when I hit the ground
You end up like a dog that's been beat too much
'Til you spend half your life just covering up

[chorus:]
Born in the U.S.A.
Born in the U.S.A.
Born in the U.S.A.
Born in the U.S.A.

I got in a little hometown jam
And so they put a rifle in my hands
Sent me off to Vietnam
To go and kill the yellow man

[chorus]

Come back home to the refinery
Hiring man says "Son if it was up to me"
I go down to see the V.A. man
He said "Son don't you understand"

[chorus]

I had a buddy at Khe Sahn
Fighting off the Viet Cong
They're still there, he's all gone
He had a little girl in Saigon
I got a picture of him in her arms

Down in the shadow of the penitentiary
Out by the gas fires of the refinery
I'm ten years down the road
Nowhere to run, ain't got nowhere to go

I'm a long gone Daddy in the U.S.A.
Born in the U.S.A.
I'm a cool rocking Daddy in the U.S.A.
Born in the U.S.A.

I used the second verse in my speech at the Wetumpka VFW back in January when talking about Douglas Lamar Gray.


This song is not about how great America is by any stretch of the imagination...but about how badly we treat our veterans. In this particular case it is about and young man sent to Vietnam who came home and could not get a job and wound up in prison looking at the factory that wouldn't hire him.


Happy Fourth of July.

Loretta Nall


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