Born In The U.S.A. (Misunderstood Song)

Born in the USA

Springsteen

Bruce Springsteen's "Born in the USA", may hold the title for the most historically misunderstood song.

It is not a patriotic "Bless the USA" song, not at all.

Lyrics from the 1984 album

Born in the U.S.A. 

A Vietnam veteran arrives home. He's not wel. He can't get his old job back. He cant get his girlfriend back. The VA is no help. No fanfare; only calls of "Baby Killer". Shuned. Spit on.

~~

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 coverin' up.

Born in the U.S.A!
I was born in the U.S.A!

Got in a little hometown jam
So they put a rifle in my hand
Sent me off to a foreign land
To go and kill the yellow man

Born in the U.S.A!
I was born in the U.S.A!

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

I had a brother at Khe Sanh
Fighting off the Viet Cong
They're still there, he's all gone
He had a woman he loved in Saigon
I got a picture of him in her arms now

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

Born in the U.S.A!
I was born in the U.S.A!

`~~

Favorite comment; 

. It was a tribute and a statement about the Vietnam era and the sad plight of the average American Vietnam veteran. It was designed to bring awareness to those who fight and put their lives on the line for the country, yet are little more than disposable refuse when their job is done.

HOWEVER … That is not what the average American hears. From the mountains to the prairies and from sea to shining sea, inside every redneck bar and at almost any 4th of July celebration, you can hear the voices of every red-blooded, flag waving, patriotic American belting out, proudly and forcefully – as if it were the true national anthem of a unified nation – “BORN IN THE USA! I WAS… BORN IN THE USA!” To them, this song represent all the bad-assery and freedom American could ever be.

Well… as it turns out – given the previous paragraph – it is more of an example of American stupidity and willful ignorance. 

~~~~~~

Notes & Lyrics from bootlegs of the song that Springsteen work on-and-off beginning around 1980.

Wento see my ole baby down at First and Grand to tell her I'd come home from away in Vietnam. 

    Her mama told me she ran off witha singer in a RockNRoll Band. She said, "I'm sorry son, but we understand. You died in  Vietnam"   

    Took a taxi into town...Got off down on Main Streett o see what I could see. All I seen was strangers watchin a stranger pass. And that stranger was me.~~

 Bruce Springsteen (1984) 

No fanfare, no consolations for seeing his buddies' heads get blown off, for trudging through wet, mosquito & tiger infested jungles, and realizing that the locals in South Vietnam did not like him! 

Did not like him at all! 

"What the hell are we doing here! these people don't want us! We are getting killed to protect people that do not like us; That do not want us here!

Month after Month after Month; 

... Hungry

... Wet

... Cold

.... Scared

Every damn day.

Every Damn day.

"The jungles of Vietnam.

I couldn't sleep - sleepers get killed. 

My brain and body became a mechanism that alerted me, that would wake me as if electricity ran through my body. 

Kill or Be Killed!

 Every sound - a small branch breaking, something falling from a tree, gunfire a half a mile away.

This could be my last day.

 this could be my last night.

this could be my last moment.

And now that is part of who I am. 

I cannot go back to who I was before.

I still can't sleep. 

the electricity still surges through my body when I hear noises. 

And the nightmares; if I do happen to get 30 to 45 minutes of shut-eye, I re-live it all in the nightmares.

... I see it 

 ...I smell it 

 ...I fear it

"Son! You're a goddamn baby killer! Get out of my shop!

Hell, get out of this town! We don't need scum like you!"

"What? 

How can you say that to me?

I was BORN in the USA!"

What is wrong with everybody? 

I manned up! I did as I was told!

I risked my life for the sake of this country! 

I spent two tours in that shit-hole jungle

 AND I SURVIVED!

 And when me and my fellow survivors finally returned home, and the plane landed, we got off, and instead of fanfare, people were spitting on us!

 Calling us murderers!

 I saw the most horrific things, and the smell! You can't get that  on your TV coverage - the smell of death. Everywhere. All the time.

"And now you're telling me I got to get out of this town? 

I was born in the USA! Dammit!

This IS where I belong!

THIS... is where I belong...

~~~

BORN IN THE U.S.A. - Demo version

These lyrics are for a studio version of BORN IN THE U.S.A. recorded January 1982 at Springsteen's home studio in NJ. 

It's a solo acoustic guitar demo, drastically different from the album version.

 https://youtu.be/22Gh1wQEe1I

~~~

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
Till you spend half your life just covering up
Born in the USA!

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
Born in the USA! 

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

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 USA
Born in the USA!

~

BORN IN THE U.S.A. - Album version