USA
Jeff Rosenstock Lyrics

Dumbfounded, downtrodden and dejected
Feeling shocked, broken-hearted and dispirited

Crestfallen, grief-stricken and exhausted
Sad, mournful and drained of energy

Trapped in my room while the house was burnin', To the motherfuckin' ground
Feeling helpless and powerless while everything falls apart

I saw the sign but it was misleading
I perceived a sign, but it was deceptive

I fought the law, but the law was cheating
I stood up to the law, but the law was unjust

Screaming for help, but somebody keeps on, Telling me to settle down
Asking for aid, but being told to calm down

Please be honest, Tell me was it you?
Requesting truthfulness, asking if it was their fault

Clerk at the midwestern service station, Striped uniform, giggling at catch phrases, Look in her eyes like we're up to something, Oh, it doesn't matter now
The service clerk at the gas station looked at me as if we were doing something suspicious, but it doesn't matter anymore

Man in a crossover with his family, Sketched in decals on the window smiling, Driving parallel in the lane beside me, Oh, it doesn't matter now
The car driver beside me with family decals on his vehicle smiled while driving in the same lane as me, but it doesn't matter anymore

But please be honest, Tell me was it you?, I won't hate you, I just need to know, Please be honest, Tell me was it you?
Asking again for truthfulness, promising not to hate, just need an answer

At first he thought it was the undertow, But he was dragged to the bottom of the lake, By a couple of kids saying, "it's a joke", Though he didn't know any of their names
Someone thought it was the current that was pulling him down, but it was actually two kids who intentionally caused him to drown as a joke, even though he did not know them

As they held him down, the crowd got loud, And they cheered when they thought he had escaped
As the two kids held him under the water, the people around them became excited and applauded when they believed he got away

When the anchor needed something for the 10 o'clock, What could they say?, Oh what else could they say?
When the television news needed a story for their late-night broadcast, what else could they say? They had to report on it

They said, Well, they promised us the stars, And now we're tired and bored
People complained that they were tired and uninterested because they were promised great things but have not received them

Et tu, USA, Et tu, et tu, USA
A reference to Julius Caesar's last words, expressing betrayal by a friend or country, but directed towards the United States

We're tired and bored, We're tired and bored
Repetition of their discontent and exhaustion