Born In The USA
Erik Balkey Lyrics

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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 U.S.A., I was born in the U.S.A.
I was born in the U.S.A., 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.
Come back home to the refinery
Hiring man said "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 Sahn
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.
Born in the U.S.A., I'm a long gone daddy in the U.S.A.

Born in the U.S.A., born in the U.S.A.
Born in the U.S.A., I'm a cool rocking daddy in the U.S.A.

Overall Meaning

The song "Born In The USA" by Erik Balkey is a powerful commentary on the experiences of a veteran of the Vietnam War who returns home to find that he has little place in society. The opening lines paint a bleak picture of being born in a dead end town where people are beaten down their whole lives and end up covering up their scars. The singer then declares that he was born in the USA, but it seems more like a curse than a badge of honor.

The second verse is even more visceral, describing how the singer was drafted into the military and sent off to kill the "yellow man" in Vietnam. Despite surviving the horrors of war, the singer returns home with no prospects for his future other than working in a refinery. Even when he seeks help from the Veterans Affairs office, he finds little relief as they tell him that he simply cannot understand what he has been through.

Line by Line Meaning

Born down in a dead man's town
I was born in a place with no opportunities to grow or flourish

The first kick I took was when I hit the ground
My birthplace hasn't been easy on me right from the start

You end up like a dog that's been beat too much
My birthplace's circumstances can break one into submission

Till you spend half your life just covering up
In this place, one needs to hide their suffering and shame to survive

Born in the U.S.A., I was born in the U.S.A.
I may be from America, but I haven't had the best upbringing

Got in a little hometown jam
I got in trouble while living in my small town

So they put a rifle in my hand
As a result, they drafted me for the military

Sent me off to a foreign land
I was sent to a foreign country to engage in war

To go and kill the yellow man
I was forced to fight the Vietnamese people

Come back home to the refinery
Once back home from the war, I was back at my job at the oil refinery

Hiring man said "son if it was up to me"
My boss at work was less than pleased with my presence

Went down to see my V.A. man
I had to visit the Veterans Affairs department for help

He said "son, don't you understand"
The government is unable to provide appropriate assistance for veterans

I had a brother at Khe Sahn
I had a brother who fought in Vietnam and stayed there for a while

Fighting off the Viet Cong
He was struggling with the difficulties of the war as well

They're still there, he's all gone
Despite the war's conclusion, I lost my brother fighting in it

He had a woman he loved in Saigon
One of the reasons my brother couldn't come back was his girlfriend in Saigon

I got a picture of him in her arms now
I only have a picture of him and his lover together to keep him close in my memory

Down in the shadow of the penitentiary
I have ended up living near the prison where society isolates its outcasts

Out by the gas fires of the refinery
I still work at the refinery, and the flames and fumes make me reflect on Vietnam

I'm ten years burning down the road
I have been on the move, changing jobs frequently over the past ten years

Nowhere to run ain't got nowhere to go
Despite fleeing circumstances several times, my birthplace still haunts me and leaves me without options

Born in the U.S.A., I'm a long gone daddy in the U.S.A.
I was born in America, but my experience has left me feeling disconnected from the national spirit

Born in the U.S.A., born in the U.S.A.
My birthplace's name will always be attached to my own, though my experiences differentiate from it

Born in the U.S.A., I'm a cool rocking daddy in the U.S.A.
Despite my history, I still want to find some sense of contentment and freedom here in America

Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Bruce Springsteen

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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