American Dream
Neil Young Lyrics

I used to see you on every T.V.
The singer used to see the person being referred to on every television, indicating that this person was highly visible or famous.

Your smiling face looked back at me.
When the singer saw this person on TV, they always appeared to be happy or content.

Then they caught you with the girl next door,
The subject did something that resulted in a public scandal when it was discovered that they were involved with someone they shouldn't have been.

People's money piled on the floor,
The subject was involved in some sort of financial impropriety that resulted in large sums of money being on the ground.

Accusations that you try to deny,
Despite the evidence against them, the subject still attempted to deny their wrongdoing.

Revelations and rumors begin to fly.
As the story of the scandal spread, more and more details (some true, some false) were reported or speculated upon.

Now you think about reaching out
The subject is feeling lost or in trouble and is contemplating trying to find some sort of divine intervention or other help.

Try to get some help from above.
This line reinforces that the subject is hoping for some sort of divine intervention or guidance to help them through their troubles.

Reporters crowd around your house.
The scandal has resulted in a swarm of reporters congregating around the subject's home in an attempt to get more details or photos that might be newsworthy.

Going through your garbage like a pack of hounds,
The reporters are being likened to dogs scavenging through whatever scraps they can find to try to piece together the story.

Speculating what they may find out,
The reporters are making guesses or hypotheses about what they might discover that could be newsworthy or scandalous.

It don't matter now, you're all washed up.
Despite any attempts to clear their name or mitigate the damage, the subject is now considered ruined, and their reputation is in shambles.

You wake up in the middle of the night.
The subject is experiencing anxiety or stress so intense that it is affecting their sleep.

Your sheets are wet and your face is white,
The physical reactions the subject experiences when they wake up during the night highlight how deeply they are feeling their anxiety.

You tried to make a good thing last,
The subject had something that was good or positive in their life, but now that is gone or ruined due to their actions or the scandal.

How could something so good, go bad, so fast?
The singer is questioning why the subject's life took such a sudden and dramatic turn for the worse, and how something so positive could turn so negative so quickly.

Don't know when things went wrong,
The subject doesn't know exactly when their troubles began, implying that it could have been a long time building up or something sudden.

Might have been when you were young and strong.
The subject is speculating that perhaps their past actions or decisions when they were younger and more capable led to the troubles they are having now.

American dream, American dream
The repeated phrase 'American dream' echoes the idea that, despite the subject's misfortune or failure, they are still part of the larger concept of the American Dream, which includes the notion of individual success and prosperity.

American dream, American dream.
The repetition of the phrase in the last stanza reinforces the theme of the song, that even when things go wrong, the American Dream remains an important part of the national identity and the idea of striving for success.