Born In The USA

     

Born In The USA

     
       Bruce Springsteen’s Born In The USA, a song written and produced in 1984, captured many points and ideas of what being an American and being a good citizen was like at the time. In this piece, Springsteen seems to take his side against the ideals of the American people at the time and the wars that were occurring.
       In the second verse, the song is quoted “So they put a rifle in my hand, sent me off to a foreign land, to go and kill the yellow man. This quote is referencing the draft of American men into the army to fill the number of soldiers who were able bodied and ready to fight. However, through Springsteen’s interpretation of the actions sung, it is evident that he disagrees with these ideals through his production of lyrics. In these lines, Springsteen seems to attack the idea of fighting on a foreign land where they are unaware of their surrounds as well as the idea of racism overseas, particularly in Asia, where Vietnam is located.
       In the next verse, Springsteen take some his vocals in defense of the veterans seeking jobs after their return from combat. With their jobs being taken while they were gone, veterans and soldiers found it extremely hard to find new occupations upon returning from overseas. While these men were assigned Veteran Affairs counselors, who helped veterans returned to ordinary life, many were powerless to help veterans through occupations and other means, Springsteen’s main topic of importance in this verse.
       In this next verse, Springsteen targets the casualties lost in Vietnam as another area where he disagrees with the stance that the United States held at the time. Springsteen does so by taking the viewpoint of somebody who has lost a family member to eat and how that not only affects the soldier who is killed, but their family as well. Driving his point home, Springsteen talks about “his” brothers lover, who is now only with his fallen soldier as the only memory that he has of him.
       Throughout this song by Springsteen, it is evident that although he was born in the USA, he and many other fellow American citizens were at odds with the way that their country was handling the problems and conflicts at the time. While this song seems to celebrate being an American citizen, it also sheds light onto the situation where the people were at odds with the country itself, and what it really meant to be a true American citizen.