Codes and Lyrics

Born In The USA is one of the most misunderstood songs ever. Many Americans believe this song to be about being born in the USA. So much so that in 1984 Ronald Reagan chose Born In The USA to be the theme song for his re-election campaign.

The song is actually about the way that the American government and the American people treated the Vietnam Veterans when they came home from the war. When our Vietnam Veterans came home they didn’t have jobs waiting for them, the Veterans facilities were inadequate to say the least. Then to add insult to injury the American people called the Vets,”baby killers” for fighting for their lives in a war that they were drafted into.

When Bruce Springsteen wrote the lines,”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” he was protesting against sending people into war to kill people against their will. Then a little later in the song the lines,”Come back home to the refinery, Hiring man says “Son if it was up to me.” He was singing about the Vietnam Veterans coming home to no jobs and no help.

No, I don’t think that, “Born In The USA” could or should be misinterpreted as being a patriotic song by any means.