The Words

 “The fact that he duped us all with one of the most anti-American songs ever and called it ‘Born in the USA’ as some sort of celebration of how great it is to be born in the USA. I’m angry at myself for not seeing it for so long and actually giving him, in my mind, the credit of being a representation of blue-collar America.” 

That was just a portion of the tirade that Aaron Lewis, lead singer for a "nu-metal" band called Staind, went off on during an appearance on Tucker "Everlasting" Carlson's podcast last week. It was this MAGAty country-rock-conservative's opinion that Bruce Springsteen “has forgotten where he came from” and “lost touch with the struggle.” 

I won't bother you with the old saw about everybody having an opinion, but let's back up the tape long enough to review just how Mr. Lewis was "duped."

Born down in a dead man's town
The first kick I took was when I hit the ground
End up like a dog that's been beat too much
'Til you spend half your life just coverin' up, now

Those are the first words from the song by which Mr. Lewis was "duped." I don't see a lot of rah-rah flag waving going on there. Perhaps, like Ronald Reagan back in 1984, he came in for that big fist-pumping chorus: "Born in the USA." That sounds downright patriotic, but the verses tell the story of a Vietnam veteran who watched his buddies get killed in a war he didn't comprehend only to return to a country that didn't want or need him any more. 

Which, by the way, does not negate the potential for patriotism. It does speak to the right we all have to speak out when we feel there has been injustice or corruption on the part of our government. The one that is supposed to be of the people, by the people and for the people, if you happen to be into that whole Abraham Lincoln thing. 

I am a Bruce Springsteen fan. I continue to be even when I sometimes find myself sniffing around the edge of that whole "blue collar billionaire" trope, but I know that the words he writes are the most important thing. Once upon a time the state of New Jersey, which is home to Mister Springsteen, decided that to fill the void where the Garden State had no official song they would select "Born To Run." Someone had the lyric sheet and noticed that lines like

 "Oh, baby this town rips the bones from your back/It's a death trap, it's a suicide rap/We gotta get out while we're young"

That's why you were Born To Run. 

As for Mister Lewis, I wish him all the success in the world promoting his own songs, but cherry picking a forty-one year old song about the disillusionment of a Vietnam veteran probably isn't the place to start when you're looking for an anthem to rile up your MAGA fans. Might I suggest "King of All Excuses?"