What do the lyrics on these 2 songs mean?

[SAT-I need more room!!]

Ok, I'm REAL dense when it comes to song lyrics. I need them to be spelled out to me.

I noticed this week's Rolling Stone has all the rockin' Dems on the cover including Mellencamp and Bruce. I guess I always figured they were Republicans.

I read a real short blurb where Mellencamp said that he was booed in his homestate of IN when singing Pink Houses. So what is the song about?

As for Bruce, what about Born in the USA? As a kid, I thought it was a patriotic song, but I'm guessing it's protesting the loss of all the soldiers to the Vietnam war, etc?

[Dawn]

I have that Rolling Stone issue, and it surprised me a little when I read that about John's being booed over Pink Houses. My take on the song is that it's talking about the plight of people who are trying to make the best of their living situations despite limited opportunities, poor economic conditions, etc.

I had never really thought about it before, but looking at the Born in the USA lyrics, I would agree with you about it being a protest about the soldiers in the Vietnam War.

[H2IZCOOL]

I believe that the Bruce song is a protest of how all the Vietnam vets were treated when they came home. Protesting the war was one thing; a lot of my generation were against it. But many of the soldiers did NOT want to be there. Yet, when they came home, they were shunned, spat on and ridiculed.

[SAT-I need more room!!]

H2IZCOOL said:

I believe that the Bruce song is a protest of how all the Vietnam vets were treated when they came home. Protesting the war was one thing; a lot of my generation were against it. But many of the soldiers did NOT want to be there. Yet, when they came home, they were shunned, spat on and ridiculed.

That's terrible. Whether you are Dem or Rep, against the war or for it, the fact is those guys, whether THEY were for or against, they did it for you (ie, all America). To be spit on is just terrible.

See, now I just assumed that was it from the mention of Viet Kong, etc. But what specifically in the lyrics told you it was about their treatment?

[H2IZCOOL]

SAT-Laney's said:

That's terrible. Whether you are Dem or Rep, against the war or for it, the fact is those guys, whether THEY were for or against, they did it for you (ie, all America). To be spit on is just terrible.

See, now I just assumed that was it from the mention of Viet Kong, etc. But what specifically in the lyrics told you it was about their treatment?

Y'know... I think I remember reading an interview with Bruce where he said that.

In the lyrics you get the feeling that they came home and were shunned (can't get a job), many wound up in jail - 'penitentiary' because they no longer "fit in".

[Ken]

Yeah the lyrics to Born in The U.S.A. dealt with the soldiers in Vietnam and how they were treated once they returned home.

[Ken]

In Pink Houses I always thought John was talking about the wide range of people living in the U.S. It being a "melting pot" of so many nationalities and working hard for whatever you wanted to achieve in life.

[SAT-I need more room!!]

Ken said:

In Pink Houses I always thought John was talking about the wide range of people living in the U.S. It being a "melting pot" of so many nationalities and working hard for whatever you wanted to achieve in life.

You would think, so why the booing?

[Ken]

SAT-Laney's said:

You would think, so why the booing?

I'm not sure? Maybe they thought John "sold out." This is the first time I had read about that.

[Railyn]

You are right about Springsteen. He was ticked when Reagan adopted the song as his campaign song because he missed the meaning.

As for Pink Houses, I'm not sure. Here's the lyrics:

There’s a black man with a black cat
Living in a black neighbourhood
He’s got an interstate runnin’ through his front yard
You know, he think, that he’s got it so good
And there’s a woman in the kitchen cleanin’ up the evening slop
And he looks at her and says: hey darling, I can remember when you could stop a clock

Chorus:
Oh but ain’t that america for you and me
Ain’t that america we’re someting to see baby
Ain’t that america, home of the free
Little pink houses for you and me

Well there’s a young man in a t-shirt
Listening to a rockin’ rollin’ station
He’s got a greasy hair, greasy smile
He says: lord, this must be my destination
’cuz they told me, when I was younger
Boy, you’re gonna be president
But just like everyting else, those old crazy dreams
Just kinda came and went

Chorus:
Oh but ain’t that america for you and me
Ain’t that america we’re someting to see baby
Ain’t that america, home of the free
Little pink houses for you and me

Well there’s people and more people
What do they know know know
Go to work in some high rise
And vacation down at the gulf of mexico
Ohhh yeah
And there’s winners, and there’s losers
But they ain’t no big deal
’cuz the simple man baby pays for the thrills,
The bills and the pills that kill

Chorus:
Oh but ain’t that america for you and me
Ain’t that america we’re someting to see baby
Ain’t that america, home of the free
Little pink houses for you and me

Oh but ain’t that america for you and me
Ain’t that america we’re someting to see baby
Ain’t that america, home of the free
Little pink houses for you and me


Honestly, I was never fond of the song so I never paid attention, but if I was disadvantaged or ethnic, I might be offended.

[SAT-I need more room!!]

Railyn said:

Honestly, I was never fond of the song so I never paid attention, but if I was disadvantaged or ethnic, I might be offended.

Why do you say that?

[Railyn]

SAT-Laney's said:

Why do you say that?

To me, it sounds condescending. That's all.

[SAT-I need more room!!]

Railyn said:

To me, it sounds condescending. That's all.

That's what I'm just trying to see, what people hear in the song. Seems like it talks "smack" about the rich too, with the high rise and vacation talk!