'Merican Lyrics
Then stole our country from the Indians
With God on our side and guns in our hands
We took it for our own
Justice, and equality
Does it look that way to you? It doesn’t look that way to me
It’s the sickest joke I know
I'm just another stupid American
But you don’t want to listen, you don’t want to understand
Just finish up your drink and go home.
Twain and Poe and Walt Whitman.
Otis Redding, Ellington,
The country that I love…
The Haymarket Riot, and the Great Depression
Joe McCarthy, Viet Nam
It’s the sickest joke I know
I'm just another stupid American
But you don’t want to listen, you don’t want to understand
Just finish up your drink and go home
You’ve got to know the truth before you say that you’ve got pride
Now the cops got tanks ‘cause the kids got guns
Shrinks pushing pills on everyone
Cancer from the ocean, cancer from the sun
Straight to Hell we go
I'm just another stupid American
But you don’t want to listen, you don’t want to understand
Just finish up your drink and go home
I'm just another stupid American
But you don’t want to listen, you don’t want to understand
Just finish up your drink
And go home
my favorite song of the new record. no real deep meaning here, but the lyrics are put together so well, these fuckers should be history teachers.
The end of the last verse is great, the really serious "Straight to Hell we go", followed by the energetic, higher pitched chorus. It's as if he's laughing about the destruction.
Just in case you're not big on history, here's what they're talking about:
Ben Franklin - founding father, smart guy Twain - one of the best authors of all time, wrote Huck Finn and Tom Sawyer Poe - poet, author, wrote "The Telltale Heart," "The Raven" and many other classics Walt Whitman - poet, wrote "Walden" Klu Klux Klan - racist terrorist group in the south that shoots and lynches minorities and civil rights sympathisers Haymarket Riot - riot that broke out during the struggle for workers rights Great Depression - economic crisis of the 30s, caused mass unemployment and poverty Joe McCarthy - senator in the 1950s, fueled communist scare by accusing many people in the government and entertainment industry of being communists or communists sympathisers Vietnam - long, pointless, terrible and losing war that brought huge losses on both sides and left many Americans with permanent emotional and physical damage
America didn't really need to get involved in Vietnam. It was a fight between 2 countries in east asia or something
yeah America was trying to stop the "spread of Communism" in Asia, funny thing is that Vietnam is still a Communist country
There is too a deep meaning. Everything has a deep, hidden meaning. You can hate your country and love it at the same time. I do.
The simplicity is the song's real depth. America, along with many different countries, tends to suppress the "dark chapters" of their history. It is a warning to us all: "Those who forget history are doomed to repeat it"
I own both Cool To Be You and the `Merican EP, with this song being my favourite on both. This is the best Descendents' song. It puts America and its history in a perfect non-preachy nutshell. It's totally true and right to the point. One of the best songs I've heard by anyone. It's a classic punk anthem from an old proper pop-punk band.
Great song, love it. It tells about what this country was/is about zand how well they manage to hide things they dont want us to hear. People tend to forget about these issues and as Josi said "its a warning to us all." We need to know whats happening here and take care of it.
PUNKS NOT DEAD
Thank god for the Descendents.