What a drag it is, the shape I'm in
Well, I go out somewhere, then I come home again
I light a cigarette 'cause I can't get no sleep
There's nothing on the TV, nothing on the radio
That means that much to me

All my life
Watching America
All my life
There's panic in America
Oh oh oh, oh, there's trouble in America
Oh oh oh, oh

Yesterday was easy, happiness came and went
I got the movie script but I don't know what it meant
I light a cigarette 'cause I can't get no sleep
There's nothing on the TV, nothing on the radio
That means that much to me
There's nothing on the TV, nothing on the radio
That I can believe in

All my life
Watching America
All my life
There's panic in America
Oh oh oh, oh, there's trouble in America
Oh oh oh, oh, there's panic in America
Oh oh oh, oh

Yesterday was easy
Yes, I got the news
When you get it straight, but stand up you just can't lose
Give you my confidence, all my faith in life
Don't stand me up, don't let me down
I need you tonight

To hold me, say you'll be here
To hold me, say you'll be here
To hold me, say you'll be here
To hold

All my life
Watching America
All my life
There's panic in America
Oh oh oh, oh, she's lost in America
Oh oh oh, oh

Tell me how does it feel
Tell me how does it feel
Tell me how does it feel
Tell me how does it feel


Lyrics submitted by bing_redboy

America Lyrics as written by Andy Burrows Johnny Borrell

Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC

Lyrics powered by LyricFind

America song meanings
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43 Comments

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  • +1
    General Comment

    I think this song is about beeing seperated from the one person you love and how your life is boring and somehow worthless and all you do is focus on her and how things are for her. and he is waiting and grasping for every little bit of news he gets from her. and he wants her to come back and stay with him. He is looking for something that could make him forget about loneliness and seperation but he can't find a thing that means as much to him so he could forget and he can't even sleep because of his longing for her.

    Alexiel_Lagunaon September 04, 2006   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    I wonder if The Borrell's attempting use of 'America' in a sort of Simon & Garfunkel manner, aka. the ideal? He talks about restlessness and unhappiness and how it's parallel to the 'trouble in America', and all that. And it also works literally speaking, I suppose, though while being really rather simple.

    (Of course, this IS Razorlight, so it could just be a load of gobshite, really.)

    _thegreatesthitson October 14, 2006   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    This song is about a couple of things. First, it's a commentary on the media- in England, most of the news we get about America is bad stuff- it seems like that's all that ever happens. What with 9/11 (loath as I am to bring it up) terrorism,hurricane katrina and so on, it seems like all we ever see in the news is America. When this album was being written, Razorlight were touring America- "There's nothing on the TV nothing on the radio That means that much to me " Everything about this song is lonliness, and isolation. When you're sat in hotel room after hotel room, with nothing to do but watch TV, missing everyone you love.

    skarlett_nailzon December 26, 2006   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    I agree with Skarlett, very much about watching American TV, news or movies that are very fast paced and conveniently pakaged and, dare I say, in the most part lacking any thought provocation and then thinking 'what relevance has that to do with me living here in UK, or wherever you may be?' The 'panic'? Well just watch CNN (if you ever get stuck in a hotel with no other English channel available) trying to make out what a big deal some trivial headline is, on a no news day.

    shakeymangoon December 29, 2006   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    i LOVE this song! it's my fav razorlight song out of all of them, because of the lovely guitar part to it I think it is making a point about america... how all his life there has always been panic and trouble in america, and he doesn't get why because there's been so much stuff about america that it doesn't mean anything to him any more or it could mean nothing, i mean the beauty of a song like this, if it is meaningless, is interpreting it how you want, and relating it to your own personal experience, isn't it?

    N/U/T/T/Y/?on January 23, 2007   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    I had never heard of Razorlight till I heard this song and it prompted me to listen to their other stuff (which I found to be better than this).

    I enjoyed this song though. I've read the comments above but I'll stick with my initial interpretation: it's about the disillusionment of growing up.

    In this case, he grows up (as many of us do) with an image of america being the best place in the world, the wellspring of all things good. This, like many other childhood illusions, is replaced by a sadder but more pragmatic view as we get older and learn the truth.

    We learn that everywhere is basically the same, we all have the same problems, there is no promised land, there is no light at the end of the rainbow. Welcome to adulthood.

    Endbosson May 03, 2007   Link
  • +1
    Memory

    I don't really know what the song means, but it always reminds me of being in Iraq, in the boiling hot sand. I always reminisce when i hear it of that time, and also how i missed the girl i loved. So i think i found my meaning to it in the loneliness part from missing her. And also i guess she went on holiday to America when i was out there, so it all links up somehow. Don't particularly rate razorlight but thats an outstanding song. And when i can't sleep forsome reason it always pops into my head and i go out for a cigarette, like tonight in fact! I enjoyed reading everyone elses interpretations on the song, and others memories.

    commandomaxon May 28, 2009   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    I think the song is about feeling isolated, also i think it's the type of song that reminds you of something, maybe a time in your life. I totally disagree with the nay sayers of this song, the lyrics are magic and the guitar melody maybe the most beautiful of all time.

    LostVibeson August 31, 2010   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    America is a metaphor for power and status. The song is about doomed love between a decent poor guy who met and fell in love with someone who is attached, much higher status and ultimately unavailable.

    Serpentspeakson October 06, 2015   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    I like this actually, its very different to the last Razorlight stuff, I think anyway About the media? but im not really sure what else....

    bloc_party15on July 18, 2006   Link

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