American Dream

The song is about how most people equate success to meeting financial/status goals instead of mastering your mental and spiritual self.

It eludes that confining your definition of success, to the things you have to do to be financially successful, will ultimately deprive you of your freedom rather than grant you more of it.

The motif of "American Dream" is an oxymoron because it's meaning has become the exact opposite of what the origional values of the founders of our country. Love, family, tolerance, respect have been lost to the almighty dollar.

The lyrics are pretty straightforward. I don't understand how one can infer this has such a narrow scope as to talk about Bush or the war in Iraq. It's about a much grander concept.

i dont agree with dude8001, i dont think its about iraq, i just think its about how we're so materialistic and how material objects mean more to us than love and compassion.

definitely describing corporate america "I want out of this machine, It doesn't feel like freedom".... America is supposed to be The land of the free but all the materialism in this country make it more like a machine, where we are all robots controlled by greed

"This isn't my American Dream, I want to live and die for bigger things" the cliche american dream is the white picket fence in the subarbs with a family of four and a nice car.... but Foreman's idea of an American dream is more than that, it's about not conforming to these materialistic ideals.... about "living for than just me" and thinking about others and what you can do to help the people around you

I'm going to change these to the full songs when they come out, these are just here for now. I'm doing the rest later.

here's an excerpt of what the "official" lyrics are...

When success is equated with excess When we’re fighting for the beamer, the lexus As the heart and soul breathing the company goals Where success is equated with excess

I want out of this machine It doesn’t feel like freedom

(chorus)

Cause baby’s always talkin ‘bout a ring And talk has always been the cheapest thing Is it true would you do what I want you to If I show up with the right amount of bling?

Like a puppet on a monetary string Maybe we’ve been caught singing red, white, blue, and green But that ain’t my America, That ain’t my American dream

I'm going off of the acoustic version posted on the website.

actually this song can be tied to wut dude8001 said, cuz again its materialism. if compared to the war in iraq, its also about the oil we can get from them, instead of how much we would rather show love and compassion to another country. its because our country wants revenge and materialism, that we cant show them love instead of hatred, materialism takes our eyes off of how we need to love others as God loved us. and that we should also forgive one another. but yes both your interpretations are correct. we just need to think more deeply into the context of the msg.

I think it has to do with the war and how Bush doesn't know what he's doing and how people don't feel as free as they used to.

But I'm probably just making that up.

I don't really think this song is a jab at Bush, cause when Switchfoot makes a political statement, it's usually less about politics and more about money and economics. They're not making the stereotypical punk statement of "BUSH SUCKS!". Notice, the theme of the American dream throughout the song. The American dream isn't to be a great president, the American dream is to be wealthy. Jon is simply saying that wealth and fame isn't his American Dream. He wants to live and die for bigger things.