America

The song was dedicated to those who serve/served. 1776 is the year of independence. It's simply based on the sacrifice of a soldier and their relationship with a personification of a country they defend and sacrifice for.

"Twenty years in debt Twenty years in the government Twenty years can never get me by"

A Soldier must serve for twnety years to get retirment. Its twenty years in debt to the government, officialy Soldiers are u.s property, and its a hard twenty.

"From farmers in the fields"

The National Guard is recognized as the oldest branch of the military which was made up of farmers.

"To the tallest of the towers that fall and rise"

A reference to the 9-11 attacks.

"1-7-7-6 The names upon the list"

1776 is the year we declared independence, and the names upon the list is in reference to all the men who signed the document.

"For all the ones that gave until they died"

All the Soldiers who fought for the country.

To the tallest of the towers that fall and rise 1-7-7-6

~The tower that replaced the twin towers in New York City was capped at 1776ft It is now the tallest building on the North American Continent.

"Is this just an illusion That I made inside my head to get me by?"

Referring to how traumatizing this experience was.

"Twenty years in debt Twenty years in the government Twenty years can never get me by"

It takes 20 years of serving in the army to earn retirement. Therefore, they were in 20 tears of debt in the government.

"Then I feel you close Feel you close like you wanted me to Feel you close like you wanted me to Believe in you"

Feelings of missing a loved one while serving. You're feeling them next to you even when they're not.

"Rise to the top of the world, America America, don't you cry Lift me up Give me strength to press on Rise to the top of the world, America America, don't you cry Lift me up Give me strength to press on"

Family, loved ones, ect. are encouragement to push though and tough it out.

"From farmers in the fields"

I think ID is referring to early army soldiers because the following statements are about previous milestones for the US:

"To the tallest of the towers that fall and rise"

The twin towers on 9- 11 ;~;

"1-7-7-6, The names upon the list"

1776 was the year we declared independence and the names upon the list are all the men who signed the document.

"For all the ones that gave until they died"

The list was not in vain, for all the ones who fought for our independence had died, but gave for our country.

I don't fully understand the :

"Don't you hold back I can see in your mind, and your mind will set you free"

But I think it means that you can't give half effort for something you committed to (?) I dunno..

"Is this just an illusion That I made inside my head to get me by?"

Referring to how traumatizing this experience was.

"Twenty years in debt Twenty years in the government Twenty years can never get me by"

It takes 20 years of serving in the army to earn retirement. Therefore, they were in 20 tears of debt in the government.

"Then I feel you close Feel you close like you wanted me to Feel you close like you wanted me to Believe in you"

Feelings of missing a loved one while serving. You're feeling them next to you even when they're not.

"Rise to the top of the world, America America, don't you cry Lift me up Give me strength to press on Rise to the top of the world, America America, don't you cry Lift me up Give me strength to press on"

Family, loved ones, ect. are encouragement to push though and tough it out.

"From farmers in the fields"

I think ID is referring to early army soldiers because the following statements are about previous milestones for the US:

"To the tallest of the towers that fall and rise"

The twin towers on 9- 11 ;~;

"1-7-7-6, The names upon the list"

1776 was the year we declared independence and the names upon the list are all the men who signed the document.

"For all the ones that gave until they died"

The list was not in vain, for all the ones who fought for our independence had died, but gave for our country.

The american country

I know what this song means, but in my opinion, its different. To be honest, I've been reading "The Capture" by Kathryn Lasky, and this song reminds me a bit of one of the characters. Keep in mind this is my interpretation, not the real meaning.

Is this just an illusion That I made inside my head to get me by?

To me, this means someone is living in such horrible conditions that they're slowly going mad, or becoming emotionless or something.

Twenty years in debt Twenty years in the government Twenty years can never get me by

Once again, I believe this means that someone is imprisoned. They gave into working for horrible people so they could protect their family. The person knew that it was for the best despite how hard it would be to work, and escaping was unrealistic.

Then I feel you close Feel you close like you wanted me to Feel you close like you wanted me to Believe in you

No matter how much time passes, they still believe that they are doing the right thing. Despite the protests of their loved ones, the person didn't wish for them to be hurt.

Rise to the top of the world, America America, don't you cry Lift me up Give me strength to press on Rise to the top of the world, America America, don't you cry Lift me up Give me strength to press on

Every single day is hell, and the person is slowly losing their head. They have to watch people, emotionless with defects, slaving away at unnecessary work. Yet every single day, the person seems to grow a bit stronger.

From farmers in the fields To the tallest of the towers that fall and rise

Where the person works, they see many people doing different jobs, such as caring for babies, and a type of mining for a diamond-like thing. No matter how different they are, they're all the same slaves.

1-7-7-6 The names upon the list

In the book, the enslaved characters are always renamed with numbers, so this is very meaningful.

For all the ones that gave until they died Don't you hold back I can see in your mind, and your mind will set you free

Eventually, the person finds two children that resisted the hypnotism. He tells them that he can teach them to escape by flying. When they are flying away, he's dying, proud that he helped them.

"From farmers in the fields" could be talking about the early military, how it was mainly made out of farmers. If you think about it that way, "To the tallest towers that fall and rise" is saying how far the country's come, in not only industralizing, but also in the military's reaction to things that happen. However you think about it, this song is without a doubt about the military, especially if you see the soundcloud cover (it's Wounded Warrior Project supporter).

Songs have a liberal back drop. From liberal point of view he could be ranting of all the things we've done since we got our independence. He asks for America to lift him up but bringing up debt and wars it seems he's saying America lifted itself up leaving him behind. From farmers in the field to soldiers they felt left behind as well.

Let\'s keep in mind that this song is dedicated to veterans. I interpret it as through the point of view of a soldier. In the first part, he says, "Is this an illusion?" which shows him doubting if America is really this great/the American dream. Then 20 years is how long you have to be in the military to get a pension. Then in the pre-chorus, he regains his faith in America/the American dream. Then he shows his patriotism by telling America to \'rise to the top of the world\'. He asks America to give him strength, showing that America is the place he relies on. In the next verse, he says, "from the farmers... to the tallest towers" which is talking about America\'s industries and extent. Also, the \'tallest towers that rise and fall\' are probably the Word Trade Center. "1-7-7-6" is the year the Declaration of Independence was signed and also the height to the World Trade Center. It also gives tribute to fallen soldiers when it says, "the names upon the list who gave until they died." Then, it says, "your mind will set you free" which is another lyric about how he believes in America and thinks that Americans can do what they set their mind to.\nSo, basically, the singer loves and believes in America.