How many people rise and say
"My brain's so awfully glad to be here
For yet another mindless day"?

Now I've got all morning to obsessively accrue
A small nation of meaningful objects
And they've got to represent me too

By this afternoon, I'll live in debt
By tomorrow, be replaced by children

How many people rise and think
"Oh good, the stranger's body's still here
Our arrangement hasn't changed?"

Now I've got a lifetime to consider all the ways
I've grown more disappointing to you
As my beauty warps and fades
I suspect you feel the same
When I was young, I dreamt of a passionate obligation to a roommate

Is this the part where I get all I ever wanted?
Who said that?
Can I get my money back?

Just a little bored in the USA
Oh, just a little bored in the USA
Save me, white Jesus
Bored in the USA
Oh, they gave me a useless education
And a subprime loan
On a craftsman home
Keep my prescriptions filled
And now I can't get off
But I can kind of deal
Oh, with being bored in the USA
Oh, just a little bored in the USA
Save me, President Jesus
I'm bored in the USA
How did it happen?
Bored in the USA
Oh, oh


Lyrics submitted by prettybird, edited by casiopt10

Bored in the USA Lyrics as written by Joshua Michael Tillman

Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.

Lyrics powered by LyricFind

Bored in the USA song meanings
Add Your Thoughts

4 Comments

sort form View by:
  • +2
    General Comment

    the anthem for disillusioned millenials

    getthoselyricsrighton March 20, 2015   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    One thing that's interesting about this song is that it evokes the emotion of a confessional, depressing, song, but with lyrics that aren't exactly "depressing" so much as pessimistic, with somewhat of a political message, and yet that actually makes the song all the more interesting.

    The first stanza takes us through a metaphorical lifetime: Rising, finding material possessions to define oneself, going into debt, being replaced by children (political commentary). None of these are opinions or feelings, they're just a really negative way to look at conventional American life.

    The second stanza takes a pessimistic perspective toward a romantic relationship, presumably.

    The line, "Is this the part when I get all I ever wanted?" alludes to the American dream, which the singer dismisses even in the same sentence.

    The chorus brings us to "Bored in the USA," obviously a play on "Born in the USA," but with a sharp and emotionally charged political bent. The politics become blatant in the final stanza, to the point of parody, lamenting educational value and subprime loans, not to mention the side-effects of whatever you'll need to listen to this song -- all with the added irony of a laugh-track behind it.

    After this, the song descends into its lamentation of being Bored in the USA, which, given the assertions of the song, seems both legitimate but probably temporary. The narrator is in a state of suffering that the song dodges around -- we know this through the pessimism, but also through his calls to Jesus, a plea sincere enough in vocal performance to justify the ironic asides. Save me President Jesus.

    RaceYouAnyTimeon March 11, 2016   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    I wonder if Tillman read Jean-Paul Sartre's essay entitled "American Cities." Here's an excerpt: "I have spent Sundays in the American provinces that were more depressing than Sundays anywhere else; I have seen those suburban 'colonial style' inns where, at two dollars a head, middle-class families go to eat shrimp cocktails and turkey with cranberry sauce in silence while listening to the electric organ. One must not forget the heavy boredom that weighs over America." Of course, as most Americans know who've spent any time abroad, the USA is an incredibly boring place.

    jude111on December 18, 2017   Link
  • 0
    General Comment
    s7son August 02, 2015   Link

Add your thoughts

Log in now to tell us what you think this song means.

Don’t have an account? Create an account with SongMeanings to post comments, submit lyrics, and more. It’s super easy, we promise!

More Featured Meanings

Album art
Son Şansın - Şarkı Sözleri
Hayalperest
This song seemingly tackles the methods of deception those who manipulate others use to get victims to follow their demands, as well as diverting attention away from important issues. They'll also use it as a means to convince people to hate or kill others by pretending acts of terrorism were committed by the enemy when the acts themselves were done by the masters of control to promote discrimination and hate. It also reinforces the idea that these manipulative forces operate in various locations, infiltrating everyday life without detection, and propagate any and everywhere. In general, it highlights the danger of hidden agendas, manipulation, and distraction, serving as a critique of those who exploit chaos and confusion to control and gain power, depicting a cautionary tale against falling into their traps. It encourages us to question the narratives presented to us and remain vigilant against manipulation in various parts of society.
Album art
Dreamwalker
Silent Planet
I think much like another song “Anti-Matter” (that's also on the same album as this song), this one is also is inspired by a horrifying van crash the band experienced on Nov 3, 2022. This, much like the other track, sounds like it's an extension what they shared while huddled in the wreckage, as they helped frontman Garrett Russell stem the bleeding from his head wound while he was under the temporary effects of a concussion. The track speaks of where the mind goes at the most desperate & desolate of times, when it just about slips away to all but disconnect itself, and the aftermath.
Album art
Mountain Song
Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction vocalist Perry Farrell gives Adam Reader some heartfelt insight into Jane’s Addiction's hard rock manifesto "Mountain Song", which was the second single from their revolutionary album Nothing's Shocking. Mountain song was first recorded in 1986 and appeared on the soundtrack to the film Dudes starring Jon Cryer. The version on Nothing's Shocking was re-recorded in 1988. "'Mountain Song' was actually about... I hate to say it but... drugs. Climbing this mountain and getting as high as you can, and then coming down that mountain," reveals Farrell. "What it feels to descend from the mountain top... not easy at all. The ascension is tough but exhilarating. Getting down is... it's a real bummer. Drugs is not for everybody obviously. For me, I wanted to experience the heights, and the lows come along with it." "There's a part - 'Cash in now honey, cash in Miss Smith.' Miss Smith is my Mother; our last name was Smith. Cashing in when she cashed in her life. So... she decided that, to her... at that time, she was desperate. Life wasn't worth it for her, that was her opinion. Some people think, never take your life, and some people find that their life isn't worth living. She was in love with my Dad, and my Dad was not faithful to her, and it broke her heart. She was very desperate and she did something that I know she regrets."
Album art
Amazing
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran tells a story of unsuccessfully trying to feel “Amazing.” This track is about the being weighed down by emotional stress despite valiant attempts to find some positivity in the situation. This track was written by Ed Sheeran from the perspective of his friend. From the track, we see this person fall deeper into the negative thoughts and slide further down the path of mental torment with every lyric.
Album art
Plastic Bag
Ed Sheeran
“Plastic Bag” is a song about searching for an escape from personal problems and hoping to find it in the lively atmosphere of a Saturday night party. Ed Sheeran tells the story of his friend and the myriad of troubles he is going through. Unable to find any solutions, this friend seeks a last resort in a party and the vanity that comes with it. “I overthink and have trouble sleepin’ / All purpose gone and don’t have a reason / And there’s no doctor to stop this bleedin’ / So I left home and jumped in the deep end,” Ed Sheeran sings in verse one. He continues by adding that this person is feeling the weight of having disappointed his father and doesn’t have any friends to rely on in this difficult moment. In the second verse, Ed sings about the role of grief in his friend’s plight and his dwindling faith in prayer. “Saturday night is givin’ me a reason to rely on the strobe lights / The lifeline of a promise in a shot glass, and I’ll take that / If you’re givin’ out love from a plastic bag,” Ed sings on the chorus, as his friend turns to new vices in hopes of feeling better.