I'm So Bored with the U.S.A.

This song isn't about hating America or Americans, but more about being sick of bombarded by it's culture and foreign policy. Very timely. Americans should understand this more that anybody, because they're the most bombarded by their culture. And yeah, it gets boring...

"Yankee soldier He wanna shoot some skag He met it in Cambodia But now he can't afford a bag" Skag is slang for herion, the verse references to those Vietnam vets who got addicted to herion during the war but were left penniless by the government

"Yankee dollar talk To the dictators of the world In fact it's giving orders An' they can't afford to miss a word"

• I'm pretty sure this is about the US being the world police and threatening economic sanctions on the countries with dictators who were broke because of communism. this is still going on.

"Yankee detectives Are always on the TV 'Cos killers in America Work seven days a week"

• The 1970s was a bloody decade for America as a crime-wave hit, and a lot of detective shows resulted, making them the new cowboys

"Never mind the stars and stripes Let's print the Watergate Tapes I'll salute the New Wave And I hope nobody escapes"

• Nixon of course, but not sure if the New Wave means crime wave or what. Nixon did give a wave of peace signs as he was led out of the White House onto a helicopter, which contradicts his actions. He was a thief who still wanted peace for his own sake, which kind of applies to all Americans. Whereas "peace" in the 60s meant deep feelings of connections, "peace" after Nixon means "mind your business and hopefully we won't have a confrontation that will drag us both through the mud"

"I'm so bored with the U.S.A. But what can I do?"

• The newspaper headlines and television shows in the 70s were anything but boring, so this may be ironic.

I saw their final tour in 1984, with Mick Jones having already left the band. They played this as an encore and everyone in the not very radical Denver audience was singing the chorus at the top of their lungs.

Even though it's about the bombardment of American culture overseas, it hits home with disaffected American youths over their own lives as well.

It's about being bored with the US running the world (not just exporting its 'culture', but that's part of it).

As far as people dissing ALL rap in this thread and comparing that to this song, don't put words in the late great Joe Strummer's mouth -- he LIKED rap. Magnificent Seven was totally a tribute to early hip-hop, ("don't stop/give it all you got") and The Clash booked Grandmaster Flash as an opening act in some NYC shows.

For what its worth, I have a blog named after this song!

http://soboredwiththeusa.blogspot.com/

I listened to this song on that endless night of the US Presidential election in 2000. I don't know why, it just felt right.

i saw in a movie bout them they wrote "I'm so bored with the U.S.A." on a window with ice cream cones

This was one of Mick's songs he wrote for a girlfriend saying originally, "im, so booooooored of You!" Then joe said, No, make it, "im so booooored with U. S. A."

the most clever lines are "move up starsky/ for the CIA/suck on kojak/for the USA" cause starsky from starsy and hutch the TV show and Kojak was another TV detective who sucked on a lollipop all the time cause the actor had quit smoking. Joe strummer was a genious

You might be looking into a little to much I've read stuff from the Clash about this song and that's never been mentioned but maybe. And on the I'm so bored with you thing Joe Strummer did it by accident they where at a party or a gig or something and it was lound and Mick Jones said he had an idea for a song that goes I'm so bored with you and Joe misheard him and thought he said I'm so bored with the USA.

Heh.. Cpt, 1st was being satirecal. Nod if you inderstand.