Battle Born Lyrics

Lyric discussion by paperbackwriter1993 

Cover art for Battle Born lyrics by Killers, The

I hate to politicize lyrics, but even though this song is named after Nevada's state nickname, the state that The Killers are from. But it seems like it could be about the United States as a whole, how we used to be such a strong nation ("When you shine, you're a hilltop mansion"), but we're getting weaker and we're in a rapid downfall ("But your boys have grown soft and your girls have gone wild") as a society. The first verse ("You lost faith in the human spirit. / You walk around like a ghost. / Your star-spangled heart / took a train for the coast") and the verse that says, "Did they break your heart? Did they cause your soul to mourn? Remember what I said. / Boy, you was battle born. / And you can't stop now" sounds like a call to fiercer action in the Middle East. Nevada is called the Battle Born State because it became a state because of the Civil War (known in the South as the War of Northern Aggression). And this country is battle born too. We didn't pussyfoot in the American Revolution, why should we do that now?

My Interpretation

I think there no doubt that they are describing their religious beliefs (Mormon) of America and the American people through their lyrics. To be honest, it gives me the creeps to think that they think of America this way and we have a presidential candidate that promotes the Killers. That would suggest that he must feel this way also. I thought I was the only one picking up on this. Did you see the Colbert Report with the Killers? Do you think Stephen was trying to tell us something?

kevlane, youre an idiot.

Those were my thoughts as well. Sometimes I feel like "I've always seen you as a kind of keeper, A mother to a child" could be a reference to the statue of liberty. I've also wondered if, in the same spirit you defined, it could be about soldiers returning home and the difficulties they face.