The Anti-War Sentiment Behind “Born in the USA” by Bruce Springsteen

Bruce Springsteen’s “Born in the U.S.A.” is one of his biggest and most beloved songs, but it’s also the most misunderstood. Its upbeat, bombastic sound masks its lyrics about the Vietnam War and the experiences of a veteran after returning home.

“Born in the U.S.A.” began as a demo called “Vietnam,” written in 1981 and recorded as part of the Electric Nebraska sessions. Springsteen felt the song didn’t fit with the album, however, and instead, the final version ended up on Born in the U.S.A., Springsteen’s acclaimed seventh album released in 1984.

Because the lyrics have been misinterpreted, the song has often been misused as a patriotic anthem, especially in political campaigns. Instead, Springsteen himself has called it a protest song.

“Born in the U.S.A.” and the Vietnam War

“Born in the U.S.A.” was inspired by actual Vietnam veteran Ron Kovic, who was injured during the war and protested against it after returning home. His memoir, Born on the Fourth of July, detailed his experiences, and not only did Springsteen read it, but the two men met by chance when they were staying at the same hotel in Los Angeles.

“Born in the U.S.A.” is a bleak song, sung from the perspective of a struggling veteran much like Kovic. The opening verse describes his difficult upbringing in a town with little to offer.

Born down in a dead man’s town
The first kick I took was when I hit the ground
You end up like a dog that’s been beat too much
Till you spend half your life just covering up

The second verse suggests trouble in that town led to his enlistment and eventual deployment to Vietnam.

Got in a little hometown jam
So they put a rifle in my hands
Sent me off to a foreign land
To go and kill the yellow man

Upon returning home, the veteran struggles to find a job and return to everyday life. Even the VA, an organization designed to help him, ends up failing him instead and leaving him behind. His experience mirrors that of actual Vietnam veterans.

Come back home to the refinery
Hiring man said, “Son if it was up to me”
Went down to see my VA man
He said, “Son, don’t you understand now?”

It’s similar to a dark verse in the original “Vietnam” demo, which mentions rampant unemployment in the veteran’s hometown and is clear that his options are limited and his future is bleak. Even if he didn’t literally die in Vietnam, he’s effectively dead to everyone around him.

“Son, understand, if it was up to me …
‘Bout half the town’s out of work
Ain’t nothin’ for you here
From the assembly line to the front line
But I guess you didn’t hear:
You died in Vietnam.”

Similarly, the final verse of “Born in the U.S.A.” once again makes it clear there’s nothing left for the veteran and he’s been left behind.

Down in the shadow of the penitentiary
Out by the gas fires of the refinery
I’m ten years burning down the road
Nowhere to run ain’t got nowhere to go

Throughout the song, Springsteen repeats the chorus of, “Born in the U.S.A.,” which can be interpreted as a note of optimism or the exact opposite—a sarcastic condemnation of the country which had little to offer the veteran from the very beginning.

Photo by Steve Ringman/San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images