Album: Freedom (1989)

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• Colors on the street
  Red, white and blue
  People shufflin' their feet
  People sleepin' in their shoes
  But there's a warnin' sign on the road ahead
  There's a lot of people sayin' we'd be better off dead
  Don't feel like Satan, but I am to them
  So I try to forget it any way I can
  
  Keep on rockin' in the free world
  Keep on rockin' in the free world
  Keep on rockin' in the free world
  Keep on rockin' in the free world
  
  I see a girl in the night
  With a baby in her hand
  Under an old street light
  Near a garbage can
  Now she put the kid away and she's gone to get a hit
  She hates her life and what she's done to it
  There's one more kid that'll never go to school
  Never get to fall in love, never get to be cool
  
  Keep on rockin' in the free world
  Keep on rockin' in the free world
  Keep on rockin' in the free world
  Keep on rockin' in the free world
  
  (Keep on rockin' in the free world)
  (Keep on rockin' in the free world)
  (Keep on rockin' in the free world)
  (Keep on rockin' in the free world)
  (Keep on rockin' in the free world) Writer/s: Frank M. Sampedro, Neil Young
  Publisher: Hipgnosis Songs Group
  Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind

Comments: 44

• David Keith Smith from Gallipolis, OhGrew up on Neil and Johny Cash Keep on Rockin Neil
• Rowdie from Beautiful MidwestI find it very ironic that the song is filled with criticism of our government actions at that time in his life...but is willing to believe everything the government pushes on us now. The "Free World" should be able to listen to songs, read books, seek the truth... without the "censorship" of government, and celebrities. Not everyone thinks and believes the same. Let's not go back to the days of book burnings and Nazi brainwashing. The truth is not always black and white!
• Anonymous from United StatesDid you read the lyrics? It’s not about freedom, it’s about how many of us ignore the struggles of the people below us and “keep on rocking”
• Anonymous from UsaGreat song about our world. It's choirs freedom. Thats what the song is about. Wake up. It's freedom.
• Zach from Columbus, OhioRobert, what the f--k are you talking about with abortion. He's saying the woman already has a kid, she puts him away when she goes to take a hit. The kids already born, the lyrics are just saying that the kids been dealt a s--tty hand and his chances of success are going to be tough.
  
  I don't understand how anyone can think this is some pro America anthem. Its a critique, the chorus is cynical. Keep on rockin in the free world while everyone around us is living in hell, and plenty of our own citizens live in s--t. Its like you're saying that drug addiction is just a moral failure and that genetic, social and economic factors play no role in the way a persons life ends up. Keep on rockin' in the world of ignorance.
• Robert from Ashland KyGreat song. He covers many problems relating to the US. I love how speaks of abortion in an indirect way. Talking about another kid that will never go to school or ever be cool, because the druggy mother throws him away... He really nails it.
• Valerie from Eureka, CaI love most of Neil Young's work. This song is an all time favorite. i dont see anything in it praising the USA...there seems to be a lot of sarcasm in it. What I see is it points out homelessness (a thousand points of light for th homeless man), drug addiction, ( and she puts the kid away cos she's gonna get a hit) and it mentions having toilet paper. the scenes in the video looks like daily scenes in big cities where everyone is too busy to notice anything around them. The signs that flash quickly as the video plays regarding styofoam and such...kind of points out the mess the country (maybe the world) is in. The title, to me, is also a sarcastic wording.
• Ken from Philadelphia, PaSorry, Stef, you are WAY off when it comes to this song. I concur that Neil's political beliefs are, at best, unclear. He has written songs that are clearly conservative and others that are clearly liberal. However, this song is CLEARLY and OBVIOUSLY a liberal-minded song. The chorus is merely a call to arms and not an overt political statement on its own. It is the verses of the song that tell the story. In addition to pointing out the many social ills of the day that, in his opinion, the American government was not doing nearly enough about, he also directly mocks George H. W. Bush's (the American president when the song was written) politics and political statements. You can't get much more liberal than that.
• Adam from Vancouver, BcI believe he wrote the song while he was on tour in late 1988 or early 1989. The first time he played it live, was in Vancouver. During one of the sets he grabbed his acoustic, a chair and a sat down with a little sheet music stand with the lyrics hand written infront of him. He mentioned that he had written a new song while driving on the tour bus. I believe, on the way from Seattle over the border to Vancouver. The song started off slow but after a few verses he stood up kicked over the lyric stand and started giviner. He hammered out the chorus 20 times. Who knew that this song would end up topping the charts and bringing in a whole new generation of Neil fans.
• Chip from Stratford, CtNeil is the man !
• Farrah from Elon, NcThis song totally rocks!!! The lyrics are so profound that they stick with you.
• Fred from Cannington, OnI love this song and have often thought I'd love to hear it performed by Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band. I seems like the Boss's type of song.
• Bertrand from Paris, FranceWell, it was inevitable that 1989 possess certain transitional characteristics to be so close to a new decade, and folk-rock legend Neil Young's transition from crooner to snarling pre-grunge powder keg took place with a fury toward the end of the '80s. This track, filled with anger at an increasingly conservative, backward-looking American culture, undoubtedly laid the foundation for the rock music genre that would change the entertainment world by 1991. Much of this had to do with Young's dark political outlook, but listen to Young's unruly lead guitar for a real harbinger of Nirvana and Pearl Jam.
• Henry from London, EnglandStef, what do you mean free word= little government? Without law and order we would have no freedom. Young was just singing about the governt at that time which was catagorically s--t.
• Chryssie from Canberra, AustraliaThe collaboration of U2 & Pearl Jam (UJam) for the Make Poverty History Concert in Melbourne, 2006, performed either this song or a redone version of this song.
• Craig from Melbourne, AustraliaStef - You are a total idiot. You think Young's politics are undefined?
  
  Did you hear his last album?
  
  Wingnuts are always so stupid.
• Stef from Nyc, NyI don't like that this song is constantly tagged by liberals. Regardless of Young's politics, (which are undefined - just listen to Hawks & Doves), the "free world" by nature means small/little government; a fundamentally conservative concept. Leftists are for big goverment.
• Josh from TorontoDamn this song is awesome I remember listening to this song when I was like 6 in my dad's car, and trust me just listening to music in his car was some of the best times of my life, and this song brings back a great memory :D Rock on!
• Bess from San Diego, CaThe first time I heard this song was at the end of "Fahrenheit 9/11." I loved it after hearing the first few seconds. I hadn't gotten into Neil Young at that time, but hearing that song helped me start listening to more of his stuff. Keep inspiring us to-be-rebels out here, Neil!
• Justin from Lewiston, Alfirst song i learned to play on guitar, and still a good one. I wanted to say that back in the day my bro gave me a bunch of pj live tapes, had a couple diff. versions, you all know how veddar likes to take liberties with lyrics . . . two "alternatives" i really liked. One was "that's one more kid that will never fall in love, never get to go to school,NEVER GET TO BE YOU", and an other was "i don't feel like satan but i am to them, so I TRY TO FORGIVE 'EM ANYWAY I CAN", just liked those two better actually. . . word
• Ekristheh from Halath, United StatesI have a recording of Pearl Jam doing this live in 1998. In the middle of it, Vedder puts on the breaks and delivers one of the best rants that I have ever heard: "You know, it's so good to know, when you read in the paper, it's so good to know that there's a lot of high-paid representatives that you and I and a bunch of other people voted into office. Gave 'em good jobs and nice offices, and nice leather chairs and a limo to drive around in, and vacations for their wives and kids. That's all well and good. I'd like to think that they have clear heads when they make decisions that affect each one of us, each and every one of us. And I'm so glad to read that right now, once again, they're talking about the problem of the burning of the flag. 'Cause you know, if there's one thing that pisses me off every day of my life, it's walking down the street and seeing all these flags burning everywhere I turn. This is biggest f--king problem I've ever seen, and I'm f--king sick of it! I can't go out to get a cup of coffee and a paper without seeing a f--king flag burning. I can't go to a stadium. There's a flag burning everywhere! A flag burning here, a flag burning there! It doesn't matter that the oceans are going to COMPLETE S--T, and you get sick every time you go surfing! There're flags burning! I don't care about the empire! Let it go to s--t! Let's save the flag!!! Let's save the flag!!!"
• Derek from Sarnia, CanadaWell John your absolutely right...i retract my statement of living my life by "Keep On Rockin' In The Free World"...cause that seems to be the problem! I will keep on rockin' though.
• John from Longmeadwo, MaMosteveryone misses the point of this song. It is Neil observing all the tragedy in this country such as people sleeping in their shoes, junkie homeless mothers, etc. While all this is going on and not much of anything is being done about it, we just keep on rockin in the free world, driving our big gas guzzeling cars as if everything is ok. Its a spoof and very few people understand what a bitting parody it is of our life in the so-called free world were so many unfortunates are anything but "free".
• Derek from Sarnia, CanadaAaron: Maroon 5 is brutal and should have never covered this song and I have trouble believing it was any good...anyways i love Neil Young and this has always been one of my favorite songs...i love how neil is always stickin it to bush...i think if i were to live by one line in my life it would be "Keep On Rockin' In The Free World"
• Spencer from Mcbride, CanadaGreat song, really fun to play in shows because everyone knows it.
• Matúš from Trnava, EuropeGreat Great Great
  Neil is the King
• Ryan from Pittsburgh, Pai love Pearl Jams Verision, i saw them open for the stones last september and they closed with this song. this song is very addicting and fun to play on guitar.i think another meaning of this song is about homeless people dealing with their life
• Maurice from Philly, PaAlex, Brussel, Belgium Ihate to break it to you but this song is about America, "The Free World". It has nothing to do with the French Revolution but I like that you were thinking outside the box
• Ekristheh from Halath, United States"A man of the people saying keep hope alive" is Rev. Jesse Jackson, who ran for President in 1984 and 1988 with "keep hope alive" as his campaign slogan. In some early performances, Eddie Vedder seemed not to be too clear on the lyrics and delivered this line "A man of the people, people alive".
• Ekristheh from Halath, United States"A kinder, gentler machine gun hand" is a paraphrase of the famous line "I want a kinder, gentler nation" from Bush I's nomination acceptance speech at the Republican National Convention in 1988. Bush included this line because he believed it would increase support from women and people in caring professions. "A thousand points of light" refers to Bush I's promise to cut government aid to the poor while encouraging churches, charities and businesses to pick up the slack.
• Mampoop from Montreal, United StatesIn Barrie,Canada,for the Live 8 concert, Neil Young played this for the closing show accompagnied by all the performers. I saw it on TV and it was pretty incredible.
• Stefanie Magura from Rock Hill, ScI think this song definitely applies to what's going on in today's society.
• Aaron from Plover, WiMaroon 5 covered this song at Live 8. I'm not a fan of the band, but I think they did a pretty good job.
• Leon from Waterbury, CtThat's one cool mother, Kenneth. Bless her soul :-). Neil Young rocks.
• Kenneth from Augusta, GaMy ma passed away a couple of years ago. One time on our way to Boston I had a tape on a nd Rockin In The Free World came on. I looked over at my my mother(79 yrs old)and she way playing air guitar.
• Paul from Toledo, OhSince when does neil not play his own guitar riffs? Mr. Paulus Tasmania
• Paul from Toledo, OhNeil is actually on guitar in both the solos and the chord progressions.
• Alex from Brussel, Belgiumthe colours in the street "red, white and blue" refer to the colours of the french flag en stand for libertÃ?, Ã?galitÃ?, fraternitÃ? (poorly translated: liberty, equality, brotherhood). Three values that formed the reason for the french revolution in 1789.
• Ed from Chicago, IlClassic song about freedom and fighting back when it's taken away!
• Chris from Philadelphia, PaThere is a line in the song "We got a kinder, gentler, Machine gun hand." This is an actual quote by George H. W. Bush. Neil, it is safe to say, was not a Bush fan, and I believe the same feelings that he had about Sr. he has for W. Neil's "Greendale" is part protest of conglomerate ownership of media and big business's hold on the United States.
• Charlie from Thomaston, Dcyou know both CSN and neil made accustic and electric versions of there songs. in fact i have a song from a CSN concert and they say: where gonna do one more song and then take a 10 minute break and come back with some electric music" i also have to say that the one more song(if you can't be with the one you love be with the one your with) sucked!
• Brian from Grand Forks, NdCritics in general loved Neil for the message in the song which was an attack on the Domestic Policies of George Bush Senior however Neil was attacked by the Critics in the Early 80's for some his songs off the little known album Hawks and Doves which supported Ronald Reagan. The lesson to be learned, I guess, in Rock and Roll it's better to criticize then Support.
• Justin from Felts Mills, NyThis song is played during the closing credits of Michael Moore's "Fahrenheit 9/11"
• Paulus from Tasmania, Australiathe song appears twice on his 'Freedom' album (1989); the first (track #1), an acoustic version; and the last song on the album, an electric version. The latter version features Crazy Horse guitarist, Frank "Poncho" Sampedro on guitar, Chad Cromwell on drums, Rick Rosas on bass & one of Neil's most often used musicians, Ben Keith, on Keyboard.

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