The Most Misunderstood Song

Born in the USA lyrics:

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
'Til you spend half your life just covering up
[chorus:]Born in the U.S.A.Born in the U.S.A.Born in the U.S.A.Born in the U.S.A.
I got in a little hometown jam
And so they put a rifle in my hands
Sent me off to Vietnam
To go and kill the yellow man[chorus]
Come back home to the refinery
Hiring man says "Son if it was up to me"
I go down to see the V.A. man
He said "Son don't you understand"[chorus]
I had a buddy at Khe Sahn
Fighting off the Viet Cong
They're still there, he's all gone
He had a little girl in Saigon
I got a picture of him in her arms
Down in the shadow of the penitentiary
Out by the gas fires of the refinery
I'm ten years down the road
Nowhere to run, ain't got nowhere to go
I'm a long gone Daddy in the U.S.A.Born in the U.S.A.I'm a cool rocking Daddy in the U.S.A.Born in the U.S.A.

See any american exceptionalism or egomaniacal entitlement there? I don't either although it became a hit with the rabid neofascists over the years. As a matter of fact it's been on the Torture Top Ten as one of the favorite tunes to scream along with at Bagram and Gitmo. But that's the dumbshit fascist mindset for you, superficiality trumps nuance and deeper meaning every time, so even an angst ridden cry of despair became the flag wavers' marching anthem because it intoned 'Born in the USA' over and over again.