Title:
1Born in the U.S.A.
- Bruce Springsteen -
- Lyrics / Works Cited
- Visit His Website
- From the Born in the U.S.A. album
Presentation By Russ Smith, 7th Block
2Born in the USA Lyrics
- Born down in a dead mans town
- The first kick I took was when I hit the ground
- You end up like a dog thats been beat too much
- Till you spend half you life just covering up
- Born in the U.S.A.
- I was born in the U.S.A.
- I was born in the U.S.A.
- Born in the U.S.A.
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3Born in the U.S.A. Lyrics
- Got in a little hometown jam
- So they put a rifle in my hand
- Sent me off to a foreign land
- To go and kill the yellow man
- Born in the U.S.A.
- I was born in the U.S.A.
- I was born in the U.S.A.
- I was born in the U.S.A.
- Born in the U.S.A.
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4Born in the USA Lyrics
- Come back home to the refinery
- Hiring man says, Son if it was up to me
- Went down to see my V.A. man
- He said, Son, dont you understand
- I had a brother at Khe Sahn
- fighting off the Viet Cong
- Theyre still there, hes all gone.
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5Born in the U.S.A Lyrics
- He had a woman he loved in Saigon
- I got a picture of him in her arms now
- Down in the shadow of the penitentiary
- Out by the gas fires of the refinery
- Im ten years burning down the road
- Nowhere to run aint got nowhere to go
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6Born in the U.S.A. Lyrics
- Born in the U.S.A.
- I was born in the U.S.A.
- Born in the U.S.A.
- Im a long gone Daddy in the U.S.A.
- Born in the U.S.A.
- Born in the U.S.A.
- Born in the U.S.A.
- Im a cool rocking Daddy in the U.S.A.
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7Bruce Springsteen 1941-
- Bruce Springsteen is a largely popular rock
artist that rose to fame in the 1980. A member
of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (in-text
citation goes here), Springsteen produced
multiple hit albums and singles that focused on
issues such as the war in Vietnam or 9/11. - He was born on September 23, 1949 in Freehold,
NJ to a poor family. His parents struggled to
make ends meet while supporting Springsteen and
his two sisters. He was finally given a guitar
for his 16th birthday. He taught himself to play
and the rest would prove to be history. - Springsteen started his musical career playing
for various bands before Bruce Springsteen and
the E Street Band. His first album, Greetings
from Asbury Park, N.J. was released in 1973 with
other material also released during that year.
His most famous album was Born in the USA
featuring the hit single Born in the U.S. that
discussed the Vietnam War. He is also well-known
for his concert performances with highly attended
stadium tours appearances at events like the
Super Bowl.
Listen to more of Springsteens music
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8Refinery
- A refinery is an industrial facility that turns
crude oil into products such as Kerosene, Diesel,
and Gasoline. The process includes heating up
the oil. Refineries arent very desirable places
to be as referenced in the song. They represent
a bad area to be in the song.
- For more information
- www.bp.com
- www.exxonmobil.com/
- www.epa.gov
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9Foreign Man
- This term refers to the North Vietnamese, the
communist army. Foreign means to be from a
different country. The American soldiers went to
war to fight foreign men
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10Khe Sahn
- The American base in Vietnam would come under
siege from North Vietnam forces. The Americans
set out to defend the base/ and repel the North
Vietnam forces. The siege lasted 77 days and 250
American troop died but the Americans were
successful in holding the base.
For more info - PBS.org Vietnam History
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11Viet Cong
- The Viet Cong (National Front for Liberation of
South Vietnam) was one of the communist groups in
North Vietnam. The Peoples Liberation Armed
Forces fought on behalf of the Viet Cong. They
fought for the North in opposition of the United
States.
For more info about the Viet Cong
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12Saigon
- This city was the capital of South Vietnam during
the Vietnam conflict. It was the base of
operations for the American forces. The conflict
ended when Saigon was taken over by North
Vietnamese forces.
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13Penitentiary
- They were a type of prison that came about the
with the need to reform prisoners before being
reintroduced into society. The idea was
established England, but with help from several
other countries including the United States.
Solitary confinement from other convicts was used
in conjunction with trade education to help
prepare the convicts for their release or parole.
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14Simile
You end up like a dog thats been beat too much
- This line describes the problems that the Vietnam
veterans had once they came back home. Public
approval for the war had almost disappeared and
the veterans were left behind. This simile
compares them to dogs that have been mistreated
or abandoned. It means that the veterans werent
embraced back into society, and they faced
challenges in returning to their old lives.
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15Theme
Born in the U.S.A.
- The theme of the song is when the soldiers went
off to war they were patriotic Americans
defending their country. When they came back
after a long war, they werent honored as the
heroes that they were. They were left to blend
back into society during tough economic times.
They werent taken care of upon their return to
normal society and many faced trouble in getting
a new job and reconnecting with family.
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16Ryhming
So they put a rifle in my hand, sent me off to a
foreign land, to go and kill the yellow man
- This verse is just one example of the rhyming
that Springsteen uses throughout the song.
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17Imagery
- This section of the song provides imagery to show
what it was like to be a Vietnam veteran after
the war. It shows that for some the situation
after the war wasnt unlike the war itself. They
had trouble finding work. They had left their
families, jobs, and friends for ten years and
now have to start over again.
- Down in the shadow of the penitentiary
- Out by the gas fires of the refinery
- Im ten years burning down the road
- Nowhere to run, aint got nowhere to go?
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18Repetition
Born in the U.S.A., I was Born in the U.S.A.,
I was born in the U.S.A, Born in the U.S.A.
- Springsteen uses this as the chorus of the song
and its repeated message shows the theme song
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19Irony
Down in the shadow of the penitentiary Out by
the gas fires of the refinery Im ten years
burning down the road Nowhere to run, aint got
nowhere to go?
- This section of the song provides imagery to show
what it was like to be a Vietnam veteran after
the war. It shows that for some the situation
after the war wasnt unlike the war itself. They
had trouble finding work. They had left their
families, jobs, and friends for ten years and
now have to start over again.
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20Works Cited
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- Viet Cong, Encyclopedia Britannica.
Encyclopedia Britannica Online Edition.
Encyclopedia Britannica, 2010. Web 31 May 2010
http//library.eb.com/eb/article-9075311 - petroleum refining Encyclopedia Britannica.
Encyclopedia Britannica Online Library Edition,
Encyclopedia Britannica, 2010. Web 31 May 2010
http//library.eb.com/eb/article-81786 - "prison." Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia
Britannica Online School Edition. Encyclopædia
Britannica, 2010. Web. 1 June 2010
lthttp//school.eb.com/eb/article-272177gt. "Viet
Cong." World History The Modern Era. ABC-CLIO,
2010. Web. 1 June 2010. lthttp//www.worldhistory.a
bc-clio.comgt. - "Vietnam War." World History The Modern Era.
ABC-CLIO, 2010. Web. 1 June 2010.
lthttp//www.worldhistory.abc-clio.comgt. - National Archives. Aftermath of Tet Offensive in
Cho Lon, Saigon. N.d. World History The
Modern Era. ABC-CLIO, n.d. Web. 1 June 2010.
lthttp//www.worldhistory.abc-clio.com/Search
/ Display.aspx?categoryid4entryid328977s
earchtextsaigontypesimpleoptionallgt.
21Works Cited
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- - - -. Khe Sanh. N.d. World History The Modern
Era. ABC-CLIO, n.d. Web. 1 June 2010.
lthttp//www.worldhistory.abc-clio.com/Search/
Display.aspx?categoryid4entryid1424206se
archtextkhesanhtypesimpleoption allgt.
- - - -. Viet Cong Soldier. N.d. World History The
Modern Era. ABC-CLIO, n.d. Web. 1 June
2010. lthttp//www.worldhistory.abc-clio.com/Search
/ Display.aspx?categoryid4entryid627931s
earchtextvietcongtypesimpleoption
allgt. - "The Siege at Khe Sanh." BattlefieldVietnam.
PBS, n.d. Web. 31 May 2010. lthttp//www.pbs.
org/battlefieldvietnam/khe/index.htmlgt. - U.S. Deparment of Defense. Disabled Vietnam
Veteran. N.d. World History The Modern
Era. ABC-CLIO, n.d. Web. 1 June 2010.
lthttp//www.americanhistory.abc-clio.com/Sea
rch/ Display.aspx?categoryid4entryid12795
81searchtextvietnamveteranstypesimple
optionallgt.