Interpersonal Communication 1
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Born in the USA

by Bruce Springsteen
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, now

Born in the USA,  I was born in the USA
I was born in the USA
Born in the USA

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 USA
I was born in the USA
I was born in the USA
I was born in the USA

Come back home to the refinery
Hiring man says, "Son, if it was up to me"
Went down to see my VA man
He said, "Son, don't you understand, now"
I had a brother at Khe Sanh fighting off the Viet Cong
They're still there, he's all gone
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
I'm ten years burning down the road
Nowhere to run, ain't got nowhere to go

Born in the USA
I was born in the U. S. A
Born in the USA
I'm a long gone daddy in the USA

Born in the USA
Born in the USA
Born in the USA  
I'm a cool rockin' daddy in the USA

Bruce Springsteen, Born in the USA (1985)
Jason Isbell & Amanda Shires, Born in the USA  (2014)
John Mellencamp, Born in the USA (2009)

Some Questions

What is the mood of this song?
What is the meaning of "the first kick I took"?
When did he "hit the ground"? What does this phrase imply?
How would you say "end up" in different words?
What is the implication of "like a dog that's been beat too much"?
What is the meaning of "covering up"?
What is the singer's attitude when he says "I was born in the USA"?



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