In my opinion, if there were a Grammy for musical poetry, Bruce would steal the stage year after year. The most recent song I wanted to share was his from his album, Wrecking Ball. The song is titled "We Take Care of Our Own".
First off, the entire song itself is a criticism of the irony of politics and war in America. The title and subject of chorus revolves around the hypnotizing statement, "we take care of our own". Surrounding this statement though are questions that come after. Questions like
"Where the eyes, the eyes with the will to see/Where the hearts, that run over with mercy/
Where's the love that has not forsaken me/
Where's the work that set my hands, my soul free/
Where's the spirit that'll reign, reign over me/
Where's the promise, from sea to shining sea"
Bruce also opened with the line " I've been stumblin' on good hearts turned to stone" in a further criticism of the negative progress he feels America has taken. His song implies the idea that the "our own" is actually not well taken care of, rather neglected. This contrast in our world leaders' statements and the actual stability of our country exposes the absurdity of the claim and adherence to the statement "we take care of our own".
The last thing that gets me each time is the statement "Wherever this flag's flown". The imagery here introduces, or rather enforces, the patriotic component of this entire song. Whether it symbolizes a war triumph or a sign of unity, the flag is a symbol of America as one and here he hopes for America as one to shine positively.
"Where the eyes, the eyes with the will to see/Where the hearts, that run over with mercy/
Where's the love that has not forsaken me/
Where's the work that set my hands, my soul free/
Where's the spirit that'll reign, reign over me/
Where's the promise, from sea to shining sea"
Bruce also opened with the line " I've been stumblin' on good hearts turned to stone" in a further criticism of the negative progress he feels America has taken. His song implies the idea that the "our own" is actually not well taken care of, rather neglected. This contrast in our world leaders' statements and the actual stability of our country exposes the absurdity of the claim and adherence to the statement "we take care of our own".
The last thing that gets me each time is the statement "Wherever this flag's flown". The imagery here introduces, or rather enforces, the patriotic component of this entire song. Whether it symbolizes a war triumph or a sign of unity, the flag is a symbol of America as one and here he hopes for America as one to shine positively.
I love how you feel like you're on a first name basis with Springsteen, that brings into light just how influential and personal music like this can be. And even though they're common in songs, the repetition and parallelism in the lines "where's the _____" stress the intensity of the subject matter and just how big of a deal all of these issues are.
ReplyDeleteBruce definately loves America. He does a great job of describing it from a blue collar perspective that a ton of people can relate with. He is an amazing song writer and Born to Run is probably one of my favorite albums ever.
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