Bruce Springsteen / Born In The U.S.A.(Columbia, AS 1957)

Bruce Springsteen / Born In The U.S.A.(Columbia, AS 1957)
(SIDE 1) XSM-173076-1C
(SIDE 2) XSM-173077-2A

ブルース・スプリングスティーンの同名タイトル盤に先立ってリリースされたプロモ盤です。白ラベルは存在しません。

A1 Born In The U.S.A.
B1 Shut Out The Light
B2 Pink Cadillac
B3 Jersey Girl
B4 Santa Claus Is Comin' To Town

B3 Recorded Live at The Meadowlands on July 9, 1981
B4 Recorded Live at C.W. Post College (Greenvale, N.Y.) on December 12, 1975

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sXRaUdJoHNA

70年代後半～80年代に数多く生まれた「ベトナム帰還兵をテーマにした、アメリカを告発する作品」のひとつです。日本人としては腑に落ちない理解困難な表現も多いのですが、それでも皮肉や婉曲表現であることは理解できます。それが、母国語として接しているはずのアメリカ人が「愛国歌」と受け取ってしまったというのが、本当に不思議。まあ、それだけシンプルで力があるサビだったと言うことなんでしょうが。

"Born In The U.S.A."

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

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.

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.

Come back home to the refinery　　　　　　　　　＊refinery「精製所、製油所」
Hiring man says "Son if it was up to me"
Went down to see my V.A. man 　　　＊V.A.＝「Veterans Affairs」アメリカ合衆国退役軍人省
He said "Son, don't you understand"

I had a brother at Khe Sanh fighting off the Viet Cong　　＊Khe Sanh；地名。「ケサンの戦い」で有名。
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　　　　＊penitentiary　〈米〉州［連邦］刑務所
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 U.S.A.
I was born in the U.S.A.
Born in the U.S.A.
I'm 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.
I'm a cool rocking Daddy in the U.S.A.