So American lyrics by Portugal. The Man, 9 meanings, official 2024 song lyrics | LyricsMode.com
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Portugal. The Man – So American lyrics

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Portugal. The Man – So American lyrics
If vain was a color to paint in you,
Your heart would be the color blue.
Be a gradient from there, until your body met your hair
Which remained a silver.

You are the one they call Jesus Christ.
Who didn't know no rock and roll.
Just a mission made of guns that they give boys in Vietnam.
In a heart that always told you

There's a madness in us all.
There's a madness in us all.

So
Who wrote the rules?
Who wrote the rules?
Who wrote the rules?

They said
Every one of you will never try to lend a hand
When the police men don't understand.

Boys, all you boys
Think you're so American.
Girls, all you girls
Yeah you're so American.

He may not be born of this land
But he was born of this world.
He was born of all the mothers
And the colors of our brothers
And the love that was started.

You are the one they call Jesus Christ.
Who may not know no rock and roll,
There may not be a heaven,
Or a place in which to send ya,
But you know in the end

There's a madness in us all. (x4)

So
Who wrote the rules?
Who wrote the rules?
Who wrote the rules?

They say
Every one of you will never try to lend a hand
When the police men don't understand.

Boys, all you boys
Think it's so American.
Girls, all you girls
Yeah you're so American.

There's two eyes for every one of us
But somebody got there first and took them all. (x2)

Man, oh man
You think it's so American
Man, oh man.
Yeah you're so American (x2)

There's two eyes for every one of us
But somebody got there first and took them all. (x2)
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Songwriters: John Baldwin Gourley
So American lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Corrected by allyourlight

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So American meanings Post my meaning

  • U
    + 9
    Unregistered 2012-06-22 20:50:03
    I think this speaks about how wrong our soceity is. And these wrong things are considered positive american traits, or explained away by saying were all z yittle crazy. We should look at the world as our border and not the lines of our country, or the word 'america' theyre just lines and words afterall, were all people of this earth, all mothers, brothers, and children of the same world. Hiding behind and fighting in front of religion. It takes a lot to be able to both see and understand this, since weve been blinded by the media, religion, government, and our basic american upbringing.
    Add your reply
  • U
    + 6
    Unregistered 2012-06-13 21:30:05
    I think it's about how americans believe that they are closer to jesus, and are better christians, than those from other countries.
    Also, it is about how it is immoral to impose your beliefs on others. For instance, the government legislates morality and punishes as it sees fit, with the help of the compliant police force. An example- there are many who think that punishing those who drink raw milk or smoke weed (not directly hariming anyone) is the moral thing to do. Those with their eyes open see that it is immoral to use the government/police to mold behavior that does not violate the rights of anyone.
    And finally, there are two eyes for ever one of us, but the media brainwashes us before we can see the truth.
    The evangelical neocon republicans and the big government democrats are both guity.
    Add your reply
  • U
    + 6
    Unregistered 2011-12-21 00:57:56
    It's interesting that the lyrics - most of them anyway - are generic enough that people might choose totally opposite meanings, depending on their state of mind.
    However the lines about somebody taking our eyes speaks directly to politicians, mostly from the right, perverting what it means to be american. They do this by insisting that you either fall in lockstep with the idea that money, christianity and military power define goodness in america, and that anybody who questions those values is unpatriotic. When in reality it's quite the opposite. America is for everyone, not just rich older white men.
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  • U
    + 3
    Unregistered 2012-05-07 04:12:00
    Good people want to do the right thing, but we are still depressed 'cause cruddy stuff happens, feeling madness (or incredulous) is because bad stuff still happens. Bad people break the rules because they are bad and it suits them. We break the rules, because they are already broken and we are trying to fix it.
    Use you eyes to figure it out and point out what should be done.
    In america, many people feel that bad things will never happen to them. Most are probably right, nothing bad will ever happen to them.
    Americans and people of all nationalities should all treat people with respect to the golden rule. Treat others as you want to be treated. Not everyone is a christian, but that doesn't mean they are a bad person. Jesus loved them all.
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  • U
    + 2
    Unregistered 2012-02-14 08:51:01
    The third line is wrong and should go "be a gradient from there until your body met your head"
    And the sixth line should be "just a wishing they are gonna be remorse in vietnam" {this is the only line I had trouble hearing properly so it is possible it's inaccurate}.
    After [boys, all you boys] "think it's so american" and after [girls, all you girls] "are you so american"
    After [and the colors of our brothers] "and the love that was started"
    Add your reply
  • U
    + 1
    Unregistered 2012-05-23 09:03:37
    I couldn't care less that jesus loves me. Every one has their values and nobody should say that everyone should follow the golden rule which in this case is a christian rule. Furthermore saying someone should live by following the golden rule is a paradox in itself as you would not appreciate having someones else's ethical values pushed onto you. Those kinds of rules invented by religion were meant to manipulate mass population and were specially designed for people who don't have enough self reflection, the people who were unable to set themselves any kinds of limits without some holy book telling them how to respect boundaries.
    Add your reply
  • U
    + 1
    Unregistered 2012-01-19 23:49:02
    I believe this song is about the discustingness of the pigs and man not knowing when to step in. Brain washing teaches us that police not only enforce the rules, but follow them to a tee! Yet, they do not, and we need to know when to step in because all humans have anger and madness in us. If your a cop, theres no one to tell you when your wrong or are just going off personal emotion instead of by the book.
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  • U
    + 1
    Unregistered 2012-01-17 21:46:35
    It is a paean to jesus, "born of this world/he was born of all the mothers/and the colours of our brothers/and the love the that we sent him. "
    And it is jesus who recognizes "there's a madness in us all. " none of us will lend a hand when the authorities get out of hand--we watch. We all have two eyes to see what is really going on--but the powerful control the media, and what we are to see and hear.
    It is not a religious song in the sense of some of the more mindless christian rock, or based on the strident and hateful side of fundamentalist christians--just a guy making an observation based on that which he knows.
    Or not.
    Wing.
    Add your reply
  • U
    0
    Unregistered 2012-01-05 05:59:21
    I believe that this song is say th at we are all american, it doesn't matter where your from, it doesn't matter if we a don't know rock and roll, it doesn't even matter if we are jesus christ, but we are so tied up in what it means to each of us in what it means to be a good american that we are blind to the fact that we are the ones that have taken our own eyes, and can't see that it being a good american doesn't have an actual meaning which is why we are all americans.
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    • U
      + 9
      Unregistered
      I think this speaks about how wrong our soceity is. And these wrong things are considered positive... Read more →
    • U
      + 6
      Unregistered
      I think it's about how americans believe that they are closer to jesus, and are better christians,... Read more →
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    [Intro][Verse][Pre-Chorus][Chorus][Hook][Bridge][Outro]