Yankee[1]A reminder that for pretty much everyone outside of, say, the south Bronx, the term “Yankee” is an insult. soldier
He wanna shoot some skag[2]1960s/70s-era slang term for heroin. See also, for example, the opening verse to Gil Scott-Heron’s The Revolution Will Not Be Televised.
He met it in Cambodia[3]Allusion to the then-recent illegal bombing of Cambodia by America—killing women and children on Christmas no less—during the Vietnam War, as ordered by Nixon and Kissinger.
But now he can’t afford a bag[4]Double entendre, meaning both a bag of drugs but also a body bag; recall that the band name Fugazi was originally a Vietnam-era acronym for “F***** Up, Got Ambushed, Zipped In.” Here, the Clash … Continue reading
Yankee dollar talk
To the dictators of the world[5]Your timely reminder that the U.S. government throughout the Cold War overthrew progressive, democratically elected governments and replaced them with brutal dictatorships in Guatemala, Chile, and … Continue reading
In fact it’s giving orders
And they can’t afford to miss a word
I’m so bored[6]In some ways, saying someone bores you is even worse than saying you hate or despise them. There’s at least fear and anger in hatred, a grandiose sense of a struggle between equals; boredom by … Continue reading with the U…S…A…[7]One could perhaps argue that it’s a little rich for some Englishmen to decry the imperialism of America—save that the Clash were plenty critical of the U.K. too (They have an entire double-album … Continue reading
I’m so bored with the U…S…A…
But what can I do?
Yankee detectives
Are always on the TV
‘Cos killers in America
Work seven days a week[8]Another double meaning: mocking both the cliched and formulaic nature of American cop shows (something else that hasn’t changed in nearly 50 years—again, no wonder the Clash were bored with us) … Continue reading
Never mind the stars and stripes
Let’s print the Watergate Tapes[9]Allusion to the scandal that finally brought down President Nixon. Indeed, there’s an entire school of thought that declares if we had only held Nixon criminally responsible for Watergate and … Continue reading
I’ll salute the New Wave
And I hope nobody escapes[10]We in the Church like to make a big deal about the divine origins of the U.S. Constitution and of the United States of America in general, as laid out in both the Doctrine and Covenants section 98 … Continue reading
I’m so bored with the U…S…A…
I’m so bored with the U…S…A…[11]Aren’t we all, frankly?
But what can I do?[12]Been my question as well, lately.
I’m so bored with the U…S…A…
I’m so bored with the U…S…A…
I’m so bored with the U…S…A…
But what can I do?[13]Seriously: I vote in both Primaries and general elections, I donate, I attend protests, I sign petitions, I contact my congressman, what else can I do? At what point is it by grace we are saved after … Continue reading
Move up Starsky[14]Starsky and Hutch and Kojak were both popular American cop shows of the era, continuing their thread from two verses prior.
For the C.I.A.[15]A reminder that a pair of LDS lawyers were complicit in creating the Bush-era “torture memos” that authorized the CIA to engage in “enhanced interrogation techniques.” We have our own sins to … Continue reading
Suck on Kojak
For the USA[16]From the Clash’s self-titled 1977 debut record.
References
| ↑1 | A reminder that for pretty much everyone outside of, say, the south Bronx, the term “Yankee” is an insult. |
|---|---|
| ↑2 | 1960s/70s-era slang term for heroin. See also, for example, the opening verse to Gil Scott-Heron’s The Revolution Will Not Be Televised. |
| ↑3 | Allusion to the then-recent illegal bombing of Cambodia by America—killing women and children on Christmas no less—during the Vietnam War, as ordered by Nixon and Kissinger. |
| ↑4 | Double entendre, meaning both a bag of drugs but also a body bag; recall that the band name Fugazi was originally a Vietnam-era acronym for “F***** Up, Got Ambushed, Zipped In.” Here, the Clash calls out how the U.S. military-industrial complex, for all of its staggering over-spending, still neglects even the most basic care of its own veterans. (Also the theme, incidentally, of Bruce Springsteen’s most aggressively misread song “Born in the USA.”)
It is a situation that has not improved whatsoever since this song’s debut in 1977: the chronically underfunded VA remains a hiss and a byword among U.S. veterans down to the present day; real estate investors regularly and shamelessly jack up the price of housing around military bases, knowing they have a captive market whose only other alternative is the filthy, mold-ridden, run-down barracks, and that no law has been passed or enforced to make them do otherwise; conservative congressmen have long shaken hands with servicemen for photo ops, only to repeatedly vote against helping them in the slightest (most recently in 2015); and the recent reelection of a bone-spurred draft dodger who flagrantly called vets “suckers and losers” definitely gives the lie to all those GOP voters who screamed their heads off about “supporting the troops” less than 20 years ago. But then, the entire rhetoric about self-righteously “supporting the troops” was always a lie to begin with, even in the 1970s. Nothing’s changed. All of this was as predictable as it is horrible. No wonder the Clash are so bored with us. |
| ↑5 | Your timely reminder that the U.S. government throughout the Cold War overthrew progressive, democratically elected governments and replaced them with brutal dictatorships in Guatemala, Chile, and (most relevant to current events) Iran.
Mohammad Mosaddegh, the 30th elected Prime Minister of Iran, was overthrown by a military coup d’etat funded and coordinated by the U.S. and U.K. governments in 1953, which was intended to strengthen the autocratic rule of the Shah and protect British oil interests in the region (if you have ever filled up at BP, you have directly funded the perpetrators of this coup). The CIA also helped to train SAVAK, the Shah’s secret police, to prevent democracy from being reinstated there. The Islamic Revolution of 1979 (occurring only two years after this song’s release) arose as a direct response against the oppressions of the U.S.-installed dictatorship. That is, if Iran is currently considered a belligerent threat to “American security interests” and a dangerous, destabilizing influence across the Middle-East, that is entirely our fault. We did this to them, and we did it to ourselves. We literally have no one else to blame for Iran’s current dictatorship, nor the country’s widespread hatred of us. This is a sin we cannot repent of until we acknowledge that we committed it in the first place. |
| ↑6 | In some ways, saying someone bores you is even worse than saying you hate or despise them. There’s at least fear and anger in hatred, a grandiose sense of a struggle between equals; boredom by contrast expresses only contempt. It’s the most cutting insult of all. |
| ↑7 | One could perhaps argue that it’s a little rich for some Englishmen to decry the imperialism of America—save that the Clash were plenty critical of the U.K. too (They have an entire double-album named London Calling after all.) Indeed, their boredom with the U.S. comes in part from them watching us Americans repeat every single mistake and atrocity of the British Empire of old, and not learning a single thing from them. How could they not be bored with us, at that point? |
| ↑8 | Another double meaning: mocking both the cliched and formulaic nature of American cop shows (something else that hasn’t changed in nearly 50 years—again, no wonder the Clash were bored with us) wherein someone new is murdered every episode; but also the fact that the U.S. government is literally killing people seven days a week, not only through its endless imperialist wars, but through its proxy dictatorships across Latin America and Iran. |
| ↑9 | Allusion to the scandal that finally brought down President Nixon. Indeed, there’s an entire school of thought that declares if we had only held Nixon criminally responsible for Watergate and Cambodia—or Reagan for Iran-Contra—or Clinton for perjury—or Bush for lying us into Iraq—or Trump for January 6th and extorting Zelensky and embezzling from a children’s cancer charity and committing rape and now bombing Iran unilaterally and a thousand things besides—yea verily, if we had, in fine, held even a single president accountable for their crimes at any point in the last half century, then we wouldn’t be in the mess we currently are in. But no: All of this was as predictable as it is horrible. Again, no wonder the Clash were so bored with us. |
| ↑10 | We in the Church like to make a big deal about the divine origins of the U.S. Constitution and of the United States of America in general, as laid out in both the Doctrine and Covenants section 98 and in 1 Nephi 13 of the Book of Mormon. It is worth remembering then, that the Book of Mormon also makes no bones about the fact that the Nephite civilization was also divinely inspired and blessed by God Himself—yet He also ultimately wiped them clean off the face of the earth once they began “letting the guilty and the wicked go unpunished because of their money” (Heleman 7:5), as well as embracing offensive warfare (Mormon 3:9-10). Spencer W. Kimball, in his 1976 bicentennial address, likewise called out America specifically for our gross materialism and militarism—which we’ve only become worse at in the intervening 50 years. Something to keep in mind when we start chest-thumping around Independence Day. |
| ↑11 | Aren’t we all, frankly? |
| ↑12 | Been my question as well, lately. |
| ↑13 | Seriously: I vote in both Primaries and general elections, I donate, I attend protests, I sign petitions, I contact my congressman, what else can I do? At what point is it by grace we are saved after all we can do?? |
| ↑14 | Starsky and Hutch and Kojak were both popular American cop shows of the era, continuing their thread from two verses prior. |
| ↑15 | A reminder that a pair of LDS lawyers were complicit in creating the Bush-era “torture memos” that authorized the CIA to engage in “enhanced interrogation techniques.” We have our own sins to repent of—but given how many Latter-day Saints went for the rapist last election, we obviously won’t. I, too, have slipped from being outraged to merely bored at how predictable this all was. |
| ↑16 | From the Clash’s self-titled 1977 debut record. |