American Land Lyrics
What is this land America so many travel there
I'm going now while I'm still young my darling meet me there
Wish me luck my lovely I'll send for you when I can
And we'll make our home in the American land
Over there all the woman wear silk and satin to their knees
And children dear, the sweets, I hear, are growing on the trees
Gold comes rushing out the rivers straight into your hands
When you make your home in the American Land
[Chorus]
There's diamonds in the sidewalk the's gutters lined in song
Dear I hear that beer flows through the faucets all night long
There's treasure for the taking, for any hard working man
Who will make his home in the American Land
[Verse 2]
I docked at Ellis Island in a city of light and spires
She met me in the valley of red-hot steel and fire
We made the steel that built the cities with our sweat and two hands
And we made our home in the American Land
[Chorus]
There's diamonds in the sidewalk the's gutters lined in song
Dear I hear that beer flows through the faucets all night long
There's treasure for the taking, for any hard working man
Who will make his home in the American Land
The McNicholas, the Posalskis, the Smiths, Zerillis, too
The Blacks, the Irish, Italians, the Germans and the Jews
Come across the water a thousand miles from home
With nothing in their bellies but the fire down below
They died building the railroads worked to bones and skin
They died in the fields and factories names scattered in the wind
They died to get here a hundred years ago they're still dying now
The hands that built the country we’re always trying to keep down
[Chorus]
There's diamonds in the sidewalk the's gutters lined in song
Dear I hear that beer flows through the faucets all night long
There's treasure for the taking, for any hard working man
Who will make his home in the American Land
About
Springsteen writes this song in an attempt to reflect the tales of many immigrants who came to America from the mid-19th to early-20th centuries. Many believed America was a magical place where “the streets were paved with gold”, and anyone who worked hard enough could make their life better. However, many immigrants had to take jobs with horrible conditions and faced hatred and discrimination from other Americans.
The song was part of his album “Wrecking Ball” where he questioned the so-called American dream and the glory of our nation. He said in a 2012 interview,
What was done to our country was wrong and unpatriotic and un-American and nobody has been held to account…There is a real patriotism underneath the best of my music but it is a critical, questioning and often angry patriotism."
The music of the song borrows elements from traditional Irish folk music, perhaps because many early immigrants to America were Irish.
Q&A
Find answers to frequently asked questions about the song and explore its deeper meaning
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