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
If you watched the Grammys on Sunday, you likely saw Bruce Springsteen open the show with a performance of “We Take Care Of Our Own” off his soon-to-be-released album, Wrecking Ball. I’m as excited as any Springsteen fan to hear the new album (I’ve already pre-ordered it on iTunes), and if his tour comes to Portland, you can bet I’ll be buying tickets. That said, it was rather disturbing to hear LL Cool J describe the song as an “anthem”. I’ve heard others in the media describe “We Take Care Of Our Own” in similar terms, as if it’s some sort of paean to the inexorable optimism of the American Spirit.
Uh…have y’all even bothered to listen to (or read) the lyrics? If you had, you’d undoubtedly understand that “We Take Care Of Our Own” is neither positive nor uplifting. If anything, it’s a reflection on how we pat ourselves on the back for taking care of our own, when in fact America has descended into some sort of Randian dog-eat-dog nightmare. Like many Springsteen songs, “We Take Care Of Our Own” certainly has an anthemic quality to it, but it’s not a celebration of America’s collective concern for our own. More than anything it poses a few uncomfortable questions : How did we get here? How is it that we can believe that we look after our fellow Americans when in fact far too many are willing, ready, and able to ignore the suffering of so many? When and why did “I got mine, you can damned well get your own” become part of the American ethos? How is it we can spend trillions on two never-ending wars while abandoning New Orleans to the fates?
“We Take Care Of Our Own” is a great song, and I imagine it will deservedly be a huge hit…but let’s not pretend it’s a celebration of our collective willingness to lend one another a hand up.
