USA - Jeff Rosenstock

Dumbfounded, downtrodden, and dejected

Crestfallen, grief-stricken, and exhausted

Trapped in my room while the house was burning to the motherfuckin' ground

I saw the sign but it was misleading

I fought the law, but the law was cheating

Screaming for help, but somebody keeps on telling me to settle down

And please be honest

And tell me, was it you?

Clerk at the Midwestern service station

Striped uniform, giggling at catch phrases

Look in her eyes like we’re up to something

Oh, it doesn’t matter now

Man in a crossover with his family

Sketched-in decals on the window smiling

Drivin' parallel in the lane beside me

Oh, it doesn’t matter now

But please be honest

And tell me, was it you?

I won’t hate you

I just need to know

Please be honest

And tell me, was it you?

At first he thought it was the undertow

But he was dragged to the bottom of the lake

By a couple of kids saying, «It's a joke»

Though he didn’t know any of their names

As they held him down, the crowd got loud

And they cheered when they thought he had escaped

When the anchor needed something for the 10 o’clock

What could they say?

Oh, what else could they say?

They said

«Well, you promised us the stars

Well, you promised us the stars

Well, you promised us the stars

Well, you promised us the stars

And now we’re tired and bored» (x62)

(et tu, USA

Et tu, et tu, USA)