"Fortunate Son"
Creedence Clearwater Revival
Some folks are born made to wave the flag,
Ooh, they're red, white and blue.
And when the band plays "Hail to the chief",
Ooh, they point the cannon at you, Lord,
It ain't me, it ain't me, I ain't no senator's son, son.
It ain't me, it ain't me; I ain't no fortunate one, no,
Yeah!
Some folks are born silver spoon in hand,
Lord, don't they help themselves, oh.
But when the taxman comes to the door,
Lord, the house looks like a rummage sale, yes,
It ain't me, it ain't me, I ain't no millionaire's son, no.
It ain't me, it ain't me; I ain't no fortunate one, no.
Some folks inherit star spangled eyes,
Ooh, they send you down to war, Lord,
And when you ask them, "How much should we give?"
Ooh, they only answer More! more! more! ooh,
It ain't me, it ain't me, I ain't no military son, son.
It ain't me, it ain't me; I ain't no fortunate one, one.
It ain't me, it ain't me, I ain't no fortunate one, no no no,
It ain't me, it ain't me, I ain't no fortunate son, no no no.
Ooh, they're red, white and blue.
And when the band plays "Hail to the chief",
Ooh, they point the cannon at you, Lord,
It ain't me, it ain't me, I ain't no senator's son, son.
It ain't me, it ain't me; I ain't no fortunate one, no,
Yeah!
Some folks are born silver spoon in hand,
Lord, don't they help themselves, oh.
But when the taxman comes to the door,
Lord, the house looks like a rummage sale, yes,
It ain't me, it ain't me, I ain't no millionaire's son, no.
It ain't me, it ain't me; I ain't no fortunate one, no.
Some folks inherit star spangled eyes,
Ooh, they send you down to war, Lord,
And when you ask them, "How much should we give?"
Ooh, they only answer More! more! more! ooh,
It ain't me, it ain't me, I ain't no military son, son.
It ain't me, it ain't me; I ain't no fortunate one, one.
It ain't me, it ain't me, I ain't no fortunate one, no no no,
It ain't me, it ain't me, I ain't no fortunate son, no no no.
"Star spangled eyes" - Alliteration
"Silver spoon in hand" - Symbolism
"Silver spoon in hand" - Symbolism
Analysis
"Fortunate Son" was written by John Fogerty and recorded by Creedence Clearwater Revival in November, 1969. It is a song that became a part of the protests of the Vietnam War. The song title itself is a comparison between rich and poor. The opening line, "Some folks are born made to wave the flag" (Fogerty 1), ties in with the line, "Some folks inherit star spangled eyes" (Fogerty 14), meaning that the rich are patriotic without questioning it because they will never have to suffer the consequences of war. The song was a rallying cry of the middle class against the preferential treatment the wealthy and politically connected received. "Fortunate Son" makes the point that it is usually the poor who go to fight in wars while the wealthy can use their connections to get educational or medical deferments. Fogerty expresses this with the lyric, "Some folks are born silver spoon in hand" (Fogerty 8) "... But when the taxman comes to the door" (Fogerty 10) "... the house looks like a rummage sale"(Fogerty 11) Fogerty is saying that the rich don't do their part. They won't make any sacrifices for their country. They don't give, they just take. The line, " ... I ain't no senator's son"(Fogerty 5) shows how songwriter John Fogerty believed that the children of the wealthy, the "senator's sons", were not the ones fighting and dying in Vietnam. "Fortunate Son" was an anthem for the people who believed the war was a mistake.
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