What does Death to My Hometown mean?

Bruce Springsteen: Death to My Hometown Meaning

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Album cover for Death to My Hometown album cover

Song Released: 2012


Death to My Hometown Lyrics

No cannonballs did fly
No rifles cut us down
No bombs fell from the sky
No blood soaked the ground

No powder flash blinded the eye
No deafening thunder sounded
But just as sure as the hand of god
They brought death to my hometown
They...

  1. 1TOP RATED

    #1 top rated interpretation:
    anonymous
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    Mar 15th 2012 !⃝

    I think this song is about the effects on "Main Street" of the recent Great Recession. He likens the overall impact to a devastating invasion by well-equipped forces. The frequent references to the absence of traditional sounds of battle is a comment on the insidiousness of the build up to the financial debacle that wiped out much of what many people had spent most of their adult lives building. When he refers to the destruction of factories and loss of homes he is talking about people losing their jobs, companies going under, and people losing their homes to foreclosure. The thieves who walk the streets unpunished are, I suspect, some Wall Street execs who willfully engaged in practices that contributed to the financial collapse of the economy. The lines to "Sonny" cautioning that the marauders will return and encouraging Sonny to sing a song until he is done is a warning to the next generation that this could happen again if we don't learn to exercise more discipline in our financial affairs....maybe....

  2. anonymous
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    Jul 16th 2012 !⃝

    I want to hope it is about Irish history and not current politics. I love it if that's all it's about.

  3. anonymous
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    May 16th 2012 !⃝

    He's a pro obama marixts and blames bush and wall street for everything. He's a hollywood type and knows nothing of the truth of those of us on main st.

  4. anonymous
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    May 7th 2012 !⃝

    The song is about what the British did to the Irish, that's why there's a slight Irish accent in his singing. They took our crops, livestock, and wrecked our homes. None of them went to jail.

  5. anonymous
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    Apr 18th 2012 !⃝

    This song is a follow up to track 4 ad has track 6 to come and end it.
    The 3 songs together have all the elements of the 9/11 WTC attacks of which where follow by the corperate loss in track 6. If you listen to the beat of this song, you'll hear that it has the 'brass band - let's keep marching on...' sound to it!
    The whole album is about the resession and how people need to stand together to build a stronger foundation and relationship with one-another.


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