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"We Take Care of Our Own" is a phrase that kind of gets my wife's goat. My mother-in-law has been ravaged by Alzheimer's disease in recent years. She was living in the Appalachian ridge country of of the West Virginia panhadle, then moved to a facility in western Maryland, and my wife more than once encountered the phrase while navigating through the bureaucracies she was confronted with to get her mother the care she needs.
At the best level, the phrase is warming. It said that those encountering hard times can count on the loving support of family, neighbors, community. At a darker level, it says don't bother turning to government for help here, as we have a tradition of family, neighbors, community doing their part and if you haven't built up your equity with them, you're not doing your job taking care of your own. The double-meaning of the phrase really lies at the fault line in the big government-small government debate. Can government not be a professional and expert expression of the supporting care of family/neighbors/community? Can they afford to? Is the the f/n/c model sustainable as families grow smaller, have children later, and have all adults acting as wage-earners rather than caregivers and homemakers?
And I think Springsteen tackles both sides of it, embracing the double meaning --- celebrating folks for reaching out, but stinging the government for its failures to be an expression of that will. Like "Born in the USA," a phrase that sounds triumphant becomes much more challenging on close listen. Bitterly challenging.
I've been knockin' on the door that holds the throne
I've been lookin' for the map that leads me home
I've been stumblin' on good hearts turned to stone
The road of good intentions has gone dry as bone
We take care of our own
We take care of our own
Wherever this flag's flown
We take care of our own
From Chicago to New Orleans
From the muscle to the bone
From the shotgun shack to the Superdome
We yelled "help" but the cavalry stayed home
There ain't no-one hearing the bugle blown
We take care of our own
We take care of our own
Wherever this flag's flown
We take care of our own
Where's the eyes, the eyes with the will to see?
Where's 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?
Where's the promise, from sea to shining sea?
Wherever this flag is flown
Wherever this flag is flown
Wherever this flag is flown
We take care of our own
We take care of our own
Wherever this flag's flown
We take care of our own
We take care of our own
We take care of our own
Wherever this flag's flown
We take care of our own |
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