21st Century USA

Patterson Hood

The parking lot behind Oasis Town
Down the street from the Mexican
Restaurant behind the Auto-Zone
And the place that's hawking payday loans
There's a Kmart and a KFC
Fitness Center and an Applebees
Wells Fargo and a Taco Johns
A good time bar to
Get your bad swerve on

In a town that's named for razor blades
All American but Chinese made
Folks working hard for shrinking pay
21st Century, USA

Out on 90 we might see you pass
We got coal and methane gas
We got jobs where the work is hard
And stores to max out your credit cards

In a town that ain't nowhere near
Just like every town, every where
Folks working hard for shrinking pay

Say we have to hang on just a little bit longer
And a savior will come our way
We'll know him by the neon sign
And the opulence he maintains
If Amazon can deliver salvation
I'll order it up on my phone
With big brother watching me always
Why must I always feel so alone

Men working hard for not enough at best
Women working just as hard for less
They get together late at night at bars
And bang each other like crashing cars
Working hard but it don't seem enough
Calloused hearts make even love seem tough
Prescription pills to make the pain hurt less
Until your calloused heart just needs a rest

Look at your children and you hope and pray
That they can conjure up a better day
No one remembers how it got that way
21st Century, USA
21st Century, USA

Trivia about the song 21st Century USA by Drive-By Truckers

Who composed the song “21st Century USA” by Drive-By Truckers?
The song “21st Century USA” by Drive-By Truckers was composed by Patterson Hood.

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