Us In The USA – English Lyrics

• By: Tom MacDonald

Lyrics & Translation

Dive into the bold world of American political hip-hop with 'Us In The USA.' This song is a unique way to learn English through intense, emotive, and topical vocabulary, offering insight into contemporary social debates and the powerful, direct language used in modern American protest rap.

[English]

We still don't trust what the headlines say, that's okay

We think that they want us to be laid in a grave

We do our best, we pray and we pray for a change

We put the "us" in the USA everyday

We put the "us" in the USA

We're the diesel trucks on the interstate

Flags in our yards, where our children play

Stars and stripes and rattlesnakes

And it's me, and it's you, and it's red, white, and blue

With American dreams and taxes

Wе won World War II, we put man on the moon

Well, dеpending who you asking

We put the "us" in the USA (USA, USA, USA)

We put the "us" in the USA (USA, USA, USA)

We put the "us" in the USA (USA, USA, USA)

We put the "us" in the USA (USA, USA, USA)

We still don't trust what the government claims is the blame

And the media says the country is safe, but it ain't

We do our best, we pray and we pray for a change

We put the "us" in the USA everyday

We put the "us" in the USA

We're the reason why America's great

It's the home of the free and the flags we wave

All the stars and stripes and rattlesnakes

And it's me, and it's you, and it's red, white, and blue

With American dreams and taxes

We won World War II, we put man on the moon

Well, depending who you asking

We put the "us" in the USA (USA, USA, USA)

We put the "us" in the USA (USA, USA, USA)

We put the "us" in the USA (USA, USA, USA)

We put the "us" in the USA (USA, USA, USA)

...

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
headlines /ˈhɛd.laɪnz/ B2	noun - headings at the top of an article or page in a newspaper or news website
grave /ɡreɪv/ B2	noun - a place of burial for a dead body
diesel /ˈdiːzəl/ B2	noun - a type of heavy internal combustion engine or its fuel
interstate /ˈɪntərsteɪt/ B2	noun - a major public highway connecting different states
rattlesnakes /ˈrætəlsneɪks/ C1	noun - a venomous American snake with a rattle at the end of its tail
government /ˈɡʌvərmənt/ B1	noun - the governing body of a nation, state, or community
media /ˈmiːdiə/ B1	noun - the main means of mass communication
taxes /ˈtæksɪz/ A2	noun - compulsory financial contributions imposed by a government
trust /trʌst/ A2	verb - to believe in the reliability or truth of someone or something
blame /bleɪm/ B1	noun - responsibility for a fault or wrong

Key Grammar Structures

• We still don't trust what the headlines say

  ➔ Noun Clauses

  ➔ The clause "what the headlines say" functions as the direct object of the verb "trust."

• That's okay

  ➔ Contractions

  ➔ "That's" is a contraction of "That is," common in informal speech and song lyrics.

• We think that they want us to be laid in a grave

  ➔ Passive Voice (Infinitive)

  ➔ The phrase "to be laid" uses the passive infinitive to indicate an action performed upon the object ("us").

• Flags in our yards, where our children play

  ➔ Relative Clauses

  ➔ "Where our children play" is a relative clause describing the location ("yards").

• It's me, and it's you, and it's red, white, and blue

  ➔ Polysyndeton

  ➔ Using "and" repeatedly ("it's me, AND it's you, AND...") emphasizes each element in the list.

• Well, depending who you asking

  ➔ Participial Phrase

  ➔ "Depending who you are asking" acts as a conditional modifier for the previous statements.

• We're the reason why America's great

  ➔ Relative Pronoun (Omitted)

  ➔ The relative pronoun "that" or "why" could be inserted, but here it is implied after "reason."

• And the media says the country is safe, but it ain't

  ➔ Colloquialism / Non-standard verb

  ➔ "Ain't" is a colloquial contraction for "is not," commonly used in informal American English.