Silver Spoons Can't Save Them All

In response to: Fortunate Son by Creedence Clearwater Revival

The song Fortunate Son by Creedence Clearwater revival is about when draft season for the Vietnam war came around people could avoid being drafted by being in school. Anyone who wasn't in college was drafted and the song is talking about how not everyone is fortunate enough afford that.

“Some folks are born, made to wave the flag

Ooo, they're red, white and blue

And when the band plays "Hail to the Chief"

Ooo, they point the cannon at you, Lord”. This part of the song talks about how some people were happy to fight in the war and when asked were willing to go out and fight for their country.

The song says “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” thus stating that the person of which the songs point of view is told from isn't someone who wants to go to war, but since they're not in school and they can't afford to do that they have no choice. The line, I ain't no senator’s son, Talks about how senators and politicians had enough money to where they could pay off their child’s enlistment or pay for them to go to school to avoid being enlisted.

“Some folks are born, silver spoon in hand

Lord, don't they help themselves, y'all

But when the taxman comes to the door

Lord, the house looks like a rummage sale, yeah”. This section of the song talks about how the people who are fortunate enough to have their enlistments basically paid off are born expecting that. They are born “ Silver spoon in hand” meaning they are used to privilege. “They help themselves” meaning they take and they take for granted. They don't have to worry about their freedom being taken away because they have money.

“ But when the taxman comes to the door Lord, the house looks like a rummage sale” this part means everything is for sale and at cheap value, similar to how in America they could enlist the people's against their will and get ‘cheap’ soldiers/foot men.

“It ain't me, it ain't me, I ain't no millionaire's son, no, no

It ain't me, it ain't me, I ain't no fortunate one, no” This is once again stating that the person is it fortunate enough to be a “millionaire’s son” meaning they don't have thousands of dollars to put towards college to stay out of the war.

“Yeah, yeah

Some folks inherit star spangled eyes

Ooh, they send you down to war, Lord

And when you ask 'em, "How much should we give?"

Ooh, they only answer "More! More! More!", y'all”. The section talks about people who are enlisted as a second-generation, whose fathers fought before them and being a military man is seen as a tradition or family trait. And even with the generational enlistments that's not enough and they're asking everyone to give their all whether they want to or not.