19. American Lives

© Robbie O’Connell 1991 Slievenamon Music (BMI)

Double standards are nothing new in any society. “One law for the common man, another for the king”¹ is a principle found throughout history, from Tutankhamun to Julius Caesar, from Henry VIII to Donald Trump. However, the duplicity in the term “American Lives” strikes me as particularly egregious. On one hand, American lives are held in great esteem; on the other hand, they appear to be of little consequence.

US newsreaders, reporting on foreign wars or natural disasters, invariably list the casualties in terms of the loss of American lives only. The implication is that the demise of other nationalities doesn’t merit mention. It’s as if an American life is somehow superior to a non-American life. I always found this jarring and chauvinistic, if not downright racist.

The current US government is unwilling to protect its own people by funding a public healthcare system, a standard practice in most western democracies. There is little official value put on physical and mental wellbeing unless it can turn a profit for the healthcare industry. Likewise, third level education is tailored for the wealthy and priced to keep it out of reach of the lower orders. A cynic might say that a permanent underclass is maintained to prop up the privileged lifestyle of the wealthy and provide cannon fodder for their endless wars.

The double standard that applies to members of the US military is particularly galling. Hailed as heroes when they sign up to fight in foreign wars, they are frequently treated as pariahs when they return home maimed or debilitated by post traumatic stress syndrome. Enlisted men are treated with great respect while on active duty but largely ignored when they are no longer of any military use.

This song is an attempt to highlight the ambiguous nature of the term, “American Lives,” when used by the political and military establishments. In times of war or disaster it is endowed with a lot of respect. However, in everyday life the poorest Americans are not valued. This can easily be seen by the unwillingness of right wing politicians to fund the basic social safety measures that are the norm in most other democracies.

It is paradoxical that one of the richest countries in the world is home to so much deprivation. The first time I visited Washington, DC in the 1970s, I was shocked and appalled to witness the abject poverty and third world living conditions within a mile or two of the White House. Sadly, not much has changed in the past fifty years as wage stagnation and income inequality have increased. Homelessness in the USA reached a record high in 2024.

Despite all this, the poorest and most uneducated Americans continue to vote against their own self interest by voting for the political party that will benefit them the least. They have been conditioned to believe that social democracy is some great Satanic plot even as it has led to a historically high standard of living in most western countries. What’s become of American lives, indeed?

American Lives

© Robbie O’Connell 1991 Slievenamon Music (BMI)

Lyrics:

There’s a news flash on the video, live footage from the scene
You can see the fires burning, you can hear the people scream
It’s a natural disaster, many thousands there have died
But the network says it’s alright, there’s no loss of American lives

In a new house in the suburbs with a pool and neat trimmed lawn
A kid sits in his father’s car and turns the engine on
He’s already sealed up all the doors to trap the fumes inside
Now he’s one more sad statistic in the loss of American lives

American lives, American lives
Now he’s one more sad statistic in the loss of American lives

At last the war is over, all the headlines make it clear
The troops will soon be coming home to ticker tape and cheers
They killed thousands of the enemy, every woman man and child
Now there’s cause for celebration, there’s no loss of American lives

Down by the burned out buildings in a city neighbourhood
An old soldier with a placard saying, “I will work for food”
Women sleeping on the sidewalk with the garbage and the flies
And you ask yourself the question “What’s become of American lives?”

American lives, American lives
And you ask yourself the question “What’s become of American lives?”
American lives, American lives
Ask yourself the question “What’s become of American lives?”

1. See The Winning Side, published in the Robbie O’Connell Songbook on September 14, 2025.