Livin' in a black neighborhood
He's got an interstate runnin' through his front yard
You know he thinks he's got it so good
And there's a woman in the kitchen
Cleanin' up the evenin' slop
And he looks at her and says, "Hey darlin', I can remember when
You could stop a clock"
Ah, but ain't that America for you and me?
Ain't that America? Somethin' to see, baby
Ain't that America? Home of the free, yeah
Little pink houses for you and me
Ooh yeah, for you and me
Well, there's a young man in a t-shirt
Listenin' to a rockin' rollin' station
He's got greasy hair, greasy smile
He says, "Lord this must be my destination"
'Cause they told me when I was younger
Said, "Boy, you're gonna be president"
But just like everything else those old crazy dreams
Just kinda came and went
Ah, but ain't that America for you and me?
Ain't that America? Somethin' to see, baby
Ain't that America? Home of the free, yeah
Little pink houses for you and me
Ah, yeah, baby, for you and me
Well, there's people and more people
What do they know know know?
Go to work in some high rise
And vacation down at the Gulf of Mexico, ooh yeah
And there's winners and there's losers
But they ain't no big deal
'Cause the simple man, baby, pays for the thrills, the bills
The pills that kill
Ah, but ain't that America for you and me?
Ain't that America? Somethin' to see, baby
Ain't that America? Home of the free, yeah
Little pink houses for you and me, ooh
Ooh yeah
Ain't that America for you and me?
Ain't that America? Hey, somethin' to see, baby
Ain't that America? Oh, the home of the free
Ooh yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
Little pink houses, babe, for you and me
Ooh yeah, ooh yeah
John J. Mellencamp (born October 7, 1951), previously known as Johnny Cougar, John Cougar, and John Cougar Mellencamp, is an American singer-songwriter. He is known for his catchy brand of heartland rock, which emphasizes traditional instrumentation. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2008, followed by an induction into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2018.
Mellencamp rose to fame in the 1980s while "honing an almost startlingly plainspoken writing style" that, starting in 1982, yielded a string of Top 10 singles, including "Hurts So Good", "Jack & Diane", "Crumblin' Down", "Pink Houses", "Lonely Ol' Night", "Small Town", "R.O.C.K. in the U.S.A.", "Paper in Fire", and "Cherry Bomb". He has amassed 22 Top 40 hits in the United States. In addition, he holds the record for the most tracks by a solo artist to hit number one on the Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks chart, with seven. Mellencamp has been nominated for 13 Grammy Awards, winning one. He has sold over 30 million albums in the US and over 60 million worldwide. His latest album of original songs, Orpheus Descending, was released in June 2023.
Mellencamp is also one of the founding members of Farm Aid, an organization that began in 1985 with a concert in Champaign, Illinois, to raise awareness about the loss of family farms and to raise funds to keep farm families on their land. Farm Aid concerts have remained an annual event over the past 37 years, and as of 2023 the organization has raised over $60 million.
