Fortunate Son Lyrics
Some folks are born made to wave the flag
Ooh, they're red, white and blue
And when the band plays "Hail to the Chief"
Ooh, they point the cannon at you, Lord
[Chorus]
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
[Verse 2]
Some folks are born silver spoon in hand
Lord, don't they help themselves, no
But when the taxman come to the door
Lord, the house lookin' like a rummage sale, yeah
[Chorus]
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
[Instrumental Break]
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, more"
[Chorus]
It ain't me, it ain't me
I ain't no military son, son, Lord
It ain't me, it ain't me
I ain't no fortunate one, one
It ain't me, it ain't me
I ain't no fortunate one, no, no, no
It ain't me, it ain't me
I ain't no fortunate son, no, no, no
It ain't me, it ain't me
About
As one of the most famous protest songs of the Vietnam War era, “Fortunate Son” revives this timeless message with the snarl and swagger of the 1960s righteous rock and roll.
“Julie Nixon was hanging around with David Eisenhower, and you just had the feeling that none of these people were going to be involved with the war. In 1968, the majority of the country thought morale was great among the troops, and eighty percent of them were in favor of the war. But to some of us who were watching closely, we just knew we were headed for trouble.”
As explained by John Fogerty, this song is the birthchild in a time of extreme distrust for executive authority. John describes the callousness of then president Richard Nixon and his arrogance towards young people. I have included this short video through which John Fogerty summarizes the reasons for this song’s creation.
Q&A
Find answers to frequently asked questions about the song and explore its deeper meaning
In his memoir Fortunate Son: My Life, My Music, Fogerty wrote:
Julie Nixon was dating David Eisenhower. You’d hear about the son of this senator or that congressman who was given a deferment from the military or a choice position in the military. They seemed privileged and whether they liked it or not, these people were symbolic in the sense that they weren’t being touched by what their parents were doing. They weren’t being affected like the rest of us.
- 5.Feelin’ Blue
- 6.Fortunate Son
- 10.Effigy