Never Made it as a Working Class Hero

My ten year old son Aidan is a big Green Day fan. While I'd never confuse Green Day's stadium rock with punk (as the band seems to want us to do), I've grown mildly interested in their sound. When their song "21st Century Breakdown" came out last year, however, I was pretty astounded as it appeared that writer and lead singer Billie Joe Armstrong had gotten his hands on advanced copy of Stayin' Alive. The energy and ideas of the song aren't derived from academia, however, but from Armstrong's autobiography, his politics, John Lennon, and maybe a little Bruce juice. Armstrong, born in '72, was



raised a blue collar kid in Piedmont, California. The song is part of a larger rock opera (clearly more The Who than Black Flag), but it rings honest and true. I almost tossed this bit into the conclusion of the book:


Born into Nixon, I was raised in hell.
A welfare child where the teamsters dwelled.
The last one born, the first one to run,
My town was blind by refinery sun.
My generation is zero.
I never made it as a working class hero
21st century breakdown
I once was lost but never was found.
I think I'm losing what's left of my mind.
to the 20th century deadline.