Discover the story of the song > American Life – Primus

The song is about three different people who all live in America but have different life experiences. The first person is a young boy who immigrated to America from Italy with his mother after his father died, and they are waiting in line at Ellis Island. The second person is a Laotian refugee who works in audio and spends his spare time with women. He writes home about how prosperous he is, even though he only earns minimum wage. The third person is an unemployed veteran who lives on the streets in a cardboard box and makes money by collecting aluminum cans. Despite their different circumstances, they all live an American life.