Meaning of “Your America” by Tom MacDonald & Adam Calhoun

As implied by its title (“Your America”), this is a political song. But more important is the fact that what’s being relayed is fueled by understandings that the mainstream would refer to as being conspiracy theories (as Tom notes in the bridge). 

In other words, “Your America” infers that the system, i.e. the government itself, is basically the enemy, one which exerts its will through forced socialization. And relatedly, there are a number of things that are being implied in terms of their ultimate goal.

Tom’s Verse

In the first verse, Tom implies that true freedom fighters, such as him and Adam Calhoun, are the ones whom the mainstream has mislabeled as nothing short of “extremists”. According to Tom, in addition to this, the powers that be are concurrently engaged in activities such as propagating homosexuality and gender confusion, supporting one race (blacks) over another (whites) and, as far as the Democrats (i.e. President Biden) are concerned, “starting World War III”. 

Or as MacDonald summarizes at the end of the passage, the leaders of America are more concerned with making the country “miserable” than “great”.

Adam’s Verse

Adam’s verse takes a slightly different approach in that he’s not as critical of the government as he is society at large. For instance, the rapper notes how “young men used to fight wars, now they make memes”, obviously alluding to the notion that the current generation is weaker than previous ones. 

He also indirectly notes how dangerous American schools have become, a concept that Tom also sorta alludes to in the first verse. And as far American politics go, Calhoun seems to be one of those types who has concluded that the whole system is messed up. So what he’s anticipating is one day ‘sh*t hitting the fan’, and apparently many people being caught unaware in the process.

Chorus of “Your America”

As for the chorus, Tom, buttressed by Adam, hones his attack to specifically focus on one of his favorite targets, that being cancel culture. All things considered, what the pair seem to be hinting at is the notion of cancel culture being utilized in the name of undermining the United States. 

“You can try to burn down the city, scream at the top of your lungs till you’re dizzy
You can cancel everything and everybody in it, but it’s not your America”

He continues:

“You can burn the flag, get aggressive
You can wear a mask and pretend you’re progressive
I got my First Amendment, don’t forget I got the second
It’s not your America”

So the vocalists’ response to individuals who they believe are using it for such purposes is that “it’s not your America”. That’s an assertion that can be taken in a number of different ways, and likewise, “Your America” can be deemed a complex song in terms of the ideas that are being presented. But what it conclusively appears to posit, as relayed in the bridge, is cancel culture being a divide-and-conquer tactic that is being conscientiously inflicted upon the American people.

Credits for “Your America”

The writers of this song are its two vocalists, with Tom MacDonald also producing the track.

Release Date

“Your America” was released on 11 August 2023, being the second single from “The Brave II”, which itself marks the second collaborative album between Calhoun and MacDonald.

The first album these two rappers dropped together, which likewise was a self-released effort, was 2022’s “The Brave”.