Opportunity Beer (“Opps”)

In the place where I was born,

Exist opportunities[1],

And I’ll tell you of the truth,

Living in America

If you travel in America,

You will find the Disneyland,

And we walk by characters,

Of our childhood memories[2]

We all like to travel to the beach,

Atlantic Ocean, Pacific Ocean,[3]

We do not all look like skeletons,

Have a beer belly, skimpy bikinis[4]

And people are so friendly,

Smiling faces line the streets,

Lady liberty waving down[5]

We all like to care for our trees,

The environment, live sustainable[6]

We do not all eat from the drive through,

Mickey-Ds French fries, The Kings hamburgers[7]

As we live a life of fun

Throwing neighborhood barbeques,

Hot dogs, watermelon,

In our lovely backyards

We all learn of two men and a dog,

Canoeing early on, the Columbia,[8]

We all know US’s destiny,

Spreading the good ways, like democracy[9]

We selflessly become involved in wars,

Helping out others, bringing them freedom, [10]

We do not believe in socialism,

No public healthcare, free to chose your own[11]

In the place where I was born,

Lives the people of the United States,

Where you can do anything,

Living in land of the free

And the beer in which we drink,

Accompanies all we do,

With all of our activities,

The opps beer is the best

We all enjoy watching tackling,

Seeing stolen bases, cheering for slam dunks [12]

We all drink the opportunity,

Also called the opps, we nicknamed our beer,

With an opps in hand you can do anything,

Always progressing, Barack Obama[13]

We always have the opps around,

Opportunity, opportunity

---

[1] The author’s purpose behind writing this song was to reinforce the notion of America being the land of opportunities. Many people migrate to US each year in order to achieve the American dream, where the sky is the limit.

[2] Many Americans, including the author, are raised watching Disney movies such as The Lion King or Cinderella.

[3] Here the author references the geography of the United States; the Pacific Ocean borders the West Coast and the East Coast borders the Atlantic Ocean. This reference of geography acts to show that along with the plastic fun of Disneyland, the US also offers natural beauty.

[4] Often times Americans are stereotyped as having eating disorders, whether it causes them to over eat or under eat. Although there are cases of eating disorders, and a large variety of shapes and sizes, the majority of Americans eat the proper amount.

[5] In 1924, France gave the United States the Statue of Liberty, which is often referred to as lady liberty. She is a symbol of American freedom, representing the opportunities a person can have by living in the US.

[6] The author’s Portland up-bringing most likely influenced the lines about sustainability. A common misconception is that all Americans produce far more waste than the average global citizen. Portland, along with many other cities, has been pushing for environmentally friendly lifestyles.

[7] Americans are known around the world for a love of fast food. Mickey-Ds and The King are nicknames for McDonalds and Burger King, respectably. It is common to see multiple fast food chains on one street, but this does not mean that all American eat from them. Since employment in a fast food chain does not require much for prerequisites, many people who are looking for a new life in America begin by working in one.

[8] Here the author brilliantly hints at a bit of US history. In 1803 Lewis and Clark, along with Lewis’s dog seaman, set out to explore the unknown land in the west. Even as early as the 1800s America was a land full of promise.

[9] Once again the author references the history of America. Since the beginning of America the people felt a certain right to the whole continent, leading to the idea of manifest destiny and reinforcing America as a promise land.

[10] Many countries criticize America’s willingness to enter wars such as Vietnam and Iraq, but there wars are just reflections of the American values. Shown through acts in foreign policy such as the Monroe Doctrine and the Roosevelt Policy, America is always willing to lend a helping hand to improve the lives of others.

[11] At the time this song was written America was in a heated debated as to whether or not healthcare is a basic right or if it should continue to be a private good. Many American values, such as anti-communism, support it being kept in the private sector.

[12] A favorite American pastime is watching and partaking in sports. The three most common American sports are football, baseball and basketball. In this section the author is hints at each of these sports without actually naming them.

[13] In the closing line the author leaves the listener with a sense of opportunities due to the constant progression of the US. Barack Obama is the perfect role model for this. As a kid Obama, elected president in 2008, probably never dreamed he would be president of the US based on his skin color, but the US is in constant motion.