He was 18 and wasted
Bedroom in the basement
Parents' house Tucson, Arizona
What do you expect from a high school diploma?
Working hours in the shoe store
Selling dimes out the backdoor
And he puts on his prom crown, says to his mama "I'm the king of this town"

Won't you take me out?
I hear the midnight streets are calling
You can hold me down
But like a bird I'm just free falling

Here's to these american nights
We're having the time of our lives
Living, dreaming, feeling, never sleeping till we see the morning light, on these american nights

Neighborhood kid just back from the desert
Tattoo and a discharge letter
VA in the St. John's, 6 times a week
He still sleeps with his boots on
She skipped track up to Brooklyn, with a dream and some dark skin
Graveyard at the Rhino, "this is the place where the stars shine, you know"

Won't you take me out?
I hear the midnight streets are calling
You can hold me down
But like a bird I'm just free falling
Here's to these american nights
We're having the time of our lives
Living, dreaming, feeling, never sleeping till we see the morning light, on these american nights

Sky's black in November
Nothing good lasts forever
Twelve gauge heart in a machine gun town
Whole life running, you can't stop now

Here's to these american nights
We're having the time of our lives
Living on a feeling, I got a feeling that it's gonna be alright
On these american nights

On these american nights