Lyrics and Song Structure
"Youth of the Nation" contains three stories of adolescent tragedy in American culture. It begins by describing a teenager unknowingly skating to school only to be shot by a fellow student. Lyrics go on to speculate whether or not the boy who committed the act felt unloved. Following the chorus, a 12-year old girl called "little Suzie" is depicted as having been abandoned by her father and subsequently "finding love in all the wrong places." Finally, another teen known as "Johnny boy" fails to fit in with his peers and ultimately commits suicide by firearm, " the world how he felt with the sound of a gat."
With its severe subject matter, "Youth of the Nation" conjures musical despair and desolation. It begins with low guitar notes that echo out broodingly. This pattern continues and is soon followed by a prominently showcased and almost militant drum beat and contemplative bass. Sandoval's rapping details the tragic circumstances in a lamented and anxious delivery. A pre-chorus sees the guitar shift into high, escalating notes that further accent the song's anguish before returning to the initial pattern for the chorus. The bridge features an adolescent choir reciting the chorus, "We are, we are, the youth of the nation" which continues alongside Sandoval as the song comes to an end.
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