Born to be Wild Lyrics Meaning

Born to be Wild is a Viet Nam War protest song. It was written and released during the time of protest over the war.

The first verse uses the slang of helicopter pilots as they start the engines and begin their aerial patrol, ready to take on anything.

The second verse refers to the smoke and thunder of a heavily armed helicopter in combat and heavy metal lightening is referring to the flash created by the weapons as they were fired.

The bridge lyrics refer to being a child of nature as is discussed in philosophy. Man's nature is one of wildness and self preservation, but it is within the context of the laws of nature where peaceful coexistence is prime. Within the laws of nature man can climb above his internal nature, but at the same time, his internal nature is one of self preservation.

The chorus is where everyone gets confused when they try to interpret it as a biker song. Bikes can't "fire all their guns" and "explode into space" as they are not armed war machines. Combat helicopters are capable of exploding into space.