Lyrics Spotlight - Election Day Special!

"Woke up Election Day, skies gunpowder and shades of gray
Beneath a dirty sun, I whistled my time away"
-- "Livin' in the Future", Magic

Long-time readers may be experiencing deja vu with this post, and they would be right.  Fellow LOS writer Steve and I have referenced this lyric on every election day since 2008.  We are truly a hilarious duo.

In last year's post, I encouraged everyone to "go out and vote", which, if you actually know me, is very uncharacteristic.  I'm very against pro-voting rhetoric - in fact, I didn't even vote in 2012.  I have various thoughts about the election process that I really can't devote the time and energy to properly present on this little blog; but basically, I feel that choosing not to vote is a personal choice that should be respected.

However, I also believe in the maxim "if you don't vote, don't complain."  Having not voted in 2012, I'm proud to say that I really haven't complained.  LOS writer OB and I frequently discuss politics, and while I have had my share of complaints with the country, I have not directed my frustration at the Obama administration.  With that being said, I will not be whistling my time away this year.  I fully plan to vote, not for patriotic reasons, but for whining reasons.  If my candidate loses, I really want to feel justified in my whinging and belly-aching for the next four years.

So, unlike last year's call to vote, this year, I'll just say: vote, or don't.  It's really up to you.  I'm just in it for the complaining.

Lyrics Spotlight - "Backstreets"

Slow dancing in the dark
On the beach at Stockton's Wing
- "Backsteets", Born To Run

This post comes way courtesy of the good people at /r/BruceSpringsteen.  They have been both supporters of and inspirations to Legends Of Springsteen for quite some time.  It's one of Reddit's smaller forums, but definitely worth checking out for all Springsteen fans.

So, why these lyrics?  Well, a wise poster saw the news story about Stockton College buying the Showboat in Atlantic City, and immediately thought of this song.  Stockton's Wing referred to Stockton College's presence in the Mayflower Hotel in Atlantic City, where they were located in the 1970s.  However, they moved out of Atlantic City nearly 40 years ago.  But, with the purchase of the Showboat, they are back "on the beach".

So, next time you are in Atlantic City, make sure to do your slow dancing at Showboat/Stockton's Wing, and then go lose your money.

Lyrics Spotlight: "Worlds Apart"

Author's note:  The views and opinions expressed in this post are mine and mine alone, and do not necessarily reflect the other writers at Legends of Springsteen,  or the website as a whole.  Thank you.

"Sometimes the truth just ain't enough,
But it's too much in times likes this."- "Worlds Apart", The Rising




Last week, Bill Maher and Ben Affleck made headlines on Maher's HBO show "Real Time With Bill Maher", when they got into a heated debate on the Islamic faith.  Even though I'm fairly conservative, and Maher is staunchly liberal, I do watch his show every week.  Part of the reason is the intellectual reward of wanting to broaden my horizons and hear the counter-thoughts to my views so I can fully understand issues.  However another part, and major part at that, is because I like how angry shows like this make me and strengthen my own conservative arguments.

However, even though I usually can't stand Maher, I absolutely agreed with him on this issue.  It got me thinking about the Springsteen song "Worlds Apart", which musically and lyrically compare and contrast Eastern and Western cultures.  Maher is an unapologetic critic of all organized religion, but has said "All religion is disease.  But Christianity is herpes, and Islam is cancer."  I thought about the above Springsteen lyrics during this debate, when Maher and author Sam Harris plead for fellow liberals to stand up for their liberal values and face the ugly truth that sometimes criticizing someone other than White Christian Males, which liberals are always fine with criticizing, is sometimes acceptable.  But notice, even before they get to that point that Ben Affleck, another staunch liberal, seems to sense where this conversation is going.  Before Harris is even finished with his point, Affleck is combative and dismissive of his credentials.  When Harris confirms that he has studied Islamic culture extensively, Affleck give him an incredibly passive-aggressive comment of "I was just asking."   And the whole debate is downhill from that point, and neither really seems to listen to one another.  Maher asks his fellow liberals to examine the facts and not just label criticism of Islam as bigoted.  Affleck, overwhelmed by anger and emotion, lashes out and calls Maher a bigot.  "Sometimes the truth just ain't enough,  But it's too much in times likes this."  Worlds Apart, indeed.

Lyrics Spotlight - "Long Walk Home"

My father said "Son, we're lucky in this town,
It's a beautiful place to be born.
It just wraps its arms around you,
Nobody crowds you and nobody goes it alone"
- "Long Walk Home", Magic

There's nothing that takes me back to my care-free childhood than long summer days spent exploring for adventure in the suburbs.  When hitting those teenage years, though, those small towns become even smaller, and I yearned for more.  It's the sentiment perfectly captured on "Thunder Road": "It's town full of losers, and I'm pulling out of here to win."

However, in "Long Walk Home", written over 30 years since "Thunder Road", Bruce is now softened to his hard stance on those small New Jersey communities, talking about how they accept you and will make you stronger.  I can't quite decide if Bruce is speaking as the father or the son in this song, but I feel either interpretation could work.  While I wouldn't throw the same accolades on my hometown as Bruce does in this song, my angst-driven feelings on it have softened throughout the years.  I don't feel it's arms around me, but it isn't a town full of losers, either.  Perhaps in another 30 years, I'll have come around to Springsteen's point-of-view.  So, please make sure to e-mail me on July 8th, 2044, just to see where I'm at.

Lyrics Spotlight - "Sherry Darling"

"Well this morning I ain't fighting tell her I give up
Tell her she wins if she'll just shut up
But it's the last time that she's gonna be riding with me."
-- "Sherry Darling", The River

If these lyrics seem familiar to you, congratulations on your fantastic memory.  Yes, I did spotlight these exact same lyrics back in the early stages of the blog.  Back then, we had to spotlight different lyrics every week, if you can believe it!  With such an overwhelming workload, sometimes lyrics do not get their just due.  I highlighted these lyrics last time due to their sense of humor Bruce rarely shows in his songs.  However, after seeing him perform "Sherry Darling" live in Virginia Beach, I began to rethink the wisdom of the narrator in this song.

We've been known to offer relationship advice from time to time on this blog, whether it be to not send drunken texts or stop chasing after love that was never truly there.  Allow me to impart one other piece of advice: the best way to "win" an argument is to be the person who doesn't want to argue. Think about all the arguments you've had with your family or loved ones: has anyone ever stopped mid-argument, apologized, and completely agreed with the other person?  I've been guilty of wasting time arguing with someone who wasn't going to budge, as well as being stubborn as a mule when I was in the wrong.  However, the solution was staring me in the face, and once again it came from the Boss:  the best way to "win" a fight is by being the person who doesn't want to fight.  There is usually no prize to be won, so you are just wasting time and energy making yourself and others agitated.  It can be frustrating to practice, as sometimes you'll convince yourself that the argument is worth having.  But, if you stay strong by what experts call the "Sherry Darling Rule", you'll be doing yourself a great service.

Lyrics Spotlight - "Darkness On The Edge Of Town"

"I lost my money and I lost my wife,
Them things don't seem to matter much to me now."
- "Darkness on the Edge of Town", Darkness on the Edge of Town

"Darkness on the Edge of Town" is perhaps one of Bruce's most underrated songs.  Of course, I don't actually mean underrated by the fans, who rated it as Bruce's 11th best song, but underrated by me.  In beginning to write this lyrics spotlight, there were several lines I could've written expanded thoughts on, and perhaps I will at a later date.  But, for now, I'd just like to spotlight this somber line.

Now, granted, the narrator of this song has lived a much tougher life than me.  I still have my money, and I have not lost a serious girlfriend, much less a wife.  But, whenever I hear this long, it strikes me in a completely different way.  I see it as a re-prioritizing of one's life.  Things that you valued at one point no longer seem important.

I am an avid lover of nostalgia.  I love looking back and exploring my past.  I still try to remain connected to my youth, such as reading comic books and watching basketball games.  Heck, I even get nostalgic when I read old posts from this blog!  However, there have been times when I've dug up something that I used to love, and find myself muttering, "Them things don't seem to matter much to me now."  Here's a recent example:

In my neighborhood, there is a delightful store called Pop Fuzz.  This store specializes in carrying second-hand pop culture items from the 80s and 90s.  I could go on and on about all the random crap that I love in this store, but every time I visit there, my eyes are immediately drawn to these:

Those are movie trading cards from the late 80s and early 90s.  For me, the Batman trading cards always held a special place in my heart.  You see, whenever I visited my grandmother's house, my cousin, my brother, and I would take a trip down the block to a local delicatessen.  Here, we would get assorted snacks, Slush Puppies, and, of course, Batman trading cards.  I must have had hundreds of those things.

So, flash forward to the future, and I naturally caved, ponying up the $0.75 and buying myself a pack.  I rushed home to open these suckers...and boy oh boy was I disappointed.  Granted, there was a temporary amount of joy - I loved the feeling of unwrapping a brand new pack of trading cards - but this lasted about as long as the flavor of Fruit Stripes gum.  I flipped through the cards, which were just poorly framed movie stills printed on floppy cardboard, and was completely baffled about how I would have spend hours looking and sorting through them as a child.  "Them things don't seem to matter much to me now."  It goes to show that all trips down memory lane are not made equal: while some memories you should never let go, others are perhaps best kept in their own place and time.

Lyric's Spotlight: "Gave It A Name"

" At night, he couldn't stand the guilt or the shame.  So he gave it a name."

"Gave It A Name", Tracks Disc 4

It's not one of Bruce's more well known songs, however these lyrics kept going through my head this past weekend.  The lyrics speak of terrible deeds (murder and spousal abuse) that are "given a name".  That way you don't have to admit that you ended the life of another person, or beating up on someone weaker than yourself, you just have to file it under the given name.

This past weekend, the New York Jets made headlines by signing Michael Vick as their quarterback.  Vick is one of the most controversial figures in the NFL for his numerous run ins with the law, most notably in 2007 for his participation in dog-fighting, resulting in a 23 month prison sentence.

But what is dog fighting?  From just the sound of it, it sounds negative.  But it's so much more.  We have given the name of "dog fighting" to one of the most despicable, and disgusting displays of lack of respect for life.  I am not an animal rights activist.  I love meat, fur, hunting, and fully believe that human rights should always trump animal rights.  However, to ritualistically torture, abuse, and murder animals, plus profit from these deplorable deeds, is beyond reprehensible.

To those of you who say, "Vick paid his debt to society," I disagree.  You are wrong.  These dogs were abused and starved to be violent, the dogs were electrocuted, hung, and beaten to death if they didn't die during the "fight".  And people bet on it, and profited from this.  This shows such a disgusting disregard for life and consequences that can't be unlearned.

To those of you who say "It's a part of the culture.  That doesn't excuse it, but we need to be understanding of circumstance."  Too bad.  That's a disgusting culture and no leniency should ever be shown because of ignorance, or willful disregard of society's standards.

This isn't Vick's first team that he played for since being released from prison.  For the past 3 years, Vick has played for the Philadelphia Eagles (the arch-rival of my favorite team, The New York Giants).  At first I thought maybe my disgust for Vick being re-instated to the NFL had something to do with him playing for a team I hate.  But the thought of Vick playing football in my home town, for him to be a public figure in my city, has really bothered me.

In this era of the NFL suspending (and most likely ending the career) of Richie Incognito, penalizing language, and pressuring the Washington Redskins to change their name Michael Vick's dog-fighting scandal has been all but swept under the rug.  Simply given the name of "dog-fighting", it has been seemingly forgotten by the NFL.  Fortunately for me, I'm not the only Bruce fan who feels this way.  So does Nils Lofgren.

Lyrics Spotlight: Long Time Comin'

“I reach beneath your shirt, lay my hands across your belly
And feel another one kickin' inside
And I ain't gonna fuck it up this time”
- Long Time Comin’, Devils & Dust

I am very blessed to share that my wife and I are going to have our first child in just over a month’s time. We were both hoping for it to happen and couldn’t be more excited. But even when it’s something you’ve so hoped would happen, it’s still natural to feel moments of anxiety (the baby books have confirmed I’m not alone on this). In the first few days after I found out back in August, the above lyrics rang through my head frequently.

I’m fortunate that I haven’t lived a life with the kind of distraught family unrest that the narrator describes in this song. But like everyone else, I’ve made my fair share of mistakes. At times when I feel uneasy or uncertain about my ability to be a good father, I think of these lyrics and remind myself that this is one thing I’m not gonna fuck up.

Lyrics Spotlight - "When You're Alone"

"I knew some day your runnin' would be through
And you'd think back on me and you
And your love would be strong
You'd forget all about the bad and think only of all the laughs that we had
And you'd wanna come home
Now it ain't hard feelings or nothin' sugar
That ain't what's got me singing this song
It's just nobody knows honey where love goes
But when it goes it's gone gone gone

When you're alone you're alone
When you're alone you're alone
When you're alone you're alone
When you're alone you ain't nothing but alone"


Happy Valentine's Day!  I know this isn't so much a spotlight, as it is a full verse spotlight, but I really wanted to include the entire thing and it's my post so I'm doing it!

I love that we run the gamut here at LOS.  Steve is happily married to his beautiful college sweetheart and expecting a child in a few months.  Rory is in a commited relationship and living with a wonderful girl he met post-graduation.  And me?  Well, I live the rugged bachelor life and couldn't be happier about it.  Now, on to the day at hand.  You're either with someone you love or you are not.  And if you're with someone you love, cheers!  Stop reading this blog right now and go do something special with them.  I promise, we will still be here tomorrow.

However if you're alone today, it's only natural to do a little soul searching.  And you'll think of a certain person, and realize "Ah, you know what?  They weren't that bad... I don't even know why we broke up.  Come to think of it, things were pretty great!"  DON'T DO IT!  I promise you, even if it's not immediately apparent, it ended for a reason.  The temptation is strong, I know, believe me I've done it too many times.  Rory suggests immediately deleting the phone number of a significant other when things end, to avoid embarrassment, and he's probably right.

Listening to this song the other day made me think of all the awful, half-assed attempts I made to rekindle flames that weren't lighting in the first place, only for me to end the night asking myself "What in God's name am I doing?"  It's not worth it.  I couldn't be happier for my best buddies Steve and Rory for finding their loves.  But if you're like me and you are single today, don't feel the pressure, don't call up exes, just enjoy being alone!  And I mean that in the best way possible.

Lyrics Spotlight - Bobby Jean

And I'm just calling one last time not to change your mind
But just to say I miss you baby, good luck goodbye

--"Bobby Jean", Born In The U.S.A.

As I've mentioned before, I am a big comic book fan.  And, as any comic book fan knows, you will be the subject of hundreds of embarrassing moments that are almost unavoidable given the lifestyle.  Perhaps its that time you thought buying that fedora was a good idea; or that time your mom yelled "I'll pick you up at 8!" in front of all the cool kids at the comic convention; or that time someone asked you who would win in a fight between Batman and the Hulk, and you went into an extremely detailed break-down that disturbed the person who asked the question.  All of these are ultimately harmless "character builders", and everyone has them.  On the comic book podcast In This Issue, they will occasionally share these amusing tales, calling them "Embarrassing Nerd Confessions".  Their openness has inspired me to share some of my embarrassing Springsteen confessions, so strap yourself in - it is pretty cringe-worthy.  Ready?  Let's not beat around the bush:

I thought the above lyrics would be good to text to a girl.

Ugh, I want to kick my own ass after typing that.  But, now that that is out in the open, let's go back a bit.  It was college, and I was in my golden age of drunken texting.  I would get a couple of shots in me and think my texts were worthy of Bartlett's.  Some texts would be humorous, but most of the time I was sending a message at 4:17 AM that elegantly stated, "what r u up to".  Most of these texts would go unanswered, but I was a young man; a little failure would not deter me.

Upon this occasion, there was a girl who I had seen maybe a handful of times.  However, my charm was starting to wear thin (shocking!), and the girl was doing what was probably the most polite and mature thing you could do in your college years: just ignore me.  Now, this wasn't the first time, nor the last time, things would end this way with a girl.  But, I'd just like to breakdown how my reaction to this has changed over the last few years:

Early 20s Rory: "She hasn't responded to my text in two days!  Oh no!  This is it.  I'm doomed.  She hates me.  What did I do wrong?  Will I ever find love?  I'm going to die alone.  But maybe she lost her phone?  Or should I wait another day?  Should I give her a call?  Or maybe just another text?  Will that seem too desperate?  But what do I have to lose?  Heaven's to Betsy, what a pickle!"

Late 20s Rory: "She hasn't responded in two days?  Ah well, guess she's not that interested.  I wish her the best in all her future ventures.  On to the next."

Unfortunately, I was still in my early 20s.  So, feeling a bit depressed, I went out drinking with some friends (including fellow blog editor Steve).  And a thought started brewing.  Who never fails with the ladies?  The Boss, that's who.  So, perhaps I could use his coolness to win the heart of this girl (and, for the record, I do not believe this girl had shown any positive or negative feelings about Bruce Springsteen in the brief time I knew her).

The message was typed.  My finger hovered over the send button.  And, then, I made an excellent decision: I talked to Steve about it.  Steve had (and still has) one of the best relationships I know, so I figured I would take his advice.  He told me, politely, that it probably would not be a good idea.  However, looking back, I could tell he was biting his tongue, fighting back the urge to call me an idiot and slap me upside the head.  And, with that, Steve saved the day, and the text was deleted.

The next day, as I sobered up, I realized how close I was to adding another embarrassing drunk moment to an ever-growing list.  An important lesson was learned, and I curtailed my drunken texting. (Side note to all single people struggling with this: delete the phone numbers of your exes.  They will just linger their in your phone book, and can cause nothing but misery.)

So, perhaps I misled you all, as the embarrassing action was not seen through to its completion.  I just figured I'd share it all with you - it was cathartic to get it off my chest.  We all make embarrassing Springsteen-related decisions, so no need to feel bad about them.  If you've got any such confessions, please feel free to share them in the comments!

Lyrics Spotlight - Springsteen's Hard Times

This past Wednesday, I was listening to some live Springsteen on Youtube, as a Springsteen blogger is wont to do.  During this binge session, I came upon Springsteen's cover of the smash hit of 1854, Stephen Foster's "Hard Times Come Again No More".  It's just one of many highlights from his 2009 Hyde Park show, a performance spotlighted by a great solo from Clarence and Bruce's voice digging into new gravelly depths to sound like it was actually from the 1850s.

It is also a song that clearly inspired Springsteen, as he has often described the E Street Band as a band built for "hard times".  That phrase, "hard times", seems like it appears in numerous Springsteen songs.  So I began to research, and found that "hard times" appears in a whopping....three Springsteen songs.  There are songs where he is working hard, trying hard, looking so hard, having hard earned days, searching for things hard to find, and is in a hard land, but not a ton where Bruce specifically points out the hard times.  However, in these songs, as in most of his work, there is always a glimmer of hope at the other side of the dark tunnel.  Let's take a look:

"Rocky Ground"

You raise your children and you teach 'them to walk straight and sure 
You pray that hard times, hard times, come no more 



This is a bit of a cheat, since Michelle Moore is singing this part, but rumor has it that Bruce was originally going to do the rapping, so I'll assume the lyrics here were all penned by the Boss.  "Rocky Ground" really does have some great lyrics, but the song is a bit too over-produced (a problem with a lot of Wrecking Ball, as too many instruments are crammed on the tracks), and the rapping makes it feel more like a novelty Springsteen song.  It's a solid tune that I've enjoyed seeing live, but one I rarely listen to on the album.

"Waitin' On A Sunny Day"

Hard times baby, well they come to tell us all
Sure as the tickin' of the clock on the wall
Sure as the turnin' of the night into day



This, too, is another novelty-esque Springsteen song, moreso when performed live - as Bruce always finds an adorable eight-year-old girl to sing on stage with him, while I just stew in my seat, angrily thinking, "SHE DOESN'T EVEN KNOW THE WORDS!  SHE WILL PROBABLY END UP HATING YOUR MUSIC IN FIVE YEARS WHEN SHE STARTS REBELLING FROM HER PARENTS!  THAT SHOULD BE ME ON STAGE!"  Phew.

Anyway, I do love the lyrics above, as this particular "hard times" is delivered with such passion, both by Bruce, and by me singing along, trying to prove that I would've been the right choice to sing up there.  Sigh.  Perhaps I'll have better luck if I show up next time wearing my Elvis costume.

"Wrecking Ball"

And hard times come, hard times go
Hard times come, hard times go
And hard times come, hard times go
Hard times come, hard times go
Hard times come, hard times go
Yeah just to come again



First of all, it is a shame that when I search for "Wrecking Ball lyrics", Miley Cyrus's song is the top result.  Get your act together, Earth.  Anyway, fellow writer Steve is not a huge fan of the song, describing it as "overly repetitive and yet all over the place".  I completely agree, it is overly repetitive and yet all over the place - which is why I love it, because that's exactly what the process of living is like.  As Bruce repeats "Hard times come, hard times go", it invokes images of the difficulties you've had in your life and, simultaneously, your triumphs.  As you get older, you begin to see the events in your life and the world around you repeating, and you realize that these cycles have been happening way before you entered the game (to borrow from "Jack Of All Trades": It’s all happened before and it’ll happen again).  While much of "Wrecking Ball" works as a tribute to the Meadowlands, the "hard times" part here escalates the meaning of the song into another echelon, more universal for non-Jersey listeners.

There you have it, folks.  The first comprehensive look at the times Bruce has sang about, literally, "hard times".  Are there any other classic Bruce phrases that you've noticed in several songs that you'd like us to break down?  Let us know in the comments.

Lyrics Spotlight: "Murder Inc"

"Now the cops reported you as just another homicide."
"Murder Inc", Greatest Hits

Note:  As always with these posts where personal opinions are stated, please remember that these opinions are mine, and only mine.  They do not necessarily reflect those of the other contributors to this blog, or Legends of Springsteen as a whole.

It seems whenever their is a gun tragedy in our country their are two responses.  And they are as predictable as they are tired.  The liberals seem to think stricter gun control is the answer, while conservatives point out that stricter gun control laws will only keep the hands out of law-abiding citizens.  While both arguments have their merit, they just seem to be oversimplified and overstate the obvious fact:  How does someone ever think that gun violence is the appropriate answer?

Gun violence is nothing new in America.  It's ingrained in our culture by our love for classic films like "Scarface" and "Boyz N The Hood" or classic TV programs like "The Sopranos" (my all-time favorite drama), or "Sons of Anarchy".  And although rap music seems to have the music market cornered when it comes to gun references it's not exclusive, as there are countless country songs about guns, both positive and negative.  And even this song isn't Bruce's only gun song in his catalog as "Nebraska", "Jungleland", and "From Small Things (Big Things One Day One)", are just a few others that seemingly glorify gun violence.  And then there's the always popular scapegoat: violent video games.

Just to be clear I am in no way saying that theses forms of media are responsible for gun violence in America. On the contrary I think it's quite lazy, and irresponsible to just pass off blame to violence in the media.  However one thing I do find disturbing is when there are horrible tragic shootings like the ones at Columbine, Virginia Tech, Sandy Hook, and the Aurora movie theater there seems to be such a concentration on the shooter and not nearly enough on the victims.  And that's nothing to say about the practical ignoring of inner city gang shootings going on in Chicago, Detroit, Oakland and Newark, among others on a weekly basis.  Bruce's lyrics about the cops reporting these victims as just another homicide seem to be consistently true.

I could turn this entire blog post into one on the merits and dangers of the 2nd Amendment, I just don't have the time or energy to type it all out.  People seem to have their minds made up one way or another on the topic, and there is very little chance of changing their mind no matter what facts you have on this topic.  So instead I'll just close with a few facts about the song "Murder Inc".  It was written in the early 1980's as part of Born In The USA, but didn't make the cut.  It was recorded and released as one of unreleased tracks on Bruce's 1995 Greatest Hits.  It has since gone on to be played with somewhat of consistency on Bruce's tours.  The opening drums and guitar riff is one Top 5 intro's to a Bruce song.

Lyrics Spotlight- "Mary Queen Of Arkansas"

“I don’t understand how you can hold me so tight and love me so damn loose.”
(“Mary Queen of Arkansas“, Greetings From Asbury Park)

Greetings is one of those albums I have to be in the mood to listen to.  That is not to say that it’s a bad album, or even one that I don’t enjoy.  But I just can’t throw it on, like I would Darkness or Born In The USA.  Bruce still hadn't established himself as Bruce yet.  He was still trying to figure out his own identity and gave in too easy to his influences and tried to write songs like Dylan and Elvis.  It wasn't until Born To Run when he identified himself as Bruce Springsteen, and would go on to inspire an entire generation of singers and songwriters himself.

But he still had some great songs before Born To Run, and they are counted among his fans as some of his best work.  I wouldn't exactly call this song that, but there are some who do, and good for them.  I was listening to this song and never noticed this lyric before.  It’s pure Springsteen, and it’s lyrics like that foreshadowed the Bruce that was to come and would become so beloved.

I haven’t exactly had the best luck with the fairer sex.  I won’t act like I have been terribly wronged by them, or lost the great love of my life.  But like everyone, I've had my share of heartbreak and great moments too.  But it’s only in looking back at them that we realize that maybe some of them weren't as great as we think they were.  Maybe if we paid a little more attention to signals at that time, instead of interpreting them the way we would want them, it would have helped.  At least there’s always Bruce to help us.

Lyrics Spotlight - In Freehold

"Well, I got a good Catholic education here in Freehold
Led to an awful lot of masturbation here in Freehold
Father, it was just something I did for a smile
Hell, I still get a good one off once in a while
and dedicate it to Freehold."
-- "In Freehold"

Who doesn't love a good masturbation joke? As an amateur comedian, I use masturbation as the crux of so many jokes that I've begun to abbreviate it as "M" in my notebook. It may be low-brow, but it gets a chuckle, or, in Bruce's case here, an enthusiastic cheer.

"In Freehold" is a song Springsteen wrote for a special concert he performed in his old high school gym. While the songs he penned in his teens and early 20s were all about breaking out of this "town full of losers", here he reflects on his youth with nostalgia, humor, and a twinge of sadness. Tales of his first kiss, his first band, his father, and his sister all make it into this epic. But ultimately, Bruce ends it with the one element that everyone can relate to when thinking about their high school years.

Lyrics Spotlight - Darlington County

“Driving out of Darlington County,
Seen Wayne handcuffed to the bumper of a state trooper's Ford”
- Darlington County, Born in the U.S.A.

I have been reading a lot of Raymond Carver’s short stories lately and I feel that “Darling County” bears strong similarities to a Carver story. Carver’s writing style is brusque and to the point but paradoxically full of vivid detail. Many of the stories have an unexpected turn or twist in the end that reveals the ugly side of human behavior without rationalizing or explaining it.

This description seems like a natural connection to the Nebraska album but I actually think “Darlington County” is the closest in style to a Carver short story. The song begins happily enough with its tale of youthful abandon and the seemingly wide-open possibilities in front of the lead characters. As it progresses, the intentions of the characters appear more lascivious and less innocent. In the final line, the narrator drives out of Darlington County with the image of his buddy handcuffed to a cop car in his rear view mirror. We don't know what happened or why it happened but much like you find in a Carver story, something serious happened and it can't be explained, but it can be interpreted.

Lyrics Spotlight - Soul Driver & Sad Eyes

"Well if something in the air feels a little unkind,
Don't worry darling, it'll slip your mind"
- Soul Driver, Human Touch & Sad Eyes, Tracks

With any kind of artist as prolific as Bruce Springsteen, you're bound to see some overlap between their artistic output. Bruce is particularly interesting for his willingness to release unfinished songs or alternate versions over the years, kindly digging into his treasure trove of abandoned work to the delight of his adoring fans. We've written about Bruce's "first drafts" several times in the past and while I'm not sure "Soul Driver" and "Sad Eyes" quite qualify for that type of comparison, they do share an identical pair of lyrics. As noted in the liner notes of Tracks, "Sad Eyes" is a cast off from the Human Touch album. Aside from the shared lyric, the songs tell the story of pursuit from two different approaches. In "Soul Driver" Bruce sings from the position of an active pursuer whereas in "Sad Eyes" he plays the more passive role, attracting his object of desire by playing hard to get. In both songs, the quoted lyric serves to convince the object of desire not to dwell on the negatives and be open to a love that supersedes life's problems.

Lyrics Spotlight - Streets of Philadelphia

"The night has fallen, I'm lyin' awake
I can feel myself fading away
So receive me brother with your faithless kiss
or will we leave each other alone like this
On the streets of Philadelphia"
--"Streets of Philadelphia", Greatest Hits

"Streets of Philadelphia" is one of the more controversial Springsteen songs, as Bruce tackles the issue of the AIDS epidemic, without ever mentioning the disease in question.  Furthermore, there doesn't seem to be a light at the end of the tunnel, as the song starts negative and goes further downhill by the end.  Fortunately, the same is not true when it comes to the disease in the real world, as scientists have recently cured a baby with HIV.  However, the secret behind the cure seems to be, frighteningly enough, bees.

That's right.  Bees.

Come on scienece, really?  Now, in the interest of full disclosure, I am not a scientist.  I attempt to read these articles, then my head hurts, then I close the window and move onto to posting about what I think I understood.  But, I think we can all agree that bees are still a menace to society.  I'd feel comfortable sharing a bottle of water with someone who had HIV, but if a bee comes anywhere within 15 feet of me I would freak out and flail my body to avoid its horrible sting.  Now you are saying bees might save thousands of lives?  I'm sorry, but this sounds like pro-bee propaganda.  Can we really trust these sticky flying monsters, especially after what they've done to Macaulay Culkin and Nicholas Cage?

Sure, curing a baby with HIV is an absolutely outstanding medical breakthrough that only an idiot would find fault in.  However, can't we find a better way to do it, preferably sans bees?

Lyrics Spotlight - American Land

"The McNicholas, the Posalski's, the Smiths, Zerillis, too
The Blacks, the Irish, Italians, the Germans and the Jews
Come across the water a thousand miles from home
With nothin in their bellies but the fire down below."
-- "American Land", Wrecking Ball

While this song spotlights the struggles and hopes of all immigrants, my mind immediately conjures up images of the 1880s Irish immigrants coming into New York City with nothing but their whiskey, potatoes, and shillelaghs.  Am I stereotyping?  Of course, but at least I've got the whole "I can make fun of my own people" thing going for me.  On that note, St. Patrick's Day is this weekend, and this song makes a perfect addition to any drinking playlist.   So have fun, stay safe, and make that beer flow through the faucets all night long.

(And just a side note, in regards to the lyrics spotlighted, so perhaps is shouldn't be a side note: is it just me, or does Bruce put a strange emphasis on "the Jews" when he sings this?  Perhaps he's just frustrated because everyone assumes he is Jewish based on his last name.)

Lyrics Spotlight: "Streets of Fire"

"I'm wandering, a loser down these tracks
I'm dying, but girl I can't go back"
"Streets of Fire", Darkness On The Edge Of Town

"Streets of Fire" is one of those songs that I always enjoyed, but I never really put it towards the top of my list of favorite Springsteen songs.  I think a major reason is that I don't really know what a street of fire is, much less many of them.  But it's definitely a great song, with great lyrics, and is incredibly powerful when sung live, albeit a rarity.

The above lyrics in particular caught my eye (ear) when listening to this song recently.  Bruce is singing about his pride and his refusal to admit failure.  This isn't necessarily a positive trait, but it can be.  I have no doubt Bruce is talking about the struggle that was putting out Darkness (Brilliantly covered in the documentary "The Promise".)  I'm sure at times Bruce was wondering is it even worth all this effort to put out this album.  But rather than admit defeat, he kept moving forward and put out not just one of his best albums, but one of the best rock n' roll albums ever.

Lyrics Spotlight: Easy Money

“And all them fat cats they just think it's funny
I'm going on the town now looking for easy money”
- Easy Money, Wrecking Ball

There have been quite a few headlines over the past week about U.S. Chairman Ben Bernanke defending the Federal Reserve’s ‘easy money’ policy. Now I don’t bring this up in the hope of starting a political debate. In truth, I barely understand what he’s talking about. But I do know one thing, seeing the headlines immediately gets me humming Springsteen’s “Easy Money.” Sadly, there isn’t a YouTube mash-up video of Bernanke set to Springsteen’s tune yet and I doubt they play the song when he enters Congress. So in the meantime, we'll just have to draw our own connections in our head.