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.

Springsteen Lyrics of the Week - 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 ridin' with me."
--"Sherry Darling", The River

Springsteen's sense of humor has been a topic of minor debate among the Legends of Springsteen editors.  On one hand, nearly every song of Springsteen's is full of lost souls who run away from dark places only to find more misery.  On the other hand, in concert, he'll take these songs and make them into joyous crowd sing-a-longs (see "Hungry Heart").  However, Bruce's more humorous side shines through in "Sherry Darling".  His silliest song to-date ironically appears on his third (or fourth) darkest album (I'd rank Nebraska and Darkness ahead of it; Wrecking Ball come close).  These lyrics highlight the exasperation we've all felt when arguing over nonsense - it always gets to a point where silence trumps any feeling of victory you'd get in winning an argument.