submissions
| Bruce Springsteen – I'll Work For Your Love Lyrics
| 10 years ago
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Bruce refers to himself as a runaway, run far, far away Catholic but "You can take the boy out of the Catholic church, but can't take the Catholic out of the boy". His music is full of imagery...the Rising, Jesus Was an Only Son, Living Proof, Blood Brothers, on and on. In fact, there will be a class at Rutgers taught by a Rabbi in the spring that deals with the religious imagery, particularly the Old Testament, in his lyrics. He claimed, when asked during the Q an A of the Storytellers performance to have "Three Pagan babies' and has only been in church for weddings and funerals (with the exception of a few times following 9.11). He claims to be "spiritual" but not committed to a particular denomination, but brings the only theology he has been exposed to, into his work sometimes without wanting to. He is a voracious reader and was influenced heavily by Catholic Flannery O Connor..the whole Nebraska album is a direct influence...the meanness of the world, the consequences of sin and such. It has been noted that he spoke of this on his tours as being a love song. |
submissions
| Bruce Springsteen – The Rising Lyrics
| 10 years ago
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Actually, "My City of Ruins" was written for Asbury Park...a benefit held to help due to the decline. He wrote it before The Rising songs. Ted Koppel interviewed him shortly before they took off on the Rising tour. He had one of his many famous notebooks in which he writes his songs. Bruce showed him and he said, "I only had 17 and we took 14...one was already written". He said he usually has 3 or 4 notebooks of songs. TIME had an article about the album and he mentioned that when he writes, he "soul mines", digs deep. He started looking at the obits of the first responders and was moved to see many said, "Life long boss fan" or that Thunder Road was played at the funeral. After some time passed, he called first responders who'd been in the towers to learn what they saw, heard, smelled, felt. Thus, "The Rising", "Into the Fire" and "Nothing Man'. He called a few widows..."You're Missing", "Mary's Place" and a few others came from that. |
submissions
| Manfred Mann – Blinded by the Light Lyrics
| 11 years ago
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And, on the VHI DVD, Bruce says, "It's a good example of WHY I never took drugs...Imagine what it would be if I HAD". He mentions how people think it is "rolled up like a dueche" and that is why it became popular...reference to female hygiene. |
submissions
| Bruce Springsteen – You're Missing Lyrics
| 11 years ago
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I really think, with the reference of some many things, that it's about life going on after losing someone..."everything is everything" after naming the everyday things (coats in the closet), etc.. When I see the sunrise, you're missing...it is a matter of EVERY DAY and trying to move on. |
submissions
| Bruce Springsteen – Radio Nowhere Lyrics
| 11 years ago
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Gotta love how it starts with "Is there anybody alive out there?"....love how he includes that because if you've EVER been lucky enough to see him live, he always tosses that line out to the audience...has been doing it for 30 years at least. Sense of humor...yep. |
submissions
| Bruce Springsteen – Thunder Road Lyrics
| 11 years ago
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Clarify...he said Blinded was a good reason HE never took drugs...said, "can you imagine what the lyrics would have been if I HAD taken them?" So funny, so self-deprecating... |
submissions
| Bruce Springsteen – Thunder Road Lyrics
| 11 years ago
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I recently watched Bruce's "Storytellers" DVD from 2005. He plays and explains 8 songs...Blinded by the Light...(a good example of why I never took drugs), The Rising, Devils and Dust...etc. . Intimate setting, just him (except with Patti on "Brilliant Disguise") acoustic, harmonica and piano. He says of the line: "You're scared and you're thinking we ain't that young anymore:...this was written in 1974, 2 yrs after the Vietnam War. NO ONE was ever that young anymore after that". Man, he hits so many head of thousand nails with almost every lyric, every bit of poetry he writes. He is so very insightful it's almost unbelievable. |
submissions
| Bruce Springsteen – Jesus Was an Only Son Lyrics
| 11 years ago
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watch STORYTELLERS SPRINGSTEEN DVD...this is one of the 8 songs he sings and goes thru verse by verse. It is what he was trying to capture...the love bt a mother/parent and a child. Wrote it not long after his first son was born. He is, as he calls himself, "A runaway Catholic with 3 pagan babies at home" yet, "You can't really take the Catholic out of someone"...imagery and such comes out. BEautiful song any which way you look at it. |
submissions
| Bruce Springsteen – The Rising Lyrics
| 11 years ago
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I just watched the DVD "Springsteen Storytellers" in which he is by himself...acoustic guitar or piano/harmonica with a small audience (does a question and answer session which is GREAT...so personable, funny, self-deprecating and deep). The Rising has NOTHING to do with firefighters...it is about everyone, dealing with struggles, life, etc... Take it from the man. |
submissions
| Bruce Springsteen – The Rising Lyrics
| 11 years ago
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I just really, really struggle to believe that suh an upbeat tempo could belong to a song about firefighters climbing to their deaths. It is more of a RISING of America after the tragedy...can't see nothing...we aren't sure, but we are forging on... |
submissions
| Bruce Springsteen – Independence Day Lyrics
| 11 years ago
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Not at all the same if you know about his relationship with his father. growin up is his version of his distaste for all things...CAtholic school (When they said sit down, I STOOD UP!, etc), CATHOLIC period, society, etc... He survived, came out with his soul untouched. With Indpendence, he is declaring that he is "done" with the life of battling, screaming fights, disagreements with his father...he is moving on but it is so hard. They are too much the same. Good to know they later reconciled. 30 yrs of therapy to get to "peace" with this for him. However, he credits his rocky relationship with being fodder for much of his writing...such as this, Factory, Adam Raised a Cain and such. |
submissions
| Bruce Springsteen – Independence Day Lyrics
| 11 years ago
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Bruce's tumultous relationship with his father is very well known. He speaks about, writes about it and even says he is "thankful" for it for without it, he wouldn't have much to write about. It tormented him so much, that he started therapy in 1982. HIs father was most likely bipolar, an alocholic (Bruce speaks of having to go get him from bars as a kid) known to beat Bruce, rip the phone from the wall, etc... Never able to keep a job, tormented and living in the shadow of his sister who was killed at 5...took so much out on Bruce, his long hair, quest to be different. Bruce says, In my house, 2 things were unpopular...me and my guitar. Their relationship improved with separation and his success and his father had a stroke later that improved his personality. They reconciled before he died. Bruce admits to inheriting his DNA...he takes anit-depressants and said it is the best thing he ever did for himself. HIs raging, 4 hr concerts in the 80s were to drive the demons out ofh is head for awhile..those started in childhood. He is a deeply complex man who writes from the heart and yet has a goofy side, too.. HIlarious on stage at times, he can turn on a dime and get dead serious like this. WE are all the better for his gift. |
submissions
| Bruce Springsteen – The Rising Lyrics
| 11 years ago
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It just seems so strange and out of sync that it is so upbeat...like this peppy music...I'm climbing to my death! Yes< I get tot see Mary, if I'm cAtholic, or whatever...it's like it is a celebration. Yes, we HONOR them for what they did, but this makes is seem...I dunno....something... |
submissions
| Bruce Springsteen – My Father's House Lyrics
| 11 years ago
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Yes, he had an incredibly tumultous relationship with his Dad and has often said that if he hadn't, he "wouldn't have had anything to write about". They reconciled yrs before he died. Bruce realizes now, as a father, that his Dad battled him/rode him so hard about choosing music because it wasn't a secure future and he, himself, failed at everything and his wife supported them. If you doubt the meaning and think it has religious overtones, watch it live/acoustic on youtube. Bruce rejected his CAtholicism early on, but some of his work has religious overtones. Jesus Was an Only Son came about when his first son EVAN, was born, and he realized how excruciating it was for Mary to watch Jesus. He doesn't go much further than that, though. |
submissions
| Bruce Springsteen – The Rising Lyrics
| 12 years ago
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I dunno....with something so very serious....the job they had to do and what happened...such an upbeat sounding song...too much hope in the end...speaks of resolution, facing forward, helping each other, not the first responders going to their possible deaths |
submissions
| Bruce Springsteen – The Rising Lyrics
| 12 years ago
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From everything I've read about Bruce (a lot), he was raised as a Catholic but rejected Catholicism a long time ago...he claims it is oppresive and extremely judgmental...Bruce is for the every day man trying to rise above his circumstances. His mention of Mary is not one relating to the Catholic focus on the virgin..."she" comes up in many songs. He says he uses Mary because it is an everyday female name...common. How do you explain "Mary dances across the porch as the radio plays" in Thunder Road or "Meet Me at Mary's Place...(we're gonna have a party)...meet me in Heaven, perhaps???? Or, of course,the River..."I got Mary pregnant..."
No, I am not an atheist or agnostic because I don't believe these things...just know what I've read about him... |
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