Bruce Springsteen – Devils & Dust

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  General Comment:It's about war in general but given the timing would think it's also about Iraq and all the ill effects of war - especially when a person or people justify invading a country and killing people by religion - God is on my side (this is also a reference to an anti-war song by Dylan "With God on our Side" about the Cold War with Russia.
  
  Got my finger on the trigger
  But I don't know who to trust (soldier trying to determine which people are terrorists and which are just civilians)
  I look into your eyes
  There's just devils and dust
  
  We're a long, long way from home, Bobby
  Homes a long long way from us (soldiers stationed overseas)
  I feel a dirty wind blowing (wind in the sandy deserts of the Middle East)
  Devils and dust
  
  I got God on my side (people always think their religion is righteous)
  I'm just trying to survive
  What if you do to survive kills the things you love
  Fears a powerful thing
  It can turn your heart black you can trust
  It'll take your God filled soul (fear will wipe out the good and instead fill the person with evil - which in this case is the devil)
  Fill it with devils and dust
  
  Now every woman and every man
  They want to take a righteous stand
  Find the love that God wills
  And the faith that He commands
  
  I've got my finger on the trigger
  And tonight faith just ain't enough (fear and hatred wipes out all faith)
  When I look inside my heart
  There's just devils and dust

  Flag mybluskyon April 10, 2013   Link

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  My Interpretation:ow yet another powerful message from the boss...
  while i think it's a easy and logical leap to suggest this is about war, it seems to be much deeper for me...
  i think it's about all of us and how we hold dear what our gut tells us whats right and wrong [ god vs, devil] and how we hold strong to our believes in the way we handle lifes situations but sometimes without realizing it we go a little further each time from our belief and then we look up to realize those lines in the sand have taken us away from our original gut feeling and we look in the mirror to wonder how we got here... relationships espicially fit this as we tend to hurt the the ones we love and after when its about to come to an end or we look back with a clearer perspective when it's over
  we ask our selves how did we get here and regret whats become of us as individuals...
  
  i think we can all relate to this

  Flag qaaaon February 15, 2011   Link

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• 0
  General Comment:I dunno, I hear those lyrics and the only thing I can think is "Old West gunslinger".

  Flag Letmeinon October 12, 2010   Link

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• +1
  General Comment:To me i think the songs about trying to convice yourself out of suicide
  
  He is litteraly this close to killing him self and is just reflecting on his past and what has got him to his low point in his life
  
  The begenning of the song when he says
  
  i look into your eye's theres just devils and dust
  
  To me i think that one line is about how when he sees his own reflection in someone elses lies all he's is what a horrible person hes become.

  Flag ajslikes2argueon May 22, 2008   Link

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  General Comment:Right on IndigoARoo, exactly, a song about what it must feel like to be a soldier in Iraq, and all the moral and fearful dilemnas he faces...
  and "faith aint...enough" meaning this war shouldn't be.
  
  Reminds me of the old saying, "Watch out you dont become the monster you are fighting against."

  Flag McJensenon October 15, 2007   Link

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  General Comment:I think the song is being sung from the perspective of an American soldier in Iraq. I guess it was because of this that I interpreted the, "I got God on my side", line as being more along the lines of an individual trusting that God will get them through everything safely as opposed to meaning it in a religious fanatic sense.

  Flag IndigoRooon December 02, 2006   Link

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  General Comment:bobby refers to bob dylan...and yeah joe2000 sucks balls....for lack of anything better to say

  Flag IHeartCoCaon August 03, 2006   Link

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• 0
  General Comment:never heard bruce but im downloading his albums

  Flag beyondimaginationon June 06, 2006   Link

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  General Comment:i got a question, who is this bobby guy he sings about? he's mentioned him in a couple of songs (like glory days) any ideas?? i love bruce!!!

  Flag gfunkon June 06, 2006   Link

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• -1
  General Comment:Joe2000 i hope you die of shin cancer. The fact that you said that its not working is kinda retarded. Since hes been around 30+ years. You dont last that long when you suck.

  Flag Governmentuser85on May 13, 2006   Link

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