The Essential Bruce Springsteen
Compilation - 12 novembre 2003 - Debaser id 86338

Madman drummers bummers
And Indians in the summer
With a teenage diplomat

In the dumps with the mumps
As the adolescent pumps
His way into his hat

With a boulder on my shoulder
Feelin' kinda older
I tripped the merry-go-round

With this very unpleasing
Sneezing and wheezing
The calliope crashed to the ground

Some all-hot half-shot
Was headin' for the hot spot
Snappin' his fingers, clappin' his hands

And some fleshpot mascot
Was tied into a lover's knot
With a whatnot in her hand

And now young Scott with a slingshot
Finally found a tender spot
And throws his lover in the sand

And some bloodshot forget-me-not
Whispers daddy's within earshot
Save the buckshot, turn up the band

And she was blinded by the light
Oh, cut loose like a deuce
Another runner in the night
Blinded by the light
She got down but she never got tight
But she'll make it all right

Some brimstone baritone
Anti-cyclone rolling stone
Preacher from the east

He says, "Dethrone the dictaphone
Hit it in its funny bone
That's where they expect it least"

And some new-mown chaperone
Standin' in the corner all alone
Watchin' the young girls dance

And some fresh-sown moonstone
Was messin' with his frozen zone
To remind him of the feeling of romance

Yeah, he was blinded by the light
Oh, cut loose like a deuce
Another runner in the night
Blinded by the light
He got down but he never got tight
But he's gonna make it tonight

Some silicone sister
With her manager's mister
Told me I got what it takes

She said I'll turn you on, sonny
To something strong
If you play that song with the funky break

And go-cart Mozart
Was checkin' out the weather chart
To see if it was safe to go outside

And little Early-Pearly
Came in by her curly-wurly
And asked me if I needed a ride

Oh, some hazard from Harvard
Was skunked on beer
Playin' backyard bombardier

Yes, and Scotland Yard
Was trying hard
They sent some dude with a calling card
He said, "Do what you like
But don't do it here"

Well I jumped up
Turned around, spit in the air
Fell on the ground
Asked him which was the way back home

He said take a right at the light
Keep goin' straight until night
And then boys, you're on your own

And now in Zanzibar
A shootin' star
Was ridin' in a side car
Hummin' a lunar tune

Yes, and the avatar
Said blow the bar
But first remove the cookie jar
We're gonna teach those boys to laugh too soon

And some kidnapped handicap
Was complainin' that he caught the clap
From some mousetrap he bought last night

Well, I unsnapped his skull cap
And between his ears I saw a gap
And figured he'd be all right

He was just blinded by the light
Cut loose like a deuce
Another runner in the night
Blinded by the light
Mama always told me not
To look into the sights of the sun

Crazy Janey and Her Mission Man were
back in the alley tradin hands
Long came Wild Billy with his friend
g-man all duded up for saturday night
Well Billy slammed on his coaster
brakes and said anybody wanna go up to Greasy Lake
It's about a mile down on the dark side of Route 88
I got a bottle of rose so lets try it
Well pick up Hazy Davy and Killer Joe
And I'll take you all out to where the
gypsy angels go
they're build like light
and they dance like spirits in the night
all night in the night all night
oh you dont know what the can do to you
spirit in the night
all night in the night all night
stand up right now and let them shoot through you

Well now wild young billy was a crazy cat
and shook some dust out of his coonskin cap
He said trust some of this it'll show
you where your at or at least it'll
help you really feel it
By the time we made it up to greasy lake
I had my head out the window
and Janey's fingers were in the cake
I think I really dug her because I was to loose to fake

I said I'm Hurt
She said honey let me heal it
and we danced all night to a soul fairy band
and she kissed right like only a
lonely angel can
She felt so nice just as soft as a spirit in the night
all night in the night all night
Janey you dont know what she do to you
spirit in the night
all night in the night all night
stand right up and let it shoot through me

Now the night was bright and the stars
threw light on Billy and Davy dancin
in the moonlight
They were down near the water
having a stoned mud fight
Killer Joe gone passed out on the lawn
Well now Hazy Davy got really hurt
he ran into the lake in just his socks and his shirt
Me and Crazy Janey was makin love in the dirt
singin our birthday song
Janey said it was time to go so
we closed our eyes and said goodbye
to gypsey angel row
felt so right
together we move like a spirit in the night
all night in the night all night

Sandy the fireworks are hailin' over Little Eden tonight
Forcin' a light into all those stoned-out faces left stranded on this Fourth of July
Down in town the circuit's full with switchblade lovers so fast so shiny so sharp
And the wizards play down on Pinball Way on the boardwalk way past dark
And the boys from the casino dance with their shirts open like Latin lovers along the shore
Chasin' all them silly New York girls

Sandy the aurora is risin' behind us
The pier lights our carnival life forever
Love me tonight for I may never see you again
Hey Sandy girl

Now the greasers they tramp the streets or get busted for trying to sleep on the beach all night
Them boys in their spiked high heels ah Sandy their skins are so white
And me I just got tired of hangin' in them dusty arcades bangin' them pleasure machines
Chasin' the factory girls underneath the boardwalk where they promise to unsnap their jeans
And you know that tilt-a-whirl down on the south beach drag
I got on it last night and my shirt got caught
And that Joey kept me spinnin' I didn't think I'd ever get off

Oh Sandy the aurora is risin' behind us
The pier lights our carnival life on the water
Runnin' down the beach at night with my boss's daughter
Well he ain't my boss no more Sandy

Sandy, the angels have lost our desire for us
I spoke to 'em just last night and they said they won't set themselves on fire for us anymore
Every summer when the weather gets hot they ride that road down from heaven on their Harleys they come and they go
And you can see 'em dressed like stars in all the cheap little seashore bars parked making love with their babies out on the Kokomo
Well the cops finally busted Madame Marie for tellin' fortunes better than they do
This boardwalk life for me is through
You know you ought to quit this scene too

Sandy the aurora's rising behind us, the pier lights our carnival life forever
Oh love me tonight and I promise I'll love you forever

Spread out now Rosie; Doctor come cut loose her mama's reins
You know playin' blind man's bluff is a little baby's game
You pick up Little Dynamite I'm gonna pick up Little Gun
And together we're gonna go out tonight and make that highway run
You don't have to call me lieutenant Rosie and I don't want to be your son
The only lover I'm ever gonna need's your soft sweet little girl's tongue and Rosie you're the one

Dynamite's in the belfry playin' with the bats
Little Gun's downtown in front of Woolworth's tryin' out his attitude on all the cats
Papa's on the corner waitin' for the bus
Mama she's home in the window waitin' up for us
She'll be there in that chair when they wrestle her upstairs `cause you know we ain't gonna come
I ain't here for business baby,
I'm only here for fun
And Rosie you're the one

Rosalita jump a little lighter,
Senorita come sit by my fire
I just want to be your lover ain't no liar,
Rosalita you're my stone desire

Jack the Rabbit and Weak Knees Willie you know they're gonna be there
Ah Sloppy Sue and Big Bones Billie they'll be comin' up for air
We're gonna play some pool, skip some school, act real cool,
Stay out all night, it's gonna feel alright
So Rosie come out tonight, Oh baby come out tonight
Windows are for cheaters chimneys for the poor
Closets are for hangers winners use the door
So use it Rosie, that's what it's there for

Rosalita jump a little...

Now I know your mama she don't like me 'cause I play in a rock and roll band
And I know your daddy he don't dig me but he never did understand
Your papa lowered the boom he locked you in your room
I'm comin' to lend a hand
I'm comin' to liberate you, confiscate you, I want to be your man
Someday we'll look back on this and it will all seem funny
But now you're sad, your mama's mad
And your papa says he knows that I don't have any money
(Oh your papa says he knows that I don't have any money)
(Oh so your daddy says he knows I don't have any money)
Well tell him this is last chance to get his daughter in a fine romance
Because a record company Rosie just gave me a big advance

And my tires were slashed and I almost crashed but the Lord had mercy
And my machine she's a dud out stuck in the mud somewhere in the swamps of Jersey
Well, hold on tight, stay up all night `cause Rosie I'm comin' on strong
By the time we meet the morning light I will hold you in my arms
I know a pretty little place in Southern California down San Diego way
There's a little cafe where they play guitars all night and all day
You can hear them in the back room strummin'
So hold tight baby `cause don't you know daddy's comin'

Rosalita jump a little...

The screen door slams
Mary's dress waves
Like a vision she dances across the porch
As the radio plays
Roy Orbison singing for the lonely
Hey that's me and I want you only
Don't turn me home again
I just can't face myself alone again
Don't run back inside
Darling you know just what I'm here for
So you're scared and you're thinking
That maybe we ain't that young anymore
Show a little faith, there's magic in the night
You ain't a beauty but, hey, you're alright
Oh and that's alright with me

You can hide `neath your covers
And study your pain
Make crosses from your lovers
Throw roses in the rain
Waste your summer praying in vain
For a savior to rise from these streets
Well, now I'm no hero
That's understood
All the redemption I can offer, girl
Is beneath this dirty hood
With a chance to make it good somehow
Hey what else can we do now?
Except roll down the window
And let the wind blow
Back your hair
Well the night's busting open
These two lanes will take us anywhere
We got one last chance to make it real
To trade in these wings on some wheels
Climb in back
Heaven's waiting down on the tracks
Oh-oh come take my hand
Riding out tonight to case the promised land
Oh-oh-oh Thunder Road, oh Thunder Road, oh Thunder Road
Lying out there like a killer in the sun
Hey, I know it's late, we can make it if we run
Oh-oh-oh-oh Thunder Road, sit tight, take hold
Thunder Road

Well I got this guitar
And I've learned how to make it talk
And my car's out back
If you're ready to take that long walk
From your front porch to my front seat
The door's open but the ride it ain't free
And I know you're lonely
For words that I ain't spoken
But tonight we'll be free
All the promises'll be broken
There were ghosts in the eyes
Of all the boys you sent away
They haunt this dusty beach road
In the skeleton frames of burned out Chevrolets
They scream your name at night in the street
Your graduation gown lies in rags at their feet
And in the lonely cool before dawn
You hear their engines roaring on
But when you get to the porch they're gone
On the wind, so Mary climb in
It's a town full of losers
And I'm pulling out of here to win

In the day we sweat it out on the streets of a runaway American dream
At night we ride through the mansions of glory in suicide machines
Sprung from cages out on highway nine,
Chrome wheeled, fuel injected, and steppin' out over the line
H-Oh, Baby this town rips the bones from your back
It's a death trap, it's a suicide rap
We gotta get out while we're young
`Cause tramps like us, baby we were born to run
Yes, girl we were
Wendy let me in I wanna be your friend
I want to guard your dreams and visions
Just wrap your legs 'round these velvet rims
And strap your hands 'cross my engines
Together we could break this trap
We'll run till we drop, baby we'll never go back
H-Oh, Will you walk with me out on the wire
`Cause baby I'm just a scared and lonely rider
But I gotta know how it feels
I want to know if love is wild
Babe I want to know if love is real
Oh, can you show me
Beyond the Palace hemi-powered drones scream down the boulevard
Girls comb their hair in rearview mirrors
And the boys try to look so hard
The amusement park rises bold and stark
Kids are huddled on the beach in a mist
I wanna die with you Wendy on the street tonight
In an everlasting kiss
One, two, three, four
The highway's jammed with broken heroes on a last chance power drive
Everybody's out on the run tonight
But there's no place left to hide
Together Wendy we can live with the sadness
I'll love you with all the madness in my soul
H-Oh, Someday girl I don't know when
We're gonna get to that place
Where we really wanna go
And we'll walk in the sun
But till then tramps like us
Baby we were born to run
Oh honey, tramps like us
Baby we were born to run
Come on with me, tramps like us
Baby we were born to run

The Rangers had a homecoming
In Harlem late last night
And the Magic Rat drove his sleek machine
Over the Jersey State line
Barefoot girl sittin' on the hood of a Dodge
Drinking warm beer in the soft summer rain
The Rat pulls into town rolls up his pants
Together they take a stab at romance
And disappear down Flamingo Lane

Well the Maximum Lawmen run down Flamingo
Chasing the Rat and the Barefoot Girl
And the kids round here look just like shadows
Always quiet, holdin' hands
From the churches to the jails
Tonight all is silence in the world
As we take our stand
Down in Jungleland

The midnight gang's assembled
And picked a renedzvous for the night
They'll meet me 'neath that giant Exxon sign
That brings this fair city light
Man there's an opera out on the Turnpike
There's a ballet being fought out in the alley
Until the local cops
Cherry tops
Rips this holy night
The street's alive
As secret debts are paid
Contacts made, they vanish unseen
Kids flash guitars just like switch-blades
Hustlin' for the record machine
The hungry and the hunted
Explode into rock'n'roll bands
That face off against each other out in the street
Down in Jungleland

In the parking lot the visionaries
Dress in the latest rage
Inside the backstreet girls are dancin'
To the records that the DJ plays
Lonely-hearted lovers
Struggle in dark corners
Desperate as the night moves on
Just one look
And a whisper, and they're gone

Beneath the city two hearts beat
Soul engines runnin' through a night so tender
In a bedroom locked
In whispers of soft refusal
And then surrender
In the tunnels uptown
The Rat's own dream guns him down
As shots echo down them hallways in the night
No one watches as the ambulance pulls away
Or as the girl shuts out the bedroom light

Outside the street's on fire
In a real death waltz
Between what's flesh and what's fantasy
And the poets down here
Don't write nothin' at all
They just stand back and let it all be
And in the quick of a knife
They reach for their moment
And try to make an honest stand
But they wind up wounded
And not even dead
Tonight in Jungleland

Lights out tonight
trouble in the heartland
Got a head-on collision
smashin' in my guts, man
I'm caught in a cross fire
that I don't understand
But there's one thing I know for sure girl
I don't give a damn
For the same old played out scenes
I don't give a damn
For just the in betweens
Honey, I want the heart, I want the soul
I want control right now
you better listen to me baby
talk about a dream
Try to make it real
you wake up in the night
With a fear so real
Spend your life waiting
for a moment that just don't come
Well, don't waste your time waiting

(Chorus)
Badlands, you gotta live it everyday
Let the broken hearts stand
As the price you've gotta pay
We'll keep pushin' till it's understood
and these badlands start treating us good

Workin' in the fields
till you get your back burned
Workin' `neath the wheel
till you get your facts learned
Baby I got my facts
learned real good right now
You better get it straight darling
Poor man wanna be rich,
rich man wanna be king
And a king ain't satisfied
till he rules everything
I wanna go out tonight,
I wanna find out what I got

I believe in the love that you gave me
I believe in the faith that could save me
I believe in the hope
and I pray that some day
It may raise me above these

(Chorus)

mmmmmmmm, mmmmm, mmmmmm

For the ones who had a notion,
a notion deep inside
That it ain't no sin
to be glad you're alive
I wanna find one face
that ain't looking through me
I wanna find one place,
I wanna spit in the face of these badlands

They're still racing out at the Trestles
But that blood it never burned in her veins
Now I hear she's got a house up in Fairview
And a style she's trying to maintain
Well if she wants to see me
You can tell her that I'm easily found
Tell her there's a spot out 'neath Abram's Bridge
And tell her there's a darkness on the edge of town

Everybody's got a secret, Sonny
Something that they just can't face
Some folks spend their whole lives trying to keep it
They carry it with them every step that they take
'Till some day they just cut it loose
Cut it loose or let it drag 'em down
Where no one asks any questions
Or looks too long in your face
In the darkness on the edge of town

Some folks are born into a good life
Other folks get it anyway anyhow
I lost my money and I lost my wife
Them things don't seem to matter much to me now
Tonight I'll be on that hill 'cause I can't stop
I'll be on that hill with everything I got
Lives on the line where dreams are found and lost
I'll be there on time and I'll pay the cost
For wanting things that can only be found
In the darkness on the edge of town

I come from down in the valley
Where mister when you're young
They bring you up to do like your daddy done
Me and Mary we met in high school
When she was just seventeen
We'd drive out of this valley down to where the fields were green

We'd go down to the river
And into the river we'd dive
Oh down to the river we'd ride

Then I got Mary pregnant
And man that was all she wrote
And for my nineteenth birthday I got a union card and a wedding coat
We went down to the courthouse
And the judge put it all to rest
No wedding day smiles, no walk down the aisle
No flowers no, wedding dress

That night we went down to the river
And into the river we'd dive
Oh down to the river we'd ride

I got a job working construction for the Johnstown Company
But lately there ain't been much work on account of the economy
Now all them things that seemed so important
Well mister they vanished right into the air
Now I just act like I don't remember
Mary acts like she don't care

But I remember us riding in my brother's car
Her body tanned and wet down at the reservoir
At night on them banks I'd lie awake
And pull her close just to feel each breath she'd take
Now those memories come back to haunt me
They haunt me like a curse
Is a dream a lie if it don't come true
Or is it something worse
That sends me down to the river
Though I know the river is dry
That sends me down to the river tonight

Down to the river
My baby and I
Oh down to the river we ride

Got a wife and kids in Baltimore, Jack
I went out for a ride and I never went back
Like a river that don't know where it's flowing
I took a wrong turn and I just kept going

Everybody's got a hungry heart
Everybody's got a hungry heart
Lay down your money and you play your part
Everybody's got a hungry heart

I met her in a Kingstown bar
We fell in love I knew it had to end
We took what we had and we ripped it apart
Now here I am down in Kingstown again

Everybody's got a hungry heart...

Everybody needs a place to rest
Everybody wants to have a home
Don't make no difference what nobody says
Ain't nobody like to be alone

Everybody's got a hungry heart...

I saw her standin' on her front lawn just twirlin' her baton
Me and her went for a ride sir and ten innocent people died

From the town of Lincoln Nebraska with a sawed off .410 on my lap
Through to the badlands of Wyoming I killed everything in my path

I can't say that I'm sorry for the things that we done
At least for a little while sir me and her we had us some fun

The jury brought in a guilty verdict and the judge he sentenced me to death
Midnight in a prison storeroom with leather straps across my chest

Sheriff when the man pulls that switch sir and snaps my poor head back
You make sure my pretty baby is sittin' right there on my lap

They declared me unfit to live said into that great void my soul'd be hurled
They wanted to know why I did what I did
Well sir I guess there's just a meanness in this world

Well they blew up the chicken man in Philly last night
Now they blew up his house too
Down on the boardwalk they're getting ready for a fight
Gonna see what them racket boys can do

Now there's trouble busin' in from outta state
And the D.A. can't get no relief
Gonna be a rumble out on the promenade
And the gambling commission's hangin' on by the skin of its teeth

Everything dies baby that's a fact
But maybe everything that dies someday comes back
Put your makeup on fix your hair up pretty
And meet me tonight in Atlantic City

Well I got a job and tried to put my money away
But I got debts that no honest man can pay
So I drew what I had from the Central Trust
And I bought us two tickets on that Coast City bus

Everything dies baby that's a fact
But maybe everything that dies someday comes back
Put your makeup on fix your hair up pretty
and meet me tonight in Atlantic City

Now our luck may have died and our love may be cold
but with you forever I'll stay
We're going out where the sand's turning to gold
so put on your stockings 'cause the night's getting cold
and everything dies Baby that's a fact,
But maybe everything that dies someday comes back

Now I been looking for a job but it's hard to find
Down here it's just winners and losers
and don't get caught on the wrong side of that line
Well I'm tired of coming out on the losin' end
So honey last night I met this guy
and I'm gonna do a little favour for him

Well I guess everything dies baby that's a fact
But maybe everything that dies someday comes back
Put your hair up nice fix yourself up pretty
and meet me tonight in Atlantic City