Cynthia
Cynthia, when you come walkin' by you're an inspiring sight Cynthia, you won't smile or say hi but baby that's alright 'Cause I don't need to hold you or taste your kiss I just like knowin', Cynthia, you exist In a world like this Cynthia, when you pass it seems like this whole town drops Cynthia, or maybe it s just me, baby, and these fools stuck here punchin' this clock Well you give us a reason to stop just for a while Stop, stand and salute your style Well now you ain't the finest thing I'll never have And when you go the hurt you leave, baby, it ain't so bad There ain't a man in this whole town who'd say you ain't fine You hear the guys talkin', tell me baby do you mind Well you make us happy, honey, when we feel sad To see something so good in a world gone bad There's still Cynthia Cynthia, no one knows your number, no one knows where you live Cynthia, I wonder do you understand this strange thing you give Well baby is it your style, the mystery in your smile Or just how cool you walk in a world gone wild Tell me if you will, Cynthia Well I gotta be pretty naive to believe in you I know you ain't ever gonna be my dream come true That's alright, I got other dreams as good as you, Cynthia Yeah now baby, now this ain't no come-on Just walk on, Cynthia, walk on You make me holler, yeah, yeah, alright I said yeah, yeah, alright Well she's a yeah, yeah, alright I said yeah, yeah, alrightMy Love Will Not Let You Down
At night I go to bed but I just can't sleep I got something running around my head That just won't keep In the silence I hear my heart beating, time slippin' away I got a time bomb ticking deep inside of me I gotta tell you what I wanna say I keep searching for you, darling Searching everywhere I go And when I find you there's gonna be Just one thing you gotta know My love will not let you down My love will not let you down At night I walk the streets looking for romance But I always end up stumbling in a half-trance I search for connection in some new eyes But they're hard for protection from too many dreams passed by I see you standing across the room watching me without a sound Well I'm gonna push my way through that crowd, I'm gonna tear all your walls down Tear all your walls down My love will not let you down My love will not let you down Well hold still now darling, hold still for God's sake 'Cause I got me a promise I ain't afraid to make My love will not let you down My love will not let you downThis Hard Land
Hey there mister can you tell me What happened to the seeds I've sown Can you give me a reason, sir, as to why they've never grown They've just blown around from town to town Back out on these fields Where they fall from my hand Back into the dirt of this hard land Well me and my sister From Germantown we did ride And we made our bed, sir From the rock on the mountainside We been blowin' around from town to town Lookin' for a place to land Where the sun could break through the clouds and fall like a circle A circle of fire down on this hard land Now even the rain it don't come 'round Don't come 'round here no more And the only sound at night's the wind Slammin' that back porch door Yeah it stirs you up like it wants to just blow you down Twistin' and churnin' up the sand Leavin' all them scarecrows lyin' facedown In the dirt of this hard land From a building up on the hill I hear a tape deck blastin' "Home on the Range" And I can hear them Bar-M choppers Sweepin' low across the plains And it's me and you, Frank, we're lookin' for lost cattle Our hooves twistin' and churnin' up the sand We're ridin' in the whirlwind searchin' for a treasure Way down south of the Rio Grande We're ridin' 'cross that river in the moonlight Up onto the banks of this hard land Hey, Frank, won't you pack your bags And meet me tonight down at Liberty Hall Just one kiss from you, my brother And we'll ride until we fall We'll sleep out in the fields We'll sleep by the rivers And in the morning we'll make a plan Well if you can't make it stay hard, stay hungry, stay alive if you can And meet me in a dream of this hard landFrankie
Dark weekends in the sun out on Chelsea Road Descending the stairs, Frankie, my one Check your makeup in the mirror, c'mon babe let's go We'll dance 'round this dirty town till the night is all done Let all the finer things sleep alone tonight Let all the minor kings lose their thrones tonight Don t worry about us, baby, we'll be alright Well everybody's dying, this town's closing down Their all sittin' down at the courthouse waiting for 'em to take the flag down I see strange flashes in the sky up above Gonna spend the night at the drive-in with the one that I love At dusk the stars all appear on the screen Yeah, just like they do each night in my dreams But tonight's no dream, Frankie, I can feel myself too Well now and forever my love is for you Walk softly tonight, little stranger Yeah into these shadows we're passing through Talk softly tonight, little angel You make all my dream worlds come true Well lately I've been standing out in the freezing rain Readin' them want ads out on Chelsea Road I'm winging down the street in search of new games Hustling through these nightlights' diamond glow Well Frankie I don't know what I m gonna find Maybe nothing at all, maybe a world I can call mine Shining like these streetlights down here on the strand Bright as the rain in the palm of your hand Walk softly tonight, little stranger Into these shadows where lovers go Talk softly to me, little angel Whisper your secrets so soft and lowTV Movie
I woke up last night shaking from a dream For in that dream I died My wife rolled over and told me That my life would be immortalized Not in some major motion picture Or great American novel, you see No, they're gonna make a TV movie out of me CHORUS: Well now, it's one two three you take the money Yeah it's as easy as A B C Yeah they're gonna make a TV movie out of me Well they can change my name or they can leave it They can change my story too Or they can make me black or Chinese And do things that I never did do They're gonna give my life a whole new ending And put me in prime time first-run And when it's over, what I did there will be what I done Now I don't want my name in a history book Nobody's ever gonna see No, they're gonna make a TV movie out of me (CHORUS) Well I'm a shoe-in for a sponsor Goodyear blimp and radial wheels Somebody had a meeting somewhere Somehow somebody made a deal Well I was one of them kinds of stories That everybody liked to see Yeah they're gonna make a TV movie out of me Now I don't want no inscription on my gravestone No long soliloquy No they're gonna make a TV movie out of me (CHORUS)Stand On It
Well Jimmy Lee was hookin' 'round the far turn of a funky southern Florida dirt track He had mud caked on his goggles and a screamin' 350 stacked up on his back Well as he passed the stands he was feelin' all tuckered out When through the roar of his engine he heard somebody shout "Stand on it, come on boy, stand on it" Mary Beth started to drift, she hit the shift but she just couldn't get a hand on it Racin' some Red Hill boys, she had the deed to the ranch and a grand on it With eight grand blowin' hot on the red line She blew past a hitchhiker out on Route 39 He hollered "Stand on it, go 'head, baby, stand on it" CHORUS: Well now when in doubt and you can't figure it out Just stand on it If your mind's confused, you don't know what you're gonna do Well buddy, stand on it Well if you've lost control of the situation at hand Go grab a girl and go see a rock and roll band And stand on it Come on man, stand on it Well now Columbus he discovered America even though he hadn't planned on it He got lost and woke up one morning when he's about to land on it He wouldn't of got out of Italy, man that's for sure Without Queen Isabella standing on the shore Shoutin' "Stand on it, go ahead man, stand on it" (CHORUS) Bobby was leadin' the pack, he settled back and he got ready for the long haul Well fifty yards from the finish line somebody roared up and they blew him into the wall Well he rolled over twice, lucky to survive Layin' in the back of the ambulance more dead than alive Somebody shouted "Man, you call that drivin'? Why didn't you stand on it"Lion's Den
You broke my heart, tore it apart Thought it was cute, thought it was smart But now I'm back and I've got the strength of ten So I got a message for you my friend CHORUS: I'm Daniel waitin' in the lion's den Daniel waitin' for that lion to come Daniel waitin' in the lion's den Dum dum dee dum dum dee dee dum dum That old lion's mean and long in the tooth And like you, baby, he's out on the loose Messin' hearts up time and time again Well it's time for that messin' to end (CHORUS) At night I hear you out prowling around Tearing guys up, scaring 'em down Now all that growling's gonna come to no end 'Cause I m just biding my time, my little friend (CHORUS)Car Wash
Well my name is Catherine LeFevre I work at the Astrowash on Sunset and Vine I drop my kids at school in the morning And I pick them up at Mary's just 'fore suppertime CHORUS: Well I work down at the car wash For a dollar and a dime And mister, I hate my boss It's at the car wash I'm doing my time Pick up my water bottle and my towel, sir And I take 'em one by one From Mercedes to VWs I do 'em all and I don't favor none (CHORUS) Well someday I'll sing in a night club I'll get a million-dollar break A handsome man will come here with a contract in his hand And say "Catherine, this has all been some mistake" (CHORUS)Rockaway The Days
Billy got out of prison but he wasn't right Some like to drink or gamble, Billy liked to fight He tracked back to his home state of Maryland Went to his mom's mobile home where she took him in, alright CHORUS: Rockaway the days, rockaway the nights Gimme something to last me, baby, till the morning light I ain't lookin' for trouble, I ain't looking for a fight Honey rockaway these days, rockaway these nights Well at a picnic one Sunday Billy met Mary Dove Mary looked at Billy, Billy fell in love Billy swore to Mary he'd always love her so They were married in the valley where the river flows, alright (CHORUS) At a roadside bar Billy argued with a young man And he settled that argument with a razor in his hand With blood on his shirt back to Mary he did run She sighed "Billy, oh Billy, what have you done?" He ran to his ma's trailer but the lights were dim He pounded on the door, she wouldn't let him in Up the road to a neighbor's house he drew near They said "Billy go away, we don't want no trouble 'round here" Billy stole a car and headed out on the road Pocketful of pills and his brain on overload Seen some lights in his rearview mirror, panicked and gave her the gun Wrapped himself 'round a telephone pole way out on 101 Well Billy got cut out by the highway patrol Just lay there with the cars passing on slow Sheriff told Billy's ma that Billy died She buried his body by the riverside, alright (CHORUS) Well rich man want the power and the seat on the top Poor man want the money that the rich man got Honey tonight I'm feeling so tired and unsure Come on in Mary, shut the light, close the door (CHORUS)Brothers Under The Bridges ('83)
Every spring when the weather gets warm They come pourin' into town straight off of them farms Driving 455s running hard and strong They'd scratch built in them tool sheds all winter long 'Neath the trestles drinkin' the beer and the wine Now some came to run, some just to pass the time With the brothers under the bridges Me and Tommy we was just fourteen, didn't have our licenses yet Our walls were covered with pictures of cars we'd get We'd listen and wait for that highway to rumble and quake As they drove in through town when the weekend'd break Bringin' girls with that distant look in their eyes Now together 'neath the trestles they'd be laughing in the night With the brothers under the bridges Well me and my brother'd hitched a ride in Joey's pickup to the edge of town And we watched from the tall grass as the challenges were made and the duels went down We'd hitchhike back home, sneak in, get in bed before our mom'd come And we'd lay there in the night talkin' about how we might someday be one Yeah someday run with the brothers under the bridges Well now I hear a cry in the distance and the sound of marching feet come and gone Well I'm sittin down here by this highway figuring, figuring just where I belong Tonight up here on Signal Hill I watch a young man in a red shirt walking through a night so still Put his jacket 'round his girl as the autumn wind sends a chill Through the brothers under the bridgesMan At The Top
Here comes a fireman, here comes a cop Here comes a wrench, here comes a car hop Been going on forever, it ain't ever gonna stop Everybody wants to be the man at the top CHORUS: Everybody wants to be the man at the top Everybody wants to be the man at the top Aim your gun, son, and shoot your shot Everybody wants to be the man at the top Rich man, poor man, beggar man, thief Doctor, lawyer, Indian chief One thing in common they all got Everybody wants to be the man at the top (CHORUS) Man at the top says its lonely up there If it is, man, I don't care From the big white house to the parking lot Everybody wants to be the man at the top Here comes a banker, here comes a businessman Here comes a kid with a guitar in his hand Dreaming of his record in the number-one spot Everybody wants to be the man at the top (CHORUS)Pink Cadillac
You may think I'm foolish For the foolish things I do You may wonder how come I love you When you get on my nerves like you do Well baby you know you bug me There ain't no secret 'bout that Well come on over here and hug me Baby I'll spill the facts Well honey it ain't your money 'Cause baby I got plenty of that I love you for your pink Cadillac Crushed velvet seats Riding in the back Oozing down the street Waving to the girls Feeling out of sight Spending all my money On a Saturday night Honey I just wonder what you do there in the back Of your pink Cadillac Pink Cadillac Well now way back in the Bible Temptations always come along There's always somebody tempting Somebody into doing something they know is wrong Well they tempt you, man, with silver And they tempt you, sir, with gold And they tempt you with the pleasure That the flesh does surely hold They say Eve tempted Adam with an apple But man I ain't going for that I know it was her pink Cadillac Crushed velvet seats Riding in the back Oozing down the street Waving to the girls Feeling out of sight Spending all my money On a Saturday night Honey I just wonder what it feels like in the back Of your pink Cadillac Now some folks say it's too big And uses too much gas Some folks say it's too old And that it goes too fast But my love is bigger than a Honda It's bigger than a Subaru Hey man there's only one thing And one car that will do Anyway we don't have to drive it Honey we can park it out in back And have a party in your pink CadillacTwo For The Road
It's one for the money and one for the show I got one kiss for you honey so come on let's go I didn't see it coming but girl now I know It takes one for the running but two for the road One thousand dreams whispered in the dark But a dream's just a dream in one empty heart It takes more than one to rev it up and go So let's get it running, we're two for the road Two one-way tickets and a diamond ring Hell it don't matter what the rain might bring When this world treats you hard and cold I'll stand beside you, we're two for the road When you're alone my love'll shine the light Through the dark and starless night I'll hold you close and never let you go C'mon now girl 'cause we're two for the road Well it's two to get ready, babe, c'mon let's go Me and you, girl, we're two for the roadJaney Don't You Lose Haeart
You got your book with all your fears Let me, honey, and I'll catch your tears I'll take your sorrow if you want me to Come tomorrow that's what I'll do Listen to me CHORUS: Janey don't you lose heart Janey don't you lose heart Janey don't you lose heart Janey don't you lose heart Well you say you got no new dreams to touch You feel like a stranger who knows too much Well you come home late and get undressed You lie in bed, feel this emptiness Well listen to me (CHORUS) Till every river runs dry Until the sun honey's torn from the sky Till every fear you've felt burst free And's gone tumblin' down into the sea Listen to me (CHORUS)When You Need Me
When you need me call my name 'Cause without you my life just wouldn't be the same If you want me come sunny skies or rain When you need me just call my name If you miss me, I'll be there To brush the sunlight from your hair I'll be there to guide you when trouble walks beside you If you need me I'll be there And when this dirty world has been cold to you I got two strong arms waitin' to hold you And when those mean days come along We'll stand together and we'll take 'em on So if you need me just call my name When you need me call my name 'Cause without you my life just isn't the same 'Cause when this world kicked me around You picked me up off the ground So if you need me I'll be thereThe Wish
Dirty old street all slushed up in the rain and snow Little boy and his ma shivering outside a rundown music store window That night on top of a Christmas tree shines one beautiful star And lying underneath a brand-new Japanese guitar I remember in the morning, ma, hearing your alarm clock ring I'd lie in bed and listen to you gettin' ready for work The sound of your makeup case on the sink And the ladies at the office, all lipstick, perfume, and rustlin' skirts And how proud and happy you always looked walking home from work If pa's eyes were windows into a world so deadly and true You couldn't stop me from looking but you kept me from crawlin' through And if it's a funny old world, mama, where a little boy's wishes come true Well I got a few left in my pocket and a special one just for you It ain't no phone call on Sunday, flowers or a mother's day card It ain't no house on a hill with a garden and a nice little yard I got my hatred down on Bond Street, I'm older but you'll know me in a glance We'll find us a little rock 'n' roll bar and baby we'll go out and dance Well it was me in my Beatle boots, you in pink curlers and matador pants Pullin' me up off the couch to do the twist for my uncles and aunts Well I found a girl of my own now, ma, I popped the question on your birthday She stood waiting on the front porch while you were telling me to get out there And say what it was that I had to say Last night we all sat around laughing at the things that guitar bought us And I layed awake thinking 'bout the other things it's brought us Well tonight I'm taking requests here in the kitchen This one's for you, ma, let me come right out and say it It s overdue, but baby, if you re looking for a sad song, well I ain't gonna play itThe Honeymooners
Two kids get married, same old thing Folks congratulate you, church bells ring Who's got the ring, who's gonna pay the priest Get your name in the paper, picture or two at least And at the reception all the old records play "Where you gonna live, are you gonna take her away?" In a corner my new nephew's showin' me his knife You swore that you'd love her for the rest of your life Went to kiss you at the altar we bumped heads Honeymoon night we figured we best shake on it instead Dressed kinda funny, laughin' we hop in bed You can wear it on your feet, you can wear it on your head Come mornin' my new family's sitting on the front porch swing Smilin' kinda funny, nobody says a thing My new brother-in-law's throwin' a football, he tosses me a pass We all sit down on the front stoop, everybody happy at lastLucky Man
Runnin' down the highway half-past eleven Waitin' for my odometer to roll straight sevens I'm a lucky man I went to see the gypsy the other night She looked in my palm, looked me in the eye And said "You're a lucky man" "Some folks got fortune, some got eyes of blue What you got will always see you through You're a lucky man" Pa went from the army to the factory to the killin' yard I make my living with my hands 'hind the wheel of this car I'm a lucky man Messin' with me, man, it wouldn't be wise Roll them dice, son . . . snake eyes I'm a lucky man Had a girl in Calgary, I gave her up Man, that love thing was messin' with my luck And I'm a lucky man I'll wake up tomorrow morning in another state Kiss me now, baby, before it's too late If you wanna kiss a lucky man I don't miss no girl, I don't miss no home He travels fastest who travels alone He's a lucky man A man with the world in the palm of his hands
Notes
Bruce Springsteen Guitar, Vocals, Armonica All Tracks Garry Tallent Bass Tracks 1 - 12, 14 Max Weinberg Drums Tracks 1 - 12, 14 Roy Bittan Piano, Keyboards Tracks 1 - 11 Danny Federici Organ, Glockenspiel, Tracks 2 - 4, 7 - 11 Stevie Van Zandt Guitar Tracks 1 - 4, 14 Clarence Clemons Saxophone, Percussion Tracks 1, 4, 5, 10 - 12Produced By
Bruce Springsteen, John Landau, Cuck Plotkin, Stevie Van Zandt All Tracks
1 -Cynthia
- Recorded at the Hit Factory, 4/20/83, Recorded by Toby Scott Mixed by Ed Thacker
2 - My Love Will Not Let You Down
- Recorded at the Hit Factory, 5/5/82, Recorded by Toby Scott Mixed by Ed Thacker
3 - This Hard Land
- Recorded at the Hit Factory, 5/11/82, Recorded by Toby Scott Mixed by Ed Thacker
4 - Frankie
- Recorded at the Power Station, 5/14/82, Recorded by Toby Scott Mixed by Ed Thacker
5 - TV Movie
- Recorded at the Hit Factory, 6/13/83, Recorded by Toby Scott Mixed by Ed Thacker
6 - Stand on it
- Recorded at the Hit Factory, 6/16/83, Recorded by Toby Scott Mixed by Ed Thacker
7 - Lion's Den
- Additional Musicians: Mario Cruz (Tenor Sax), Ed Manion (Baritone Sax), Mark "The Lover Man" Pender (Trumpet), Richie "La Bamba" Rosemberg (Trombone), Mike Spengler (Trumpet) Recorded at the Hit Factory, 1/25/82, Recorded by Neil Dorfsman Mixed by Ed Thacker
8 - Car Wash
- Recorded at the Hit Factory, 5/31/83, Recorded by Toby Scott Mixed by Ed Thacker
9 - Rockaway the Days
- Recorded at the Hit Factory, 2/3/84, Recorded by Toby Scott Mixed by Ed Thacker
10 - Brothers Under the Bridges ('83)
- Recorded at the Hit Factory, 9/4/83, Recorded by Toby Scott Mixed by Ed Thacker
11 - Man at the Top
- Recorded at the Hit Factory, 1/12/84, Recorded by Toby Scott Mixed by Bob Clearmountain
12 - Pink Cadillac
- Recorded at the Hit Factory, 5/31/83, Recorded by Toby Scott Mixed by Bob Clearmountain
13 - Two For the Road
- Recorded at the Thrill Hill Recording, 2/87, Recorded by Toby Scott Mixed by Bob Clearmountain
14 - Janey Don't You Lose Heart
- Additional Musician: Nils Lofgren (Vocals), Recorded at the Hit Factory, 6/16/83, Recorded by Toby Scott Mixed by Bob Clearmountain
15 - When You Need Me
- Additional Musicians: Gary Mallaber (Drums), Suzie Tyrrel (Violin), Recorded at the Thrill Hill Recording, 1/20/87, Recorded by Toby Scott Mixed by Bob Clearmountain
16 - The Wish
- Additional Musicians: Gary Mallaber (Drums), Recorded at the Thrill Hill Recording, 2/22/87, Recorded by Toby Scott Mixed by Bob Clearmountain
17 - The Honeymooners
- Recorded at the Thrill Hill Recording, 2/22/87, Recorded by Toby Scott Mixed by Bob Clearmountain
18 - Lucky Man
- Recorded at the Thrill Hill Recording, 4/4/87, Recorded by Toby Scott Mixed by Bob Clearmountain