Bruce Springsteen

TAKE 'EM AS THEY COME
TALK TO ME
TAXI CAB
TENTH AVENUE FREEZE-OUT
THAT'S WHAT YOU GET
THE ANGEL
THE BALLAD OF THE ARCHITECT ANGEL
THE BALLAD OF TOM JOAD - Woody Guthrie
THE BIG FIFTY
THE BIG MUDDY
THE BIG PAYBACK
THE E STREET SHUFFLE
THE FEVER (18 Tracks version)
THE FUSE
THE GHOST OF TOM JOAD
THE GUNS OF KID COLE a.k.a "Santa Ana" and "Contessa"
THE HITTER
THE HITTER /Album's version/
THE HONEYMOONERS
THE ICEMAN
THE KLANSMAN
THE LINE
THE LONG GOODBYE
THE NEW TIMER
THE PRICE YOU PAY
a THE PROMISE (18 Tracks version)
b THE PROMISE (alt)
THE PROMISED LAND
THE RISING
THE RIVER
THE TIES THAT BIND
THE WAR IS OVER
THE WAY
THE WIND AND THE RAIN
THE WISH
THE WORD
THERE WILL NEVER BE ANYONE FOR ME BUT YOU
THIS HARD LAND
THIS LAND IS YOUR LAND - Woody Guthrie
THIS LITTLE GIRL
THUNDER ROAD
THUNDERCRACK
TOKYO
TOUGHER THAN THE REST
TRAPPED - Jimmy Cliff
TRAPPED AGAIN
TROUBLE IN PARADISE
TROUBLE RIVER (I CAN'T KEEP FROM CRYING)
TUNNEL OF LOVE
TV MOVIE
TWO FACES
TWO FOR THE ROAD
TWO HEARTS
TWO HEARTS IN TRUE WALTZ TIME

TAKE 'EM AS THEY COME

Last night I dreamed we was running through the outlands
Tears streaming, your pretty face all a wreck
(I held your daddy's gun in my tremblin' hands
And down the highway another stranger comes
You gotta take 'em baby when they come.

Little girl put on your best dress
'Cause we're goin' out on the town tonight
(Better bring along your switchblades)
'Cause for sure some fool's gonna wanna fight
You've got to take 'em baby as they come

CHORUS

You gotta take 'em, take 'em as they come, girl
Take 'em as they come, girl
Take 'em as they come, girl
Take 'em baby as they come

God save the rider in the black night
Save the man who taught that it was right
To do what they have done
To become what we have become
You gotta take 'em when they come
Little girl, gone are the days
Faded away into a clear blue night
And all the vows that we made
Lie shattered and broken in the morning light;
You gotta take 'em when they come

CHORUS

I know your heart is breaking
I can feel it too
Though my finger on the trigger's shakin'
Here I swear to you
If I could take all your sorrow so that you'd never cry, girl, or be blue
(Come tommorow)
That's what I'd do for you, pretty one
I swear I'll take 'em baby when they come

CHORUS

TALK TO ME

Well every night I see a light up in your window
But every night you won't answer your door
But although you won't ever let me in
>From the street I can see your silhouette sittin' close to him
What must I do
What does it take
To get you to

Talk to me
Until the night is over
Talk to me
Well until the night is over, yeah yeah yeah
I got a full week's pay
And baby I've been working hard each day
I'm not asking for the world you see
I'm just asking girl
Talk to me

Well late at night I hear the music that you're playing soft and low
Yes and late at night I see the two of you swayin', so close
I don't understand darling what was my sin
Why am I down here below while you're up there with him
What did I do
What did I say
What must I pay
To get you to

I don't understand darling what was my sin
Why am I down here below while you're up there with him
What did I do
What did I say
What must I pay
To get you to

TAXI CAB

Taxicab, taxicab at the light
Won't you take me on a ride
Through this city at night
I got some money and I'm feelin' fine
I ain't no hurry so just take your time

Some people wanna die young and gloriously
Well taxicab driver, hey that ain't me
I got a cute little baby
down at 12th and Vine
And she opens for business just about closin' time

Ah hey hey, ah hey hey
City at night, city at night

I don't believe what I see in this street
I don't know how they can take the heat
Well baby I'm a liar, I'm a cheat
And I don't care
I got my money, I can't take my fare

I'm ridin' tonight, I'm on my way
C'mon baby...
I can take it or live it, when it comes
Got my baby by the light of the sun
You know she brings it with her and then she comes

Hey, hey, city at night
Hey, hey, city at night
Ride on

TENTH AVENUE FREEZE-OUT

Tear drops on the city
Bad Scooter searching for his groove
Seem like the whole world walking pretty
And you can't find the room to move
Well everybody better move over, that's all
I'm running on the bad side
And I got my back to the wall
Tenth Avenue freeze-out, Tenth Avenue freeze-out

I'm stranded in the jungle
Taking all the heat they was giving
The night is dark but the sidewalk's bright
And lined with the light of the living
From a tenement window a transistor blasts
Turn around the corner things got real quiet real fast
She hit me with a Tenth Avenue freeze-out
Tenth Avenue freeze-out
And I'm all alone, I'm all alone
And kid you better get the picture
And I'm on my own, I'm on my own
And I can't go home

When the change was made uptown
And the Big Man joined the band
From the coastline to the city
All the little pretties raise their hands
I'm gonna sit back right easy and laugh
When Scooter and the Big Man bust this city in half
With a Tenth Avenue freeze-out, Tenth Avenue freeze-out
Tenth Avenue freeze-out...

Available on Born to Run
THAT'S WHAT YOU GET

The moonlight dances on her face
I got my lips ????
I'm living the life of a lie
It was for me, for me that she died

That's What you get for loving me (repeated 4 times)

???? [whole line unintelligible]
True Love, unhappiness
I fall down on my knees and I cry
It's my way of saying goodbye

That's what you get for loving me (repeated 5 times)

The moonlight is ?? on the ???
As I ??? (into my?) head
And I, I'm gonna cry
It's my way of saying goodbye

That's what you get for loving me (repeat to fade)

THE ANGEL

The angel rides with hunch-backed children, poison oozing from his engine
Wieldin' love as a lethal weapon, on his way to hubcap heaven
Baseball cards poked in his spokes, his boots in oil he's patiently soaked
The roadside attendant nervously jokes as the angel's tires strokes his precious pavement

The interstate's choked with nomadic hordes
in Volkswagen vans with full running boards dragging great anchors
Followin' dead-end signs into the sores
The angel rides by humpin' his hunk metal whore

Madison Avenue's claim to fame in a trainer bra with eyes like rain
She rubs against the weather-beaten frame and asks the angel for his name
Off in the distance the marble dome
reflects across the flatlands with a naked feel off into parts unknown
The woman strokes his polished chrome and lies beside the angel's bones.

Available on Greetings From Asbury Park N.J.
THE BALLAD OF THE ARCHITECT ANGEL

The architect angel held Juda ranch.
Just a dirty mile down on the borderline.
Where he mastered blastin' and hustled young cattle for slaughter
And dated Juda's daughter.
From the cellar aways to the attics and all across the plains
Broke electric static of religious strain,
And though he was never an addict, he wore scars on his veins.
Like a young girl holds her first pimp, he held his Bible in.
From desert bars and church bazaars, the hunger slowly came
With vulgar faces from vulgar places lookin' for a game.
Well, ivory gun handles and chamber grease
And souped-up hydroplanes.
The bullets burn from TV silver, bearin' great cowboys' names.
Now with 14 inches of gun barrel, smokin' from the lid,
Spurs on straight black bootheels, he said "They call me the Brooklyn Kid."
And in his lonely Zenith nightmares, well that's just what they did.
Oh, how he played out his scenes, loaded on dreams.
Well, his holster slung low like a hot kid-sister
Tied back to his leg like he gonna do.
He was stompin' the step he called the Quickman Twister.
His six-guns were pumpin' through.
His tongue hung low like sawdust scrapin' across the plains.
He crawled up outside the Juda Ranch.
And started callin' the angel names.

And now the architect angel stood, in one hand a staff, the other a gun.
He held the staff high in the wind. The gun was like a piece in the sun.
He started howlin' like a monsoon wind. Drew fast. The job was done.
At night the moon stretched tight light 'cross the plains,
As real cowboys sat around real campfire flames,
And the county wolf called as if to explain to his son
The way the West was won.
The West was finally won.
The way the West was won.

THE BALLAD OF TOM JOAD

Tom Joad he got out the old McAlester Pen
He got his parole
After four long years on a man killing charge
Tom Joad come walkin' down the road, poor boy
Tom Joad come walkin' down the road.

Tom Joad, he met a truck drivin' man,
And he caught him a ride
Said "I just got loose from the McAlester Pen
On a charge called homicide,
On a charge called homicide."

Well that truck rolled away in a cloud of dust
Tommy turned his face toward home.
He met Preacher Casy
And they had a little drink.
They found that his family was gone,
They found that his family was gone.

They found his mother's old fashioned shoe,
and they found his daddy's hat.
And they found little Muley, and Muley said,
"they been tractored off by the cats, Tommy boy.
They been tractored off by the cats."

Tom Joad, he walked down to the neighbor's farm,
and he found his family.
He took Preacher Casy
and he loaded up the car,
And his mother said, "We got to get away, Tommy Boy."
His mother said, "we got to get away."

Now the twelve of the Joads, they made mighty heavy load,
And Grampa Joad, he did cry.
He picked up a handful of land in his hand.
He said, "I'm stayin' with this farm till I die.
I'm stayin' here till I die."

They fed him short ribs and coffee and syrup.
And Grampa Joad, he did die.
They buried Grampa Joad by the side of the road,
buried Grandma on the California side.
Buried Grandma on the California side.

They stood on a mountain and they looked to the west,
and it looked like the Promised Land.
That bright green valley with a river runnin' through
held work for every single hand. They thought,
"There'll be work for every single hand."

The Joads road away to the Jungle camp
and there they cook them some stew.
And the hungry little kids said,
"We'd like to have some, too, please.
We'd like to have some, too."

Now, the Deputy Sheriff fired loose at a man,
and he shot a woman in the back.
Before he could take his aim again,
Preacher Casy dropped him in his tracks,
Preach Casy dropped him in his tracks.

Well, they handcuffed Casy
and they took him to jail
and then he got away.
He met with Tom Joad on the old River Bride.
and these few words he did say, poor boy.
These few words he did say:

"Well, I preached for Lord for a mighty long time,
preached about the rich and the poor.
Us working folks gotta get together,
cause we ain't got a chance anymore, Tommy boy.
We ain't got a chance anymore."

Well, the Deputies come,
And Tom and Casy, they did run
To the bridge where the water run down.
But the vigilante they hit Casy with a club,
and they laid Preacher Casy on the ground,
They laid Preacher Casy on the ground.

Tom Joad, he grabbed that Deputy's club,
And hit him over the head.
Tom Joad took flight
in the dark and rainy night,
A deputy and Preacher lying dead,
a deputy and preacher lying dead.

Well, Tom run back to where his mama was alseep.
and he woke her up out of the bed.
and he kissed goodbye
to the mother that he loved.
And he said what Preacher Casy said, Tom Joad
he said what Preacher Casy said.

"Well, everybody might be just one big soul,
or it looks that way to me.
Everywhere you look, in the day or the night,
That's where I'm gonna be, Ma.
That's where I'm gonna be.

"Wherever little children are hungry and cry,
wherever people ain't free,
whevever men and women are fightin' for their rights,
that's where I'm gonna be, Ma.
That's where I'm gonna be."

THE BIG FIFTY

September 23, Nineteen Hundred and Ninety Nine

The Big Fifty
The Big Fifty
That's what you are today
From New Jersey to California shores
Your music opened all the doors
The world knows it
Your songs show it
Bruce is A-OK
Once you were just 18 years
Then 38
Now half a hundred
Each one of them great
The big fifty
The big fifty
That's what you are today!!!!

Bruce: "That just about says it all ... but not quite"

THE BIG MUDDY

Billy had a mistress down on 'A' and 12th
She was that little somethin' that he did for himself
His own little secret didn't hurt nobody
Come the afternoon he'd take her wadin'

Waist deep in the big muddy
Waist deep in the big muddy
You start out standing but end up crawlin'

Got in some trouble and needed a hand from a friend of mine
This old friend he had a figure in mind
It was nothing illegal just a little bit funny
He said "C'mon don't tell me that the rich don't know
Sooner or later it all comes down to money"

And you're waist deep in the big muddy
Waist deep in the big muddy
You start on higher ground but end up crawlin'

Well I had a friend said "You watch what you do
Poison snake bites you and you're poison too"

How beautiful the river flows and the birds they sing
But you and I we're messier things
There ain't no one leavin' this world buddy
Without their shirttail dirty
Or their hands bloody

Waist deep in the big muddy
Waist deep in the big muddy
You start on higher ground but end up somehow crawlin'
Waist deep in the big muddy

Available on Lucky Town
THE BIG PAYBACK

I bought a scooter and I rented a shack
Out in the sun, by the railroad track
I got a job and I'm a-breakin' my back
Workin' and workin' for the big payback

I keep a puttin' and a puttin' out
I keep a sweatin' like a hog and all
I work so long that I'm a losin' track
I work so long that I'm a losin' track
Waitin', waitin' on the big payback

Well, it's a wham, bam, thank you ma'am, god damn, ring out Sam
I took on that train rumblin' down this track
They got your neck in the noose, you're draggin' long in back
Chasin' and chasin' the big payback

Oh what my foreman does well I don't know
He just throws me a shovel and yells "Go, Bobby, Go"
Oh well-a all day long he's just a busy wise crack
While I'm sweatin' and sweatin' the big payback

Well, it's a wham, bam, thank you ma'am, god damn, ring out Sam
I took on that train rumblin' down the track
They got your neck in the noose, your hands are tied up in back
And you're a-workin' and workin' for the big payback

I quit that job, and Mister I ain't goin' back
Got me a knife and she's a long and bad
I'll tell you how I make the peace with that man
Down in the alley of the big payback

I go a wham, bam, thank you ma'am, god damn, c'mon man
You're a goin' to that train rumblin' down this track
I got your neck in the noose and I don't give a damn, Jack
I'm on that long lost highway of the big payback
I'm on that long lost highway of the big payback
I'm on that long lost highway of the big payback

THE E STREET SHUFFLE

Sparks fly on E Street when the boy prophets walk it handsome and hot
All the little girls' souls grow weak when the man-child gives them a double shot
Them schoolboy pops pull out all the stops on a Friday night
The teenage tramps in skintight pants do the E Street dance and everything's all right
Well the kids down there are either dancing or hooked up in a scuffle
Dressed in snakeskin suits packed with Detroit muscle
They're doin' the E Street Shuffle
Now those E Street brats in twilight duel flash like phantoms in full star stream
Down fire trails on silver nights with blonde girls pledged sweet sixteen
The newsboys say the heat's been bad since Power Thirteen gave a trooper all he had in a summer scuffle
And Power's girl, Little Angel, been on the corner keepin' those crazy boys out of trouble
Little Angel steps the shuffle like she ain't got no brains
She's death in combat down on Lover's Lane
She drives all them local boys insane
Little Angel says, "Oh, oh, everybody form a line
Oh, oh, everybody form a line"
Sparks light on E Street when the boy prophets walk it handsome and hot
All them little girls' souls grow weak when the man-child gives them a double shot
Little Angel hangs out at Easy Joe's, it's a club where all the riot squad goes when they're cashin' in for a cheap hustle
But them boys are still on the corner loose and doin' that lazy E StreetShuffle
As them sweet summer nights turn into summer dreams
Little Angel picks up Power and he slips on his jeans
And they move on out down to the scene
All the kids are dancin'

Available on The Wild, The Innocent & The E Street Shuffle

THE FEVER

When I get home from my job I turn on my T.V.
But I can't keep my mind on the show
When I lay down at night, oh I can't get no sleep
So I turn on my radio
But the only sound I hear is you whisperin' in my ear
The words that you used to say
Now my days grow longer
'Cause my love grows stronger
And the fever gets worse
And I've got the fever for this girl

CHORUS
Got the fever, oh I've got the fever
Nothing that a po' boy can do
When he's got the fever for this girl
Got the fever, oh I've got the fever
Left this little boy blue

I can remember comin' home
See you standin' at the stove
With the dishes on the table
Dinner ready to go
We'll maybe go out to a movie show
Something that you like to see
Well now you are my sun in the morning
And my moon at night
I think about you baby
I feel alright
Now my days grow longer
'Cause my love grows stronger
And the fever gets worse
And I've got the fever for this girl

CHORUS

THE FUSE

Down at the court house they're ringin' the flag down
Long black line of cars snakin' slow through town
Red sheets snappin' on the line
With this ring will you be mine
The fuse is burning
(Shut out the lights)
The fuse is burning
(Come on let me do you right)

Trees on fire with the first fall's frost
Long black line in front of Holy Cross
Blood moon risin' in a sky of black dust
Tell me baby who do you trust?
The fuse is burning
(Shut out the lights)
The fuse is burning
(Come on let me do you right)

Tires on the highway hissin' something's coming
You can feel the wires in the tree tops bummin'
Devil's on the horizon line
Your kiss and I'm alive

A quiet afternoon, an empty house
On the edge of your bed you slip off your blouse
The room is burning with the noon sun
Your bittersweet taste on my tongue
The fuse is burning
(Shut out the lights)
The fuse is burning
(Come on let me do you right)

THE GHOST OF TOM JOAD

Men walkin' 'long the railroad tracks
Goin' someplace there's no goin' back
Highway patrol choppers comin' up over the ridge
Hot soup on a campfire under the bridge
Shelter line stretchin' round the corner
Welcome to the new world order
Families sleepin' in their cars in the southwest
No home no job no peace no rest

The highway is alive tonight
But nobody's kiddin' nobody about where it goes
I'm sittin' down here in the campfire light
Searchin' for the ghost of Tom Joad

He pulls prayer book out of his sleeping bag
Preacher lights up a butt and takes a drag
Waitin' for when the last shall be first and the first shall be last
In a cardboard box 'neath the underpass
Got a one-way ticket to the promised land
You got a hole in your belly and gun in your hand
Sleeping on a pillow of solid rock
Bathin' in the city aqueduct

The highway is alive tonight
But where it's headed everybody knows
I'm sittin' down here in the campfire light
Waitin' on the ghost of Tom Joad

Now Tom said "Mom, wherever there's a cop beatin' a guy
Wherever a hungry newborn baby cries
Where there's a fight 'gainst the blood and hatred in the air
Look for me Mom I'll be there
Wherever there's somebody fightin' for a place to stand
Or decent job or a helpin' hand
Wherever somebody's strugglin' to be free
Look in their eyes Mom you'll see me."

The highway is alive tonight
But nobody's kiddin' nobody about where it goes
I'm sittin' downhere in the campfire light
With the ghost of old Tom Joad

Available on The Ghost of Tom Joad
SANTA ANA

From the tin rooftop the little boy did watch
The procession down through town
Through the museum where Daniel whupped the Devil
With them boys from the underground
Where the Giants of Science fight for tight control
Over the wildlands of New Mexico
Sam Houston's ghost's in Texas fighting for his soul
And the townsfolk rest uneasy beneath the guns of Kid Cole
And the kid says: "Hey, where's Santa Ana
He who could romance the dumb into talking
Take a chance with me tonight, my contessa,
If it don't work out I ain't lame, I can walk"
Now some folks think cancer's taken to the streets of this town
But Sandy eats her candy and then lays her money down
Them cats are in from the canyons to strut their stuff in town
But there's only secret sinners here
Lord, there's only secret thieves
Only a fool would try to save
What the desert chose to leave
And hey there se¤orita,
With your playboys in their Spanish bandanas
French cream won't soften those boots, baby
French kisses will not break your heart

Oh painted night set free with light
Glows outside the Rainbow Saloon
Matching braces with a Spanish lady
'Neath a graduation moon
No more colleges, no more coronations
Some punk's idea of a teenage nation
Has forced Santa Ana to change his station
From soldier to cartoon
And the Giants of Science spend their days and nights
Not with wives, not with lovers, but searchin' for the lights
They spotted in the desert on their helicopter flights
Just to be lost in the dust and the night
Hey my Contessa, in your juke joint rags you always bring candy for the kids
Come waltz with me tonight se¤orita
'Cause only fools are alone on a night like this

THE HITTER

Come to the door ma and unlock the chain.
Well I was just passin' through and got caught in the rain.
There's nothing that I want, nothin' that you need say.
Just let me lie down a while and I'll be on my way.

I was no more than a kid when you put me on the Southern Queen.
With the police on my back I fled to New Orleans.
Well I fought in the dockyards for the the money that I made.
And the fight was my home and any blood was my trade.

Baton Rouge, Ponchatoula, and Lafayette town.
They payed me the moon, ma, to knock the man down.
Well I did what I did, yeah it come easily.
For as know ma, restraint and mercy were always strangers to me.

I fought champion Jack Thompson in a field full of mud.
Rain poured through the tent canvas and mixed with our blood.
In the twelfth, slipped my tongue over my broken jaw.
And I pounded his body into the floor.
Well the bell rang and rang and still I kept on.
'Til I felt my glove leather slip 'tween his skin and bone.

And the women and the money came fast and the days I lost track.
The women red, the money green, but the numbers were black.
I fought for the men in their silk suits to lay down their bets.
Well I took my good share, ma, I have no regrets.

I took the fix at the State armory with big Diamond Don*
Well from high in the rafters I watched myself fall.
He raised his arms, stomach twisted, and the sky it went black.**
I stuffed my bag with their good money, ma, and never looked back.
Understand me and my, every man plays the game.
Well if you know anyone different then speak out his name.

My life, my face, now you don't recognize.
Well just open the door and look into your dark eyes.
I ask of you nothin', not a kiss not a smile.
Just open the door and let me lie down for a while.

Now the gray rain is fallin' and my ring fightin's done.
So in the work fields and alleys, I take them who'll come.
If you're a better man than me then just step to the line.
Show me your money and speak out your crime.
There's nothin' I want, ma, nuthin' that you need say.
Just let me lie for a while and I'll be on my way.

Well tonight in Stockyard, a man draws a circle in the dirt.
I move to the center and take off my shirt.
I study him for the cuts, the scars, the pain, no time can erase.
I move hard to the left and I strike to the face.

THE HITTER
Album's version
Come to the door, Ma, and unlock the chain
I was just passin' through and got caught in the rain
There's nothin' I want, nothin' that you need say
Just let me lie down for a while and then I'll be on my way

I was no more than a kid when you put me on the Southern Queen
With the police on my back I fled to New Orleans
I fought in the dockyards and with the money that I made
And the fight was my home and blood was my trade

Baton Rouge, Ponchatoula, and Lafayette town
Well they paid me their moon, Ma, I knocked the men down
I did what I did well it come easily
Restraint and mercy, Ma, were always strangers to me

I fought champion Jack Thompson in a field full of mud
Rain poured through the tent to the canvas and mixed with our blood
In the twelfth I slipped my tongue over my broken jaw
And I stood over him, pounded his bloody body into the floor
Well the bell rang and rang and still I kept on
'Till I felt my glove leather slip 'tween his skin and bone

Then the women and the money came fast, in the days I lost track
The women red, the money green, but the numbers were black
I fought for the men in their silk suits to lay down their bets
Well I took my good share, Ma, I had no regrets

Then I took the fix at the state armory with big John McDowell
From high in the rafters I watched myself fall
As they raised his arm, my stomach twisted and the sky it went black
I stuffed my bag with their good money and I never looked back

Understand, in the end, Ma, every man plays the game
If you know me one different then speak out his name
Ma, if my voice now you don't recognize
Then just open the door and look into your dark eyes
I ask of you nothin', not a kiss not a smile
Just open the door and let me lie down for a while

Now the gray rain's fallin' and my ring fighting's done
So in the work fields and alleys I take all who'll come
If you're a better man than me then just step to the line
And show me your money and speak out your crime
Now there's nothin' I want, Ma, nothin' that you need say
Just let me lie down for a while and I'll be on my way

Well tonight in the shipyard a man draws a circle in the dirt
Like I always do
I move to the centre and I take off my shirt
I study him for the cuts, the scars, the pain
Man, nor time can erase
I move hard to the left and I strike to the face

THE 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 mama in the paper, picture or two at least

And at the reception all the old records play
"Where you gonna live, are you gonna taker 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 swear it on your feet, you can swear it on your head

Come mornin' my new famlily'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 last

THE ICEMAN

Sleepy town ain't got the guts to budge
Baby this emptiness has already been judged
I wanna go out tonight, I wanna find out what I got
You're a strange part of me you're a preacher's girl
And I don't want no piece of this mechanical world
Got my arms open wide and my blood is running hot

We'll take the midnight road right to the devil's door
And even the white angels of Eden with their flaming swords
Won't be able to stop us from hitting town in this dirty old Ford
Well it don't take no nerve when you got nothing to guard
I got tombstones in my eyes and I'm running real hard
My baby was a lover and the world just blew her away

Once they tried to steal my heart, beat it right out of my head
Well baby they didn't know that I was born dead
I am the iceman, fighting for the right to live
I say better than the glory roads of heaven
Better off riding hell-bound in the dirt
Better than bright line of the freeway
Better than the shadows of your daddy's church
Better than the waiting
Baby better off is the search

THE KLANSMAN

Word of the trouble spread around
One day a man came to my town
I was in the kitchen when my pa let him in
He shook my hand, said, "The Klan's your friend"

Was a meeting at Lyle Stanton's house
On the Jefferson Highway
Some, they did not listen
Some did not turn away

Said, "When the holy rain of fire
Comes tumbling from above
It'll be a Klansman
Who stands for the land he loves"

Look away, look away now

I was ten years old when my pa said,
"Son, some day you will see
When you grow to wear the robes
Like your brother and me

"When the war between the races
Leaves us in a fiery [???]
It'll be a Klansman
Who will wipe this country clean
This, son, is my dream"

THE LINE

I got my discharge from Fort Irwin
took a place on the San Diego county line
felt funny bein' a civilian again
it'd been some time
my wife had died a year ago
I was still tryin' to find my way back whole
went to work for the INS on the line
With the California Border Patrol

Bobby Ramirez was a ten-year veteran
We became friends
his family was from Guanajuato
so the job it was different for him
He said' "They risk death in the deserts and mountains"
pay all they got to the smugglers rings,
we send 'em home and they come right back again
Carl, hunger is a powerful thing."

Well I was good at doin' what I was told
kept my uniform pressed and clean
at night I chased their shadows
through the arroyos and ravines

drug runners, farmers with their families,
young women with little children by their sides
come night we'd wait out in the canyons
and try to keep 'em from crossin' the line

Well the first time that I saw her
she was in the holdin' pen
Our eyes met and she looked away
then she looked back again
her hair was black as coal
her eyes reminded me of what I'd lost
she had a young child cryin' in her arms
and I asked, "Senora, is there anything I can do"

There's a bar in Tijuana
where me and Bobby drink alongside
the same people we'd sent back the day before
we met there she said her name was Louisa
she was from sonora and had just come north
we danced and I held her in my arms
and I knew what I would do
she said she had some family in Madera county
if she, her child and her younger brother could just get through

At night they come across the levy
in the searchlights dusty glow
we'd rush 'em in our Broncos
and force 'em back down into the river below
she climbed into my truck
she leaned towards me and we kissed
as we drove her brothers shirt slipped open
and I saw the tape across his chest

We were just about on the highway
when Bobby's jeep come up in the dust on my right
I pulled over and let my engine run
and stepped out into his lights
I felt myself movin'
felt my gun restin' 'neath my hand
we stood there starin' at each other
as off through the arroyo she ran

Bobby Ramirez he never said nothin'
6 months later I left the line
I drifted to the central valley
and took what work I could find
at night I searched the local bars
and the migrant towns
Lookin' for my Louisa
with the black hair fallin' down

Available on The Ghost of Tom Joad
THE LONG GOODBYE

My soul went walkin' but I stayed here
Feel like I been workin' for a thousand years
Chippin' away at this chain of my own lies
Climbin' a wall a hundred thousand miles high
Well I woke up this morning on the other side
Yeah yeah this is the long goodbye
Hey yeah this is the long goodbye

Same old faces it's the same old town
What once was laughs is draggin' me now
Wailin' on rain hangin' on for love
Words of forgiveness from some God above
Ain't no words of mercy comin' from on high
Oh no just a long goodbye
Yeah yeah just one long goodbye

Well I went to leave twenty years ago
Since then I guess I been packin' kinda slow
Sure did like that admirin' touch
Guess I like'd it a little too much

The moon is high and here I am
Sittin' here with this hammer in hand
One more drink oughta ease the pain
Starin' at that last link in the chain
Well let's raise our glass and let this hammer fly
Hey yeah this is the long goodbye
Hey yeah this is the long goodbye
Kiss me baby and we're gonna fly
Hey yeah this is the long goodbye
Yeah yeah this is the long goodbye
Hey yeah this is the long goodbye
Kiss me baby 'cause we're gonna ride
Yeah yeah this is the long goodbye

Available on Human Touch
THE NEW TIMER

He rode the rails since the great depression
Fifty years out on the skids
He said you don't cross nobody
You'll be all right out here kid

Left my family in Pennsylvania
Searchin' for work I hit the road
I met Frank in east Texas
In a freight yard blown through with snow

From New Mexico to Colorado
California to the sea
Frank he showed me the ropes, sir
Just till I could get back on my feet

I hoed sugar beets outside of Firebaugh
I picked the peaches from the Marysville tree
They bunked us in a barn just like animals
Me and a hundred others just like me

We split up come the springtime
I never seen Frank again
'Cept one rainy night he blew by me on grainer
Shouted my name and disappeared in the rain and the wind

They found him shot dead outside Stockton
His body lyin' on a muddy hill
Nothin' taken, nothin' stolen
Somebody killed him just to kill

Late that summer I was rollin' through the plains of Texas
A vision passed before my eyes A small house sittin' trackside
With the glow of the saviours beautiful light

A woman stood cookin' in the kitchen
Kid sat at the table with his old man
Now I wonder does my son miss me
Does he wonder where I am

Tonight I pick my campsite carefully
Outside the Sacramento Yard
Gather some wood and light a fire
In the early winter dark

Wind whistling cold I pull my coat around me
Make some coffee and stare out into the black night
I lie awake, I lie awake sir
With my machete by my side

My Jesus your gracious love and mercy
Tonight I'm sorry could not fill my heart
Like one good rifle And the name of who I ought to kill

Available on The Ghost of Tom Joad
THE PRICE YOU PAY

You make up your mind, you choose the chance you take
You ride to where the highway ends and the desert breaks
Out on to an open road you ride until the day
You learn to sleep at night with the price you pay

Now with their hands held high, they reached out for the open skies
And in one last breath they built the roads they'd ride to their death
Driving on through the night, unable to break away
From the restless pull of the price you pay

(Chorus)
Oh, the price you pay, oh, the price you pay
Now you can't walk away from the price you pay

Now they'd come so far and they'd waited so long
Just to end up caught in a dream where everything goes wrong
Where the dark of night holds back the light of day
And you've gotta stand and fight for the price you pay

(Chorus)

Little girl down on the strand
With that pretty little baby in your hands
Do you remember the story of the promised land
How he crossed the desert sands
And could not enter the chosen land
On the banks of the river he stayed
To face the price you pay

So let the games start, you better run you little wild heart
You can run through all the nights and all the days
But just across the county line, a stranger passing through put up a sign
That counts the men fallen away to the price you pay,
and girl before the end of the day,
I'm gonna tear it down and throw it away

Available on The River
THE PROMISE

Johnny works in a factory and Billy works downtown
Terry works in a rock and roll band
Lookin' for that million-dollar sound
I got a little job down in Darlington
But some nights I don't go
Some nights I go to the drive-in, or some nights I stay home
I followed that dream just like those guys do up on the screen
And I drive a Challenger down Route 9 through the dead ends and all the bad scenes
And when the promise was broken, I cashed in a few of my dream

Well now I built that Challenger by myself
But I needed money and so I sold it
I lived a secret I should'a kept to myself
But I got drunk one night and I told it
All my life I fought this fight
The fight that no man can never win
Every day it just gets harder to live
This dream I'm believing in
Thunder Road, oh baby you were so right
Thunder Road there's something dyin' on the highway tonight

I won big once and I hit the coast
But somehow I paid the big cost
Inside I felt like I was carryin' the broken spirits
Of all the other ones who lost
When the promise is broken you go on living
But it steals something from down in your soul
Like when the truth is spoken and it don't make no difference
Something in your heart goes cold
I followed that dream through the southwestern flats
That dead ends in two-bit bars
And when the promise was broken I was far away from home
Sleepin' in the back seat of a borrowed car
Thunder Road, for the lost lovers and all the fixed games
Thunder Road, for the tires rushing by in the rain
Thunder Road, Billy and me we'd always say
Thunder Road, we were gonna take it all and throw it all away

THE PROMISE (alt)

Johnny works in a factory and Billy works downtown
Terry works in a rock 'n' roll band looking for that million-dollar sound
Me I got a little job down in Darlington but some nights I don't go
Some nights I go to the drive-in and some night I stay home

You see I followed that dream just like those guys do way up on the screen
With a built-up Challenger down route 9
Through the dead ends and all the bad scenes
And when the promise was broken I cashed in a few of my old dreams

You see I built that Challenger by myself
But I needed money and so I sold it
And I lived a secret I should have kept to myself
But I got drunk one night and I told it
All my life I fought that fight
The one that I can't ever win
And everyday it just gets harder to live
The dreams I'm believing in
Thunder Road
Oh baby you were so right
Thunder Road
There's something dying on the Highway tonight

Well now my Daddy taught me how to walk quiet
And how to make my peace with the past
And I learned real good to tighten up inside
And I don't say nothin' unless I'm asked

When the promise is broken you go on livin'
But it takes something from down in your soul
Like when the truth is spoken
And it don't make no difference
Something in your heart turns cold

You see I followed that dream, me and some guys
Through the dead ends and all the two-bit bars
When the promise was broken
I was drunk and far away from home
Sleeping with a stranger in the back seat of a borrowed car
Thunder Road
And when it washes away with the rain
Thunder Road
You learn to walk among the remains
Thunder Road
I remember when me and Terry we'd always say
Thunder Road
We were gonna take it all
And throw it all
Away

THE PROMISED LAND

On a rattlesnake speedway in the Utah desert
I pick up my money and head back into town
Driving cross the Waynesboro county line
I got the radio on and I'm just killing time
Working all day in my daddy's garage
Driving all night chasing some mirage
Pretty soon little girl I'm gonna take charge

(Chorus)
The dogs on Main Street howl
`cause they understand
If I could take one moment into my hands
Mister I ain't a boy, no I'm a man
And I believe in a promised land

I've done my best to live the right way
I get up every morning and go to work each day
But your eyes go blind and your blood runs cold
Sometimes I feel so weak I just want to explode
Explode and tear this whole town apart
Take a knife and cut this pain from my heart
Find somebody itching for something to start

(Chorus)

There's a dark cloud rising from the desert floor
I packed my bags and I'm heading straight into the storm
Gonna be a twister to blow everything down
That ain't got the faith to stand its ground
Blow away the dreams that tear you apart
Blow away the dreams that break your heart
Blow away the lies that leave you nothing but lost and brokenhearted

(Chorus)
I believe in a promised land...

THE RISING
Can't see nothin' in front of me
Can't see nothin' coming up behind
I make my way through this darkness
I can't feel nothing but this chain that binds me
Lost track of how far I've gone
How far I've gone, how high I've climbed
On my back's a sixty pound stone
On my shoulder a half mile of line

Come on up for the rising
Come on up, lay your hands in mine
Come on up for the rising
Come on up for the rising tonight

Left the house this morning
Bells ringing filled the air
Wearin' the cross of my calling
On wheels of fire I come rollin' down here

Come on up for the rising
Come on up, lay your hands in mine
Come on up for the rising
Come on up for the rising tonight

La,la, la,la,la,la, la,la,la

There's spirits above and behind me
Faces gone black, eyes burnin' bright
May their precious blood bind me
Lord, as I stand before your fiery light

La,la, la,la,la,la, la,la,la

I see you Mary in the garden
In the garden of a thousand sighs
There's holy pictures of our children
Dancin' in a sky filled with light
May I feel your arms around me
May I feel your blood mix with mine
A dream of life comes to me
Like a catfish dancin' on the end of my line

Sky of blackness and sorrow ( a dream of life)
Sky of love, sky of tears (a dream of life)
Sky of glory and sadness ( a dream of life)
Sky of mercy, sky of fear ( a dream of life)
Sky of memory and shadow ( a dream of life)
Your burnin' wind fills my arms tonight
Sky of longing and emptiness (a dream of life)
Sky of fullness, sky of blessed life

Come on up for the rising
Come on up, lay your hands in mine
Come on up for the rising
Come on up for the rising tonight

La,la, la,la,la,la, la,la,la

Available on Darkness on the Edge of Town
THE RIVER

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 ride out of that 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 did 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 tan 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

Available on The River
THE TIES THAT BIND

You been hurt and you're all cried out you say
You walk down the street pushin' people outta your way
You packed your bags and all alone you wanna ride,
You don't want nothin', don't need no one by your side
You're walkin' tough baby, but you're walkin' blind
to the ties that bind

(Chorus)
The ties that bind
Now you can't break the ties that bind

Cheap romance, it's all just a crutch
You don't want nothin' that anybody can touch
You're so afraid of being somebody's fool
Not walkin' tough baby, not walkin' cool
You walk cool, but darlin', can you walk the line
And face the ties that bind
The ties that bind
Now you can't break the ties that bind

I would rather feel the hurt inside, yes I would darlin',
Than know the emptiness your heart must hide,
Yes I would darlin', yes I would darlin',
Yes I would baby

You sit and wonder just who's gonna stop the rain
Who'll ease the sadness, who's gonna quiet the pain
It's a long dark highway and a thin white line
Connecting baby, your heart to mine
We're runnin' now but darlin' we will stand in time
To face the ties that bind
The ties that bind
Now you can't break the ties that bind
You can't forsake the ties that bind

Available on The River
THE WAR IS OVER

The king and the queen have drowned in their laughter
Today the new court jester has arrived
And he'll tell you funny stories and dance a bit after
And help the king forget the revolution outside

Well the wars been lost and ??? they have won
As thousands desert to the other side
Your people pledge allegiance in the face of a bomb
And too many people have died telling other jokes
The king he cried

Well when are the ??? realise that your kingdom is crumbling before your eyes
Your tears have been streaming like blood from the sky
When you hear the children screaming whose brothers have died
You can murder in the name of freedom but you just can't hide

The moon is hanging high over the castle tonight
There's rumors of an attempt on the throne
The king has locked himself into his chamber
And the walls are screaming out "You're alone, you fool you're alone"

And from then ??? rides a horseman
And he comes bringing word of the war
He says "sire your armies are defeated
No people are fighting anymore, for your kingdom it ain't yours
And they killed your last soldier"
And the war is over
And the war is over
And the war is over

THE WAY

The way your heart beats when I hold you tight
The way you sigh when we kiss goodnight
The way the wind blows through the trees
Well hey, that's the way you belong to me

The way you warm me baby when I'm cold
The way you make me want you body and soul
The way the rivers run to the sea
Well hey, that's the way you belong to me

The way you soothe me when I'm in pain
The way you make the blood rush in my veins
The way the winds rush through the trees
Well hey, that's the way you belong to me

When I lose faith you take my hand
The way you make me feel like I'm a man
The way the sun belongs to the sea
Well hey, that's the way you belong to me

The way you make me feel like I belong
And if I could girl though I know it'd be wrong
I'd lock you deep inside
'till the last rains fall
And hide you from the emptiness of it all

Sometimes at night I lie awake
I pull you close and feel each breath you take
The way the rivers belong to the seas
Well hey, that's the way you belong to me
Well hey, that's the way you belong to me

THE WIND AND THE RAIN

The wind and rain slashing at my window pane
Lightning's flashing, looks like the sky's gone insane
And it seems like you have lied again
And now I'm left with the wind and the rain

Oh, shattered truth, jagged memories heal
You know it's hard them dreams that just can't come true
How long's it been since I've known you
Now the wind and rain is my only truth

Summertime, summertime remembers when you were mine
And now that's left so far behind
Can't you see what you've done to my mind
Now the wind and the rain's forever mine

Hey, yeah, yeah, ain't time shoring it up
Oh, the year's have made me far too tough
And when I started to go, I got rough
Now the wind and the rain is my only love
I said the wind and the rain is my only love
You know the wind and the rain is my only love

Wintertime
memories when you were mine
Oh, let them shine
Golden moments lost in time
Now I hear the grandfather's chime
The wind and rain's forever mine

The wind and the rain slashing at my window pane
Seems like you have lied again
But now I guess that it's just the same
And I am left with the wind and the rain

Hasn't time shown you enough
The years have made me far too tough
But you know where I stood when the going got rough
The wind and the rain is my only love
The wind and the rain is all I love
The wind and the rain is all I love
The wind and the rain is all I love
The wind and the rain is all I love

THE 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 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 hot rod 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 of 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 brought us
And I layed awake thinking 'bout the other things it's brought us
Well tonight I'm takin's 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 it

THE WORD

Well you flash your tongue like diamonds
You tied me to your wildcat schemes
And you forced me into a power dive
And left your mark on my jeans
And I hear the word on your soldiers
And I hear the word on Jesus too
I heard the word on the country
But I never heard the word on you

Your love was like a machine gun
I wore your bugle in my belt
And I was your kid glove lover
All the cards were yours
You always dealt
And I stood before your soapbox
Noiseless and shoeless
Playing my pantry boy's games
You had your hands raised up to the sky
Shouting Oh Sunday deity
Oh Big Daddy Longlegs
Come down and bless your sister please
You were shoutin' orders about the construction
Going on down the highway
You were namin' names, blamin' blames
And you blamed me

You wore your heart like a challenge
Far and apart for anyone who came
Open and wide like the river
With rocks on both sides to keep the water tame
But I heard the word on your high tides
And I felt the pain when I tried
To rip your flood gates wide
And pull your body on over to my side
Where we both could hide
But you heard about the freedom ride
And you heard about the Highway Crew
Who could cut the light a little bit faster than you
So you left me just your shoes

And I hear the word on Jesus
And I hear the word on his marching troop
And I hear the word on the country
But I never heard the word on you

THERE WILL NEVER BE ANYONE FOE ME BUT YOU

Princess Di did find another man
Prince Charles may want to live
in another woman's underpants
I know what he feels like
I'v been there too
but there will never be any other for me but you

Will Elizabeth Taylor get married again? buddy that's the question
Poor Larry Fertenski busted on his harly for illegal weapons possession
I'v been that down, I'v been that crazy I'v been that much of a fool
But there will never be any other for me but you

Man a love that's real
is a love that's hard
like a pit bull on your ass
in a very small backyard
a love that's hard
can be a love that's true
but there will never be any other for me but you

Elvis and Priscilla
Jim Baker and Tammy Fay
Donald and Ivana once swore their love forever and a day
I said those words
ya I meant 'em too
but I swear there will never be any other for me but you no,
baby there will never be any other for me but you

THIS 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
We made our bed, sir
From the rock on the mountainside
We been blowin' around from town to town
Lookin' for a place to stand
Where the sun burst 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' the back porch door
Yeah it stirs you up like it wants to 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 can hear a tape deck blastin' "Home on the Range"
I can hear them Bar-M choppers
Sweepin' low across the plains
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 lost 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
Well sleep 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 land

Available on Greatest Hits
THIS LAND IS YOUR LAND
(Woody Guthrie/Woody Guthrie 1956)

Well I rode that ribbon highway
I saw above me the endless sky
I saw below me the golden valley
This land was made for you and me

I've roamed and rambled and followed my footsteps
Through the sparkling sands of her diamond deserts
And all around me a voice was calling
This land was made for you and me

This land is your land
This land is my land
>From California
To the New York island
>From the Redwood Forest
To the Gulf Stream waters
This land was made for you and me

Well the sun came shining and I was strolling
Through wheat fields waving and dust clouds
rolling
And a voice was sounding
As the fog was lifting
Saying this land was made for you and me

This land is your land
This land is my land
>From California
To the New York island
>From the Redwood Forest
To the Gulf Stream waters
This land was made for you and me

Available on Live 1975-1985
THIS LITTLE GIRL

Here she comes, walking down the street
You know she's walking just like she's walking to come and see
Oh she's so young
And she's so fine
I know what's on your mind, know what you want to do
But if you mess with her, I'm gonna mess with you
You better watch your step, you better stay in line

This little girl is mine, oh oh
This little girl is mine, oh oh
This little girl is mine, this little girl, this little girl is mine
Oh oh this little girl is mine
This little girl is mine, oh oh
This little girl is mine, this little girl, this little girl is mine

Well if the world were mine to do with what I want to do, sir
Well I'd wrap it up in a bow and giver it all to her
Yeah and all of my love, all of the time
You know I'd hold her tight, I'd never let her go
And late at night you know I'd love her so
Yeah I'd treat her right, so she'd never mind
That

This little girl is mine, oh oh
This little girl is mine, oh oh
This little girl is mine, this little girl, this little girl is mine

Hey ! You better watch out
I'm telling you the score
Or you're gonna be sweeping your broken heart up off the floor
Oh and that ain't all
I'm telling you my friend

I know what's on your mind, know what you wanna do
But if you mess with her, I'm gonna mess with you
You like the way she moves, you like to watch her walk
You better listen up, 'cause man this ain't just talk
You better watch your step, you better stay in line

THUNDER ROAD

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 on down the tracks
Oh oh come take my hand
Riding out tonight to case the promised land
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 Thunder Road, sit tight take hold
Thunder Road

Well I got this guitar
And I 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.

Available on Born to Run
THUNDERCRACK

Her brains they rattle and her bones they shake
Whoah, she's an angel from the Innerlake

Thundercrack, baby's back
This time she'll tell me how she really feels
Bring me down to her lightning shack
You can watch my partner reelin'

CHORUS
She moves up, she moves back
Out on the floor there just is no one cleaner
She does this thing she calls the "Jump back Jack"
She's got the heart of a ballerina

She's straight from the Bronx
Hung off the line
She slips, she slides, she slops, she bops, she bumps, she grinds
Even them dance hall hacks
From the west side of the tracks
Move in close to catch her timin'

CHORUS

She ain't no little girl, she ain't got no curls
Her hair ain't brown, and her eyes ain't either
Round and round and round and round

My heart's wood, she's a carpenter
She's an angel in the night, what she does is alright
Dance with me, partner, dance with me, partner
Dance with me, partner, 'til the dawn

Thundercrack, baby's back
This time she'll tell me how she really feels
Bring me down to her lightning shack
You can watch my partner reelin'
CHORUS

She ain't no little girl, she ain't got no curls
Her hair ain't brown, and her eyes ain't either
Round and round and round and round

My heart's wood, she's a carpenter
She's an angel in the night, what she does is alright
Dance with me, partner, dance with me, partner
Dance with me, partner, all night

TOKYO

The moon hung like a shadow on a rung over Shanghai
And the soldier boys were returning home screaming "Bonzai!"
And the kids are still playing their games,
Getting hustled and rustled out in the rain
As I sat inside listening to the broadcast.
Oh save my soul sweet rock and roll 'cuz I'm sinking fast.

And then the band played.
(Out of nowhere)
(Everybody)
(Everybody)

Well now the legendary chaplain of the fighting 51st
Was getting ready to go.
I said "Padre do you know a cheap virgin who likes to tango?"
He said "You can try Linda Lee;
Around the corner and across the sea.
Oh word is out, word is out she's fast."
Oh blow me down now Linda, 'cuz I'm sinking fast.

Yes and them cats are sure getting fat down in the trainyard.
And the sandman brings them dreams they ship out in boxcars.
The union says hold; break out the dice, break out the gold.
It's lunchtime at last.
And old big mama said George Raff's tonight on the late show.
She sits straddling the kitchen chair really gung-ho
She shivers with chills, wet with slotcar thrills
Hypnotically lost in the glass

And we all sighed...
With the sunrise
As we watched the credits pass.
And the little blue dot went away.

And then the morning cloak fell down like a hoax over sleepytown
And garbage truck Big Lenny's out drinking the last round
He hurriedly sipped his beer, and poking fun of the queer
And threatened to kick his ass.

And the bell rang
And the horn blows
And he's outside pumping gas
But things were moving so slow tonight
So the kid goes back inside the station
And turns on the radio to his local AM station

And the band played
Right on the radio
It's on the radio
And he listened to the bass line
And the boys in the band sang
Whoa, whoa whoa-wo
Whoa, whoa whoa-wo
(They're so excited about it)
Whoa, whoa whoa-wo
(Everybody alright)
Whoa, whoa whoa-wo
(And the band played)
Whoa, whoa whoa-wo
(and the band played)
Whoa, whoa whoa-wo
(Everybody)
Whoa, whoa whoa-wo

Available on Before the Fame
TOUGHER THAN THE REST

Well It's Saturday night
you're all dressed up in blue
I been watching you awhile
maybe you been watching me too
So somebody ran out
left somebody's heart in a mess
Well if you're looking for love
honey I'm tougher than the rest

Some girls they want a handsome Dan
or some good-lookin' Joe on their arm
Some girls like a sweet-talkin' Romeo
Well 'round here baby
I learned you get what you can get
So if you're rough enough for love
honey I'm tougher than the rest

The road is dark
and it's a thin thin line
But I want you to know I'll walk it for you any time
Maybe your other boyfriends
couldn't pass the test
Well if you're rough and ready for love
honey I'm tougher than the rest

Well it ain't no secret
I've been around a time or two
Well I don't know baby maybe you've been around too
Well there's another dance
all you gotta do is say yes
And if you're rough and ready for love
honey I'm tougher than the rest
If you're rough enough for love
baby I'm tougher than the rest

Available on Tunnel of Love
TRAPPED

(Jimmy Cliff)

Well it seems like I'm caught up in your trap again
And it seems like I'll be wearin' the same ol' chains
Good will conquer evil and the truth will set you free
Then I know someday I'll find the key
Then I know somewhere I'll find the key
Well it seem like I've been playin' the game way too long
And it seems the game I played has made you strong
Well when the game is over, I won't walk out a loser
And I know that I'll walk out of here again
And I know that someday I'll walk out of here again

But now I'm trapped...Oh yeah!
Trapped...Oh yeah yeah!
Trapped...Oh yeah!
Trapped...Oh yeah!

Now it seems like I've been sleepin' in your bed too long
And it seems like you've been meanin' to do me harm
But I'll teach my eyes to see beyond these walls in front of me
And someday I'll walk out of here again
Yeah I know someday I'll walk out of here again

(Chorus)

Well it seem like I've been playin' the game way too long
And it seems the game I played has made you strong

Because I'm trapped...Oh yeah!
Trapped...Oh yeah yeah!
Trapped...Oh yeah yeah!
Trapped...Oh yeah!

I'm trapped...Oh yeah yeah!
Trapped...Oh yeah yeah
Trapped...Oh yeahhhhhh
Trapped....oh yeahhhh
I'm trapped.

This song is on the CD: "USA for Africa: We are the World"

TRAPPED AGAIN

Here I am baby, right where you found me
Trying to break these chains that surround me
If I look a little different, it's because I've changed
Half-painted pictures are all that remains

I can't let my past mistakes
Let 'em bring me down
I ain't waitin' on no angel of mercy
I've tried my best and I can't help myself

And I'm trapped again
And I can't get out without losing you
And I'm trapped again
Why can't you feel what I'm going through
I'm trapped again
I need an answer girl, can't you see
I'm trapped again
Come and rescue me

Monday morning came so fast
What a fool to think that dreams would last
Close my eyes and it's still so clear
Remember the night girl, the world disappeared

Can't let the hand of fate
Let it drag me down
I can't get no angel of mercy
I came to stay but I got swept away

And I'm trapped again
And I can't get out without losing you
And I'm trapped again
Why can't you feel what I'm going through
I'm trapped again

TROUBLE IN PARADISE

You do the drying, I'll do the dishes
Who'll do the crying when all the wishes don't come true
You do the washing, I'll do the folding
Whose heart is breaking
When whose arms are holding someone new
Sittin' ona peaceful lake sunnin'
Didn't hear the roar of the waterfall coming
When it's all a storybook story
When it's all so easy and nice
Here comes trouble in paradise

You did the dusting, I did the sweeping
You did the driving oh and I did the sleeping a little too long
On a picnic 'neath the sky so blue
We didn't see the rain and heartache coming through
When it's all an old black and white movie
And you're sure you've seen the ending twice
Here comes trouble in paradise

You sais everything was fine
I'm sorry, baby, I didn't see the signs
Oh so beautifully you read your lines
But in a play where the hero has no vice
And love comes without a price
So does trouble in paradise

Don't matter who did the dusting or who did the sweeping
Who did the trusting or who did the cheating when it's all gone
Laying in a field on a summer's day
Waitin'for those gary skies to clear away
Knowing all love's glory and beauty
Can vanish before you think twice
Leaving trouble in paradise

Now we share the laughing, we share the joking
We do the sleeping with one eye open

TROUBLE RIVER

There's a river runs through this valley
Cold and deep and black
Comin' like a tombstone shadow across my back

CHORUS
Trouble river, six foot high and risin
Trouble river, I can't keep from cryin'

I woke up last night shakin'
Shakin' from a dream
That all I seen was smiling faces staring back at me

CHORUS

Snakes crawling in the hi house
I'm stuck in muddy ground
Tonight I'm gonna shed this skin
And I'll be breathin' free air now

CHORUS

TUNNEL OF LOVE

Fat man sitting on a little stool
Takes the money from my hand while his eyes take a walk all over you
Hands me the ticket smiles and whispers good luck
Cuddle up angel cuddle up my little dove
We'll ride down baby into this tunnel of love

I can feel the soft silk of your blouse
And them soft thrills in our little fun house
Then the lights go out and it's just the three of us
You me and all that stuff we're so scared of
Gotta ride down baby into this tunnel of love

There's a crazy mirror showing us both in 5-D
I'm laughing at you you're laughing at me
There's a room of shadows that gets so dark brother
It's easy for two people to lose each other in this tunnel of love

it ought to be easy ought to be simple enough
Man meets woman and they fall in love
But the house is haunted and the ride gets rough
And you've got to learn to live with what you can't rise above if you want to ride on down in through this tunnel of love

Available on Tunnel of Love
TV MOVIE

I woke up last night shaking from a dream
Fot 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 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 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

TWO FACES

I met a girl and we ran away
I swore I'd make her happy every day
And how I made her cry
Two faces have I

Sometimes mister I feel sunny and wild
Lord I love to see my baby smile
Then dark clouds come rolling by
Two faces have I

One that laughs one that cries
One says hello one says goodbye
One does things I don't understand
Makes me feel like half a man

At night I get down on my knees and pray
Our love will make that other man go away
But he'll never say goodbye
Two faces have I

Last night as I kissed you 'neath the willow tree
He swore he'd take your love away from me
He said our life was just a lie
And two faces have I
Well go ahead and let him try

Available on Tunnel of Love
TWO 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 road

TWO HEARTS

I went out walking the other day
Seen a little girl crying along the way
She'd been hurt so bad said she'd never love again
Someday your crying girl will end
And you'll find once again

(Chorus)
Two hearts are better than one
Two hearts girl get the job done
Two hearts are better than one

Once I spent my time playing tough guy scenes
But I was living in a world of childish dreams
Someday these childish dreams must end
To become a man and grow up to dream again
Now I believe in the end

(Chorus)

Sometimes it might seem like it was planned
For you to roam empty hearted through this land
Though the world turns you hard and cold
There's one thing mister, that I know
That's if you think your heart is stone
And that you're rough enough to whip this world alone
Alone buddy there ain't no peace of mind
That's why I'll keep searching till I find my special one

(Chorus)

Available on Live in New York City
TWO HEARTS IN TRUE WALTZ TIME

Well the first frame finds her running
But the night pushes her deep within the tunnel
She camouflages herself in dayglo paint
And she sings her love songs through a funnel
And she clings to the walls like a cat who calls
The shots for life and for death
Wearing nothing but the make-up she uses
To try and cover up for herself
Well if she can't hide her sword
She gives no terms for surrender
'Cause she's living the Third World War

The Tunnel Police, they steadily increase
The search for where she hides her kid
She swings on a vine across the State Line
they measured the length of her skid
She never goes back to do something she didn't
Or undo something she did
Smoke streams from the street
And the night is complete
With a long and fiery belch
She's just another Orphan Annie cartoon and a Raquel Welch

She rides like Caesar, brandishing a whip
On the hood of his squad car
As the siren wails she silently sails
Leaving footprints in the tar
Oh she breaks with the dawn
And by morning she's gone
Leaving nothing but another night
She returns to her home
Like a dog returns to a bone
Another unsatisfied wife

And there's little Booth
Secure from the truth
He wants her more than he's got the guts to say
'Cause as she needs to be real
He needs to conceal
The realness of his place
So he sings a little song
And in a chiffon sarong
She performs a black ballet in space
But she's another flop with a fancy name
And he's just another cop with a pretty face
So together they commit the ultimate crime
Two hearts locked in true waltz time