In 1973, Springsteen released his first two albums, Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J. and The Wild, the Innocent & the E Street Shuffle, neither of which earned him a large audience. He changed his style and reached worldwide popularity with Born to Run in 1975. It was followed by Darkness on the Edge of Town (1978) and The River (1980), which topped the US Billboard 200 chart. After the solo recording, Nebraska (1982), he reunited with the E Street Band for Born in the U.S.A. (1984), his most commercially successful album and one of the best-selling albums of all time. Seven of its singles reached the Top Ten of the Billboard Hot 100, including the title track. Springsteen recorded his next three albums, Tunnel of Love (1987), Human Touch (1992), and Lucky Town (1992) using mostly session musicians. He reassembled the E Street Band for 1995's Greatest Hits, then recorded the sparse acoustic The Ghost of Tom Joad, followed by the EP Blood Brothers (1996), his last release of the decade.
Springsteen dedicated his 2002 album The Rising to the victims of the September 11 attacks. He released two more folk albums, Devils & Dust (2005) and We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions (2006), followed by two more albums with the E Street Band: Magic (2007) and Working on a Dream (2009). The next two, Wrecking Ball (2012) and High Hopes (2014), topped album charts worldwide. His latest releases include the solo Western Stars (2019), the E Street Band-featuring Letter to You (2020) and a solo cover album Only the Strong Survive (2022). When Letter to You went to No.2 in the US, Springsteen became the first artist to score a Top Five hit across six consecutive decades.
Among the album era's prominent acts, Springsteen has sold more than 140 million records worldwide and more than 71 million in the United States, making him one of the world's best-selling music artists. He has earned numerous awards for his work, including 20 Grammy Awards, two Golden Globes, an Academy Award, and a Special Tony Award (for Springsteen on Broadway). Springsteen was inducted into both the Songwriters Hall of Fame and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1999, received the Kennedy Center Honors in 2009, named MusiCares person of the year in 2013, and awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Barack Obama in 2016. He ranked 23rd on Rolling Stone's list of the Greatest Artists of All Time, which described him as being "the embodiment of rock & roll".
Full Wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bruce_Springsteen
Studio albums
Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J. (1973)
The Wild, the Innocent & the E Street Shuffle (1973)
Born to Run (1975)
Darkness on the Edge of Town (1978)
The River (1980)
Nebraska (1982)
Born in the U.S.A. (1984)
Tunnel of Love (1987)
Human Touch (1992)
Lucky Town (1992)
The Ghost of Tom Joad (1995)
The Rising (2002)
Devils & Dust (2005)
We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions (2006)
Magic (2007)
Working on a Dream (2009)
Wrecking Ball (2012)
High Hopes (2014)
Western Stars (2019)
Letter to You (2020)
Only the Strong Survive (2022)
A Night With The Jersey Devil
Bruce Springsteen Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I was born 13th child, 'neath the 13th moon
Spit out all hungry and born anew
Daddy drag me to the river tie me in rocks, throw me in where it's deep and wide
I go down, I don't die
Hole in the river bottom, I crawl through
Come back, kill six brothers and sisters, kill papa too
Sway down Mama, sway down low
They gonna know me wherever I go
Into my bed with her kerosene my mama creep
Set my flesh to burning, whilst I sleep
I burn, burn, burn, till my soul burn black
Black rains fall, I come back, I come back
Get down Mama, get down low
They gonna know me wherever I go
16 witches, cast 16 spells
Make me a guitar outta skin and human skull
Sing you a song like the wind in the sandy loam
Bring you, baby, out your happy home
Ram's head, forked tail
Clove hoof, love's my trail
I sup on your body, sip on your blood like wine
Out world theirs, this world mine
So kiss me, baby, till it hurts
God lost in heaven, we lost on earth
Sway down Mama, sway down low
They gonna know me wherever I go
Wherever I go, wherever I go
Well I got a brand new lover, I love her yes I do
She's my one and only and her name is Baby Blue
Now baby-baby-baby, baby-baby, Baby Blue...
The lyrics of Bruce Springsteen's song "A Night with the Jersey Devil" depict the story of a supernatural creature with a twisted and dark past. The creature was born as the 13th child under the 13th moon and was left to die in the river by his father. However, the creature does not die and crawls through a hole in the river bottom. The creature later returns to kill his six brothers and sisters along with his father. The creature seems invincible as it does not die even after thrown in the river and retains a thirst for revenge.
In the second verse, the singer recalls how his mother sets him on fire with kerosene while he sleeps. He burns and burns until his soul turns black, but he is born again when the black rain falls. The singer, now transformed into a supernatural being, faces no threat from fire and water. The third verse follows the creature's journey, where it encounters 16 witches and gets a guitar made out of human skin and skull. The creature sings a haunting song to appeal to his victims while sipping on their blood, depicting his gruesome and violent ways.
The lyrics are symbolic of the primal and feral aspects of human nature. At the same time, they portray the darker side of the human psyche through the eyes of a supernatural creature. Springsteen's songwriting powerfully translates the creature's story into a captivating and thrilling song that leaves the listener with chills.
Line by Line Meaning
Hear me now!
I have a story to tell and I want everyone to listen.
I was born 13th child, 'neath the 13th moon
I was born under mysterious and unlucky circumstances.
Spit out all hungry and born anew
I was born hungry for life and eager to experience everything.
Daddy drag me to the river tie me in rocks, throw me in where it's deep and wide
My father tried to kill me by throwing me into a river.
I go down, I don't die
I survived against all odds.
Hole in the river bottom, I crawl through
I emerged from the river, but changed forever.
Come back, kill six brothers and sisters, kill papa too
I came back from the dead with dark powers and used them to exact revenge on my family.
Sway down Mama, sway down low
I am powerful and dangerous, and even my mother should bow down to me.
They gonna know me wherever I go
People are going to hear about my evil deeds and fear me.
Into my bed with her kerosene my mama creep
Even my own mother tried to kill me.
Set my flesh to burning, whilst I sleep
She tried to burn me alive while I was asleep.
I burn, burn, burn, till my soul burn black
Her actions left me scarred and filled with darkness.
Black rains fall, I come back, I come back
I came back from the darkness even stronger than before.
16 witches, cast 16 spells
I enlisted the help of dark magic to increase my power.
Make me a guitar outta skin and human skull
I created an instrument of terror from the remains of my enemies.
Sing you a song like the wind in the sandy loam
I use my dark powers to create music that haunts and terrifies.
Bring you, baby, out your happy home
I will come for your loved ones and bring them into a world of darkness.
Ram's head, forked tail
I have taken on the appearance of the devil himself.
Clove hoof, love's my trail
My only path is one of destruction and evil.
I sup on your body, sip on your blood like wine
I consume the life force of my victims to fuel my dark powers.
Out world theirs, this world mine
The world of the living belongs to the weak, but the world of the dead belongs to me.
So kiss me, baby, till it hurts
I will seduce and corrupt anyone who comes close to me.
God lost in heaven, we lost on earth
We live in a world where even the gods have abandoned us to the darkness.
Well I got a brand new lover, I love her yes I do
Despite everything, I have found love in my life.
She's my one and only and her name is Baby Blue
I will do anything to protect and keep my love safe, even if it means committing terrible acts.
Now baby-baby-baby, baby-baby, Baby Blue...
My love is the only thing that keeps me grounded and sane in this dark world.
Contributed by Ian P. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Martha Langston
The song was released as a download-only single, accompanied by a video, on October 31, 2008 as a "Halloween treat" on the artist's website. This release featured a handwritten note by Springsteen:
Dear Friends and Fans,
if you grew up in central or south Jersey, you grew up with the "Jersey Devil."
Here's a little musical Halloween treat. Have fun!
- Bruce Springsteen
The video is included the deluxe edition DVD of his Working on a Dream album, which is currently the only official physical release of the song. It is a blues tune with bullet mic vocals, including portions of the Gene Vincent 1958 song "Baby Blue" (specifically, one verse - featured here as the last verse), and therefore Springsteen shares the song's writing credits with the two co-writers of "Baby Blue", Robert Jones and Gene Vincent.
Springsteen's lyrics tell the story of a legendary creature known as the "Jersey Devil"; in 1735 a woman called "Mother Leeds" gave birth to her 13th child, who metamorphosed into an evil creature with bat wings, forked feet and a horse's head; because of this, his parents threw him in a river where he drowned and now haunts the Pine Barrens in New Jersey.
The song was released on 7" vinyl along with "What Love Can Do" on April 18, 2009 as part of the Record Store Day promotion
AnimalChiko
The most badass-awesome-thing I've ever seen in my whole life! The fuzz guitar, the harsh harmonica and The Boss's killer voice, just honorable!
3deryk
can't believe i haven't heard this track before! that's one of his best clips! freaking brilliant!!!
Gary Gumanow
Been a Bruce fan since 1973. I wished we had more of this side.
Scorbunny Plays
I just read the comments here and so many of them are my exact same thoughts!!! This man gave us 4 hours and 4 minutes in Philly and then mere weeks later this? Can you say AMAZING?!?!?!?! Thank God he uses his gift for good!!!!
joethehunter
most badass blues style song ever
David Karlberg
The coolest Bruce Springsteen video ever!!
MYTHIC WRITER
From the first time to this time to every time I experience this, it stirs my soul and chills my bones, and proves that Bruce Springsteen is the coolest man who ever lived.
kman91
as a Horror movie fan and a bruce springsteen fan this is the best video ever
MYTHIC WRITER
I agree. When I first popped this baby in, it came with a Cd of his, I almost fell on the floor, I was just blown away by the filming, the acting, the music, the theme of the song. Plus living in the Northeast myself, I am familiar with the legend of the Jersey Devil. Bruce is the king of cool. if I could meet him, my life would be complete. He is amazing in concert.
Aaron Gillie
HAPPY HALLOWEEN! Straight from Bruce Springsteen, the most badass man alive!