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)
Cautious Man
Bruce Springsteen Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
He walked lookin' over his shoulder and remained faithful to its code
When something caught his eye he'd measure his need
And then very carefully he'd proceed
Billy met a young girl in the early days of May
It was there in her arms he let his cautiousness slip away
In their lovers twilight as the evening sky grew dim
On his right hand Billy tattooed the word love and on his left hand was the word fear
And in which hand he held his fate was never clear
Come Indian summer he took his young lover for his bride
And with his own hands built a great house down by the riverside
Now Billy was an honest man he wanted to do what was right
He worked hard to fill their lives with happy days and loving nights
Alone on his knees in the darkness for steadiness he'd pray
For he knew in a restless heart the seed of betrayal lay
One night Billy awoke from a terrible dream callin' his wife's name
She lay breathing beside him in a peaceful sleep, a thousand miles away
He got dressed in the moonlight and down to the highway he strode
When he got there he didn't find nothing but road
Billy felt a coldness rise up inside him that he couldn't name
Just as the words tattooed 'cross his knuckles he knew would always remain
At their bedside he brushed the hair from his wife's face as the moon shone on her skin so white
Filling their room with the beauty of God's fallen light
Bruce Springsteen's "Cautious Man" tells the story of a man named Bill Horton who lived his life on the road and adhered to a strict code of caution. He meets a young girl in May and falls in love with her, slowly losing his sense of caution in their idyllic life together. They get married and build a house by the riverside, where Billy works hard to ensure that they have happy days and loving nights. However, in a restless heart, the seed of betrayal lay, and Billy was aware of this fact. After a terrible dream, he awakens and, in a state of panic, leaves his wife behind to walk down the empty highway. As he walks, Billy feels a coldness rise within him and comes to the realization that the words tattooed on his knuckles - love and fear - would always remain, and his fate remained unclear.
The lyrics to "Cautious Man" are poetic and tell a poignant story about the choices we make in life and how they can lead us down unexpected paths. The song explores themes of love, betrayal, and regret, as well as the fragility of human relationships. The lyrics beautifully capture the mood and atmosphere of the story, and Springsteen's distinct vocal delivery and instrumentation add to the emotional depth and complexity of the song.
Line by Line Meaning
Bill Horton was a cautious man of the road
Bill Horton was a careful traveler
He walked lookin' over his shoulder and remained faithful to its code
He always followed the rules and stayed alert for danger
When something caught his eye he'd measure his need
He was always calculating and cautious, evaluating whether he truly needed something or not
And then very carefully he'd proceed
He would only act after careful consideration and preparation
Billy met a young girl in the early days of May
Bill Horton fell in love with a girl in May
It was there in her arms he let his cautiousness slip away
He was able to let go of his cautious nature when he was with her
In their lovers twilight as the evening sky grew dim
They spent romantic evenings together
He'd lay back in her arms and laugh at what had happened to him
He found happiness and joy in their relationship and was grateful for it
On his right hand Billy tattooed the word love and on his left hand was the word fear
Billy symbolically marked his fear and love with tattoos
And in which hand he held his fate was never clear
It was unclear whether his love or his fear would ultimately guide his fate
Come Indian summer he took his young lover for his bride
In the fall, he married his young love
And with his own hands built a great house down by the riverside
He built a home for them with his own hands
Now Billy was an honest man he wanted to do what was right
Billy was a morally upright man who always strived to do the right thing
He worked hard to fill their lives with happy days and loving nights
Billy put in effort to make their life together happy and love-filled
Alone on his knees in the darkness for steadiness he'd pray
He would pray for strength and guidance in the dark moments when he was alone
For he knew in a restless heart the seed of betrayal lay
He was aware that temptation could lead him to betrayal
One night Billy awoke from a terrible dream callin' his wife's name
One night, he had a horrible dream about his wife
She lay breathing beside him in a peaceful sleep, a thousand miles away
But in reality, she was sleeping peacefully next to him
He got dressed in the moonlight and down to the highway he strode
He left the house in the middle of the night, likely feeling restless and anxious
When he got there he didn't find nothing but road
He found nothing but an empty road, which may have symbolized his feeling of emptiness or confusion
Billy felt a coldness rise up inside him that he couldn't name
He was feeling a sense of emptiness or numbness that he couldn't explain
Just as the words tattooed 'cross his knuckles he knew would always remain
The tattoos on his hands were a constant reminder of his fear and love
At their bedside he brushed the hair from his wife's face as the moon shone on her skin so white
He returned home and lovingly looked at his wife while the moonlight shined on her
Filling their room with the beauty of God's fallen light
The moonlight was a beautiful reminder of the light and beauty in the world
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind