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)
Code Of Silence
Bruce Springsteen Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
There's a wall between and the river's deep
We keep pretending that there's nothing wrong
But there's a code of silence and it can't go on
Is the truth so elusive, so elusive you see
that it ain't enough baby
To bridge the distance between you and me
There's a code of silence and it can't go on
Well you walk with your eyes open
But your lips they remain sealed
While the promises we made are broken
Beneath the truth we fear to reveal
Now I need to know now darlin'
I need to know what's goin' on so c'mon
Well you walk with your eyes open
But your lips they remain sealed
While the promises we made are broken
Beneath the truth we fear to reveal
Now I need to know now darlin'
I need to know what's goin' on so c'mon
There's a code of silence that we don't dare speak
There's a wall between and the river's deep
We keep pretending that there's nothing wrong
But there's a code of silence and it can't go on
The song "Code of Silence" by Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band is a powerful commentary on the importance of honesty in relationships. The opening lines of the song describe a "code of silence" that exists between the singer and his partner, suggesting that there are issues that they are both aware of but are avoiding addressing. The "wall" between them and the "deep river" suggest that their relationship is in danger of collapsing, but they continue to pretend that everything is fine. This theme is reinforced throughout the song, particularly in the second verse where the singer describes the distance between them as being too great to bridge, despite a "list of grievances 100 miles long."
The chorus is particularly impactful, emphasizing the urgency of the situation and the need for the code of silence to be broken. The repetition of the refrain "there's a code of silence and it can't go on" underscores the necessity of honesty and transparency in any relationship.
Line by Line Meaning
There's a code of silence that we don't dare speak
There's a tacit agreement to keep silent and not share the truth.
There's a wall between and the river's deep
There's an insurmountable obstacle that separates us, making it difficult to reveal the truth.
We keep pretending that there's nothing wrong
We continue to behave as if everything is perfectly fine, even though we know it's not.
But there's a code of silence and it can't go on
The secrecy and avoidance can't continue indefinitely, as it's preventing us from addressing the underlying problems.
Is the truth so elusive, so elusive you see
Is the reality so hard to find, difficult to discern for you?
that it ain't enough baby
that what we have now isn't sufficient to fix our issues.
To bridge the distance between you and me
To overcome the divide between us and our respective perspectives.
There's a list of grievance 100 miles long
There's a multitude of wrongs and injustices that have been done, causing hurt and resentment.
Well you walk with your eyes open
You're aware of what's going on around you.
But your lips they remain sealed
Despite your awareness, you're choosing to keep your thoughts to yourself instead of speaking up.
While the promises we made are broken
Our commitments to one another have been disregarded or unfulfilled.
Beneath the truth we fear to reveal
We're hesitant to expose the reality, as we're afraid of how the other person will react.
Now I need to know now darlin'
I'm desperate to find out the truth, my love.
I need to know what's goin' on so c'mon
It's time to come clean and share what's really happening between us.
There's a code of silence that we don't dare speak
There's a tacit agreement to keep silent and not share the truth.
There's a wall between and the river's deep
There's an insurmountable obstacle that separates us, making it difficult to reveal the truth.
We keep pretending that there's nothing wrong
We continue to behave as if everything is perfectly fine, even though we know it's not.
But there's a code of silence and it can't go on
The secrecy and avoidance can't continue indefinitely, as it's preventing us from addressing the underlying problems.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN, JOE GRUSHECKY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind