Don't Look Back
Bruce Springsteen Lyrics


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Cold rain running down the front of my shirt
I'm flat on my back wheels in the dirt
Angel makes her face up out on Baker Street
She's straddling the shifter in my front seat
There's nothing to lose, it's a heartbreak
The deck's stacked
So put your foot to the floor and darling don't look back
We're making night tracks through the blazing rain
Blowin' pistons, workin' the fast lane
Red line burnin', pocket's full of cash
Angel writes her name in lipstick on my dash
There's nothing to lose
It's a bad break but baby we're backed
Tonight we'll blow off the doors and honey we won't look back
We held it in our hearts in the pourin' rain
We made it through the heart of a hurricane
We tore it apart and put it together again

Well angel, won't you believe in love for me
C'mon and meet me tonight, darling, out in the street
We'll move with the city in the dark
You got to walk, it talk, it in your heart
There's nothin' to lose it's a heartache
The deck's stacked
So put your foot to the floor, darling
Tonight we'll blow off the doors, baby




We're gonna even the score
And honey we won't look back

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band's song Don't Look Back are a poetic journey into a night of wild abandon, where the need to escape and to live in the moment is palpable. The opening lines of the song set the tone for the restless urgency that pervades the rest of the lyrics. The image of the singer lying on his back with his wheels in the dirt and the cold rain running down the front of his shirt creates an immediate sense of disorientation and vulnerability. However, this sense of weakness is soon overshadowed by the arrival of his companion Angel, who straddles the shifter in his front seat.


As they speed through the night, defying the odds and the rules, the lyrics describe the novelty and the danger of the situation. Red line burnin', pocket's full of cash/ Angel writes her name in lipstick on my dash are lines that paint a picture of the reckless exhilaration of the moment. The repetition of There's nothing to lose, it's a heartbreak emphasizes the paradoxical nature of the situation. The singer and Angel are running away from something, yet they are fully aware that they are bound to crash and burn. And yet, they keep on going.


The final lines of the song are both a call to action and a declaration of intent: Angel, won't you believe in love for me/ C'mon and meet me tonight, darling, out in the street/ We'll move with the city in the dark/ You got to walk, it talk, it in your heart. They encapsulate the theme of the song, which is the need to seize the day and to live life to the fullest. The repetition of the line Honey we won't look back is a testament to the singer's optimism and courage, despite the fact that the odds are stacked against them.


Line by Line Meaning

Cold rain running down the front of my shirt
Raindrops falling on my chest, soaking my shirt


I'm flat on my back wheels in the dirt
I've been knocked down and my wheels are stuck in the muddy ground


Angel makes her face up out on Baker Street
A woman named Angel puts on makeup while on Baker Street


She's straddling the shifter in my front seat
Angel is sitting on the gear shift in the passenger seat of my car


There's nothing to lose, it's a heartbreak
We have nothing to lose, even though it's a painful experience


The deck's stacked
The odds are against us


So put your foot to the floor and darling don't look back
Drive fast and don't worry about what's behind us


We're making night tracks through the blazing rain
We're driving fast through the intense rain at night


Blowin' pistons, workin' the fast lane
Our car is accelerating quickly and we're driving in the fast lane


Red line burnin', pocket's full of cash
The engine is overheating and we have a lot of money on us


Angel writes her name in lipstick on my dash
Angel writes her name on my car's dashboard with lipstick


There's nothing to lose
We have nothing to lose


It's a bad break but baby we're backed
It's a difficult situation, but we have support


Tonight we'll blow off the doors and honey we won't look back
We are going to have a great time and not worry about what we leave behind


We held it in our hearts in the pourin' rain
We kept our love alive during a difficult time


We made it through the heart of a hurricane
We survived the worst part of a difficult situation


We tore it apart and put it together again
We went through a tough time, but came out stronger on the other side


Well angel, won't you believe in love for me
Angel, please have faith in our love


C'mon and meet me tonight, darling, out in the street
Let's meet up tonight and be together


We'll move with the city in the dark
We'll move around the city at night


You got to walk, it talk, it in your heart
You need to truly believe in something in order to make it work


Tonight we'll blow off the doors, baby
We're going all-out tonight


We're gonna even the score
We're going to make things right


And honey we won't look back
We're going to move forward and not dwell on the past




Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: KAYE L. LAWRENCE DUNHAM, JOHNNY MANDEL

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Most interesting comment from YouTube:

@gianrosa2909

Cold rain running down the front of my shirt
I'm flat on my back, wheels in the dirt
Angel makes her face up out on Baker Street
She's straddling the shifter in my front seat
There's nothing to lose, it's a heartbreak
The deck's stacked
Put your foot to the floor and darling don't look back

Making night tracks through the blazing rain
Blowin' dead pistons, workin' the fast lane
Red line burnin', pocket full of cash
Angel writes her name in lipstick on my dash
There's nothing to lose
It's a bad break baby we're backed
We'll blow off the doors and honey we won't look back
We held it in our heart in the pourin' rain
Made it through the heart of a hurricane
Tore it apart and put it together again

Angel, won't you believe in love for me
Meet me tonight, honey, out in the street
We'll move with the city in the dark
You got to walk it , talk it, in your heart
There's nothin' to lose it's a heartache
The deck's stacked
Put your foot to the floor, now darling
Blow off the doors, baby
We're even the score
We won't look back



All comments from YouTube:

@simonandrewx

Stevie is loving every second of this. He seems to giggle at the same points I did. Straddling the shifter in my front seat...

@jetawayjoe

An incredible performance of one of my favourite Springsteen songs, one that's often forgotten / overlooked. The E Street Band here, in their absolute prime, all coming together and vocally Bruce is superb. Max on the drums is a force to be reckoned with, and I love Clarence's sax getting louder and louder at the end. I cant get enough of this.

@cardiffst

Yet another masterclass from Max.

Wow.

@brandonrichard3634

Idk how Max can make that tiny kit sound so big. That man is a force to be reckoned with

@carlwest6447

The way The Big mans Sax starts to get louder and louder at the end . Best version i have heard (Awesome)

@gokhanpinar1547

Masterpiece from The Boss.

@giobabi

This is a fuckin awesome performance of a fuckin awesome song....

@connorsrockincollection2248

The boss performing some obscure outtake from “Darkness” with unrelenting passion

@butchie141

One of my favorite songs

@butchie141

One of my favorite songs straddling my shifter in my front seat ! Bet a lot of people have no idea what that means unless you own a pick up truck with a stick shift!! Then Bobby Jean and my all time favorite thunder road!!

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