From Small Things
Bruce Springsteen Lyrics

Ah one two three four, one two three four
The song starts with a count-in before the first verse.

At sixteen she quit high school
The singer dropped out of high school at the age of sixteen.

To make a fortune in the promised land
She left home with hopes of finding a better life elsewhere.

She got a job behind the counter
She found employment working at a 24-hour hamburger restaurant.

In an all-night hamburger stand
The restaurant she worked at was open twenty-four hours a day.

She wrote faithfully home to Mama
She sent regular letters to her mother to update her on her life.

Now Mama don't you worry none
She reassured her mother that everything was okay.

From small things Mama, big things one day come
She tells her mother that while things may seem difficult now, she believes that great things will come in the future.

It was late one Friday
One Friday night, when she was working at the restaurant.

He pulled in outta the dark
A man arrived at the restaurant when it was already dark outside.

He was tall and handsome
The man who arrived was physically attractive.

First she took his order, then she took his heart
They started an intimate relationship after he became a regular customer at the restaurant.

They bought a house on the hillside
They purchased a home on a hill overlooking the surrounding area.

Where little feet soon would rock
They planned to have children who would grow up in that house.

Oh, but love is fleeting
Love can disappear suddenly and unexpectedly.

It's sad but true
It's unfortunate, but that's the way things are.

When your heart is bleeding
When you're emotionally hurt and vulnerable.

You don't want to hear the news
You don't want to hear anything negative or upsetting at that time.

She packed her bags
She left her home and belongings behind.

And with a Wyoming County Real Estate man
She left with a man from a real estate company in Wyoming County.

She went down to Tampa
She moved to Tampa, Florida.

In an Eldorado Grand
She traveled there in a luxurious Cadillac Eldorado Grand car.

She wrote back dear mama
She continued to write letters to her mother.

Life is just heaven in the sun
She tells her mother that life in Tampa is wonderful, especially in the sunshine.

Well, she shot him dead on a sunny Florida road
She killed her lover on a bright and sunny road in Florida.

And when they caught her all she said
When she was captured by the authorities, this was what she told them.

Was she couldn't stand the way he drove
She claimed that the reason she killed him was because she disliked the way he drove.

Back home, dear Johnny prays for his Betty's parole
Her former lover Johnny prays for her release from prison.

He waits high on the hillside where the lonely waters roll
He waits for her on a hill overlooking the water, feeling isolated and despondent.

At his feet and almost grown now
Their children, who are nearly adults, sit at his feet.

Blue eyed daughter and a handsome son
Their children include a blue-eyed daughter and a good-looking son.

Well from small things Mama, big things one day come
The song ends with a repetition of the chorus, reiterating the message that great things can come from humble beginnings.