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)
I Fought The Law
Bruce Springsteen Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I fought the law and the law won
I fougth the law and the law won
I needed money 'cause I had none
I fought the law and the law won
I fought the law and the law won
I guess my race is run
She was the best girl that I ever had
I fought the law and the law won
I fought the law and the law won
Robbin' people with a six-gun
I fought the law and the law won
I fought the law and the law won
I miss my baby and the good fun
I fought the law and the law won
I fought the law and the law won
I miss my baby and I feel so bad
I guess my race is run
She was the best girl that I ever had
I fought the law and the law won
I fought the law and the law won
Bruce Springsteen's cover of the classic song "I Fought The Law" tells the story of a man who finds himself facing the consequences of his actions. The song begins with him doing hard labor in the hot sun, implying that he is serving time in prison for breaking the law. He continues to sing about how he fought the law and how he ultimately lost, suggesting a sense of defiance and regret.
As the song progresses, he reveals that his motivation for breaking the law was a lack of money. He also expresses his sadness at missing his girlfriend, who was the best he ever had. However, the consequences of his actions have led to his "race being run," suggesting that there is no turning back for him.
The song is a classic example of the Rock and Roll genre, with its up-tempo beat, catchy guitar riffs, and energetic vocals. The lyrics tell a story that is relatable to many people who have found themselves in trouble with the law, and the song's popularity has endured over the years.
Line by Line Meaning
Breakin' rocks in the hot sun
I was forced to do hard labor under the scorching sun.
I fought the law and the law won
I attempted to defy the legal system and failed.
I needed money 'cause I had none
I was financially struggling and needed to resort to drastic measures.
I miss my baby and I feel so bad
I deeply regret my actions and am pained by the absence of my loved one.
I guess my race is run
I have hit a point of no return in my situation.
She was the best girl that I ever had
My partner was a valuable and irreplaceable presence in my life.
Robbin' people with a six-gun
I resorted to armed robbery as a means of obtaining money.
I miss my baby and the good fun
I miss the joyful moments shared with my loved one.
Contributed by Maya O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
jgm4661
This is probably the most heartfelt sung version of this song next to Bobby Fuller who sings it like he is in jail. The guitars also recall Fuller too. The Clash and Green Day are albeit slightly edgier versions for the punks but nonetheless equally as good. Actually I don't think there is a bad version of this song!
Alex Winter
I do like this version - real nod to the Bobby Fuller version. The Clash live is probably my number 1.
Ciarán O h-Eanaigh
I saw the gig on 2nd June 1981 at Wembley and they played this song for an encore with Link Wray joining them on guitar. It was like a Wow moment!!
jgm4661
Link Wray always shows up in some of the coolest corners of rock. He was great w Robert Gordon for years too
Fernando Rosas
Bruce es el Rock en si mismo.
anella d'ambrosio
C'è tanta vita in questa canzone! E bellissima!! 🙋😅💃💃💃🕺🕺😍😍😘😘💘♥️💔💯
Pasquale Camilli
grande Bruce
Checogger
Do you have more "i fought the law" versions from the 80's? Thanks for sharing this!
Connors’ Rockin’ Collection
No I don’t, but there’s this: https://youtu.be/mqGr-eXCLY8
Mx Schrtt
Thanks for the share! do you have "The River" from this show