Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen (born September 23, 1949) is an American… Read Full Bio ↴Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen (born September 23, 1949) is an American singer and songwriter. He has released 21 studio albums, most of which feature his backing band, the E Street Band. Originally from the Jersey Shore, he is an originator of heartland rock, combining mainstream rock musical styles with narrative songs about working class American life. Nicknamed "the Boss", his career has spanned six decades. Springsteen is known for his poetic, socially conscious lyrics and energetic stage performances, sometimes lasting up to four hours.

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)

In Freehold
Bruce Springsteen Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

I was born right here on Randolph Street in Freehold
Here, right behind that big red maple in Freehold
Well, I went to school right here, got laid, and had my first beer in Freehold
Well, my folks both lived and worked right here in Freehold
I remember running up the street past the convent and church here in Freehold
Chased my daddy down in these bars, first fell in love with this guitar
Here in Freehold

Well, I had my first kiss at the YMCA canteen on Friday night
Maria Espinosa, tell me, where are you tonight
You were 13 but way ahead of your time, I walked home with a limp but I felt
Fine that night in Freehold
Well, the girls at Freehold Regional they looked pretty fine
Had my heart broke at least a half dozen times
I wonder if they miss me, if they still get the itch
If they'd dump me if they knew I'd strike it rich
Straight out of Freehold

Well, Tex rest in peace, and Marion gave us kids a hand in Freehold
George and I started up a little rock and roll band in Freehold
Well, we learned pretty quick how to rock, I'll never forget the feeling
Of that first 5 bucks in my pocket that I earned in Freehold
I got outta here really hard and fast in Freehold
Everyone wanted to kick my ass back there in Freehold
Well, if you were different, black or brown
It was a bit of a redneck town back then in Freehold

Well, something broke my daddy's back in Freehold
In '69 he left and he never come back to Freehold
Said, once he drove to California, 3000 miles in 3 days
Called my relatives some dirty names and drove straight out of Freehold

My sister had her first little baby at 17 in Freehold
Well, people they can be pretty mean
Honey, you had a rough road to go, but you ain't made of nothin' but soul
I love you more than you'll ever know
We both survived Freehold

Well, my buddy Mike, he's the mayor now in Freehold
I remember when we used to have a lot more hair in Freehold
Well, I left and swore I'd never walk these streets again, Jack
Tonight all I can say is, holy shit I'm back, back in Freehold
Well, this summer everything was green in Freehold
Rode my kids on the fire engine through the streets of Freehold
I showed 'em where Daddy was born and raised, and first felt the sun on his face
There in Freehold
I still got a lot of good friends right here in town
I can usually find me a free beer somewhere, with offers of free meals I am blessed
Should I go crazy, blow all my money and ruin my life
Well at least I'll never go hungry, I guess, here in Freehold

Well, I got a good Catholic education here in Freehold
Led to an awful lot of masturbation here in Freehold
Father, it was just something I did for a smile
Hell, I still get a good one off once in a while
And dedicate it to Freehold
Don't get me wrong, I ain't puttin' nobody down
Hell, in the end it all just goes and comes around

It's one hell of a town
Freehold

Overall Meaning

The song "In Freehold" by Bruce Springsteen is an autobiographical tribute to his hometown of Freehold, New Jersey. The lyrics describe various milestones and memories from his childhood and teenage years in the town. From his birth on Randolph Street to his first kiss at the YMCA canteen, Springsteen paints a vivid picture of Freehold and the people and places that shaped his early life. He also touches on some of the town's less desirable traits, such as its redneck mentality and the hardship experienced by his family. The song ends with Springsteen's return to Freehold as a successful musician, reflecting on the fond memories and lifelong friendships he has made in the town.

The song reflects Springsteen's deep connection to Freehold and the influence it had on his music. It's a reminder that despite his fame and success, he has not forgotten his roots and the people and places that made him who he is today.

Line by Line Meaning

I was born right here on Randolph Street in Freehold
I was born on Randolph Street in Freehold

Here, right behind that big red maple in Freehold
I was born right behind that big red maple in Freehold

Well, I went to school right here, got laid, and had my first beer in Freehold
I went to school in Freehold and had my first sexual experience and beer here

Well, my folks both lived and worked right here in Freehold
My parents both lived and worked in Freehold

I remember running up the street past the convent and church here in Freehold
I remember running up the street past the convent and church in Freehold

Chased my daddy down in these bars, first fell in love with this guitar Here in Freehold
I chased my father down in bars and fell in love with playing guitar for the first time here in Freehold

Well, I had my first kiss at the YMCA canteen on Friday night
I had my first kiss at the YMCA canteen on a Friday night

Maria Espinosa, tell me, where are you tonight
I wonder where Maria Espinosa is tonight

You were 13 but way ahead of your time, I walked home with a limp but I felt Fine that night in Freehold
Maria was only 13 but very advanced for her age. Even though I walked home with a limp, that night in Freehold felt great

Well, the girls at Freehold Regional they looked pretty fine
The girls at Freehold Regional looked good

Had my heart broke at least a half dozen times
My heart was broken at least six times

I wonder if they miss me, if they still get the itch If they'd dump me if they knew I'd strike it rich
I wonder if those girls miss me and if they'd leave me if they knew I became wealthy

Well, Tex rest in peace, and Marion gave us kids a hand in Freehold
Tex passed away and Marion helped us kids in Freehold

George and I started up a little rock and roll band in Freehold
George and I started a small rock and roll band in Freehold

Well, we learned pretty quick how to rock, I'll never forget the feeling Of that first 5 bucks in my pocket that I earned in Freehold
We learned how to rock quickly and I'll never forget the feeling of earning my first $5 in Freehold

I got outta here really hard and fast in Freehold
I left Freehold quickly and urgently

Everyone wanted to kick my ass back there in Freehold
Everyone in Freehold wanted to harm me

Well, if you were different, black or brown It was a bit of a redneck town back then in Freehold
Freehold was a somewhat intolerant town for those who were different, including Black and Brown people

Well, something broke my daddy's back in Freehold
Something happened that hurt my father so much that he left Freehold in 1969 and never returned

In '69 he left and he never come back to Freehold
In 1969, my father left Freehold and never returned

Said, once he drove to California, 3000 miles in 3 days Called my relatives some dirty names and drove straight out of Freehold
My father said that he drove to California once, covering 3000 miles in three days. He then insulted some relatives and drove out of Freehold

My sister had her first little baby at 17 in Freehold
My sister had her first child at the age of 17 in Freehold

Well, people they can be pretty mean Honey, you had a rough road to go, but you ain't made of nothin' but soul I love you more than you'll ever know We both survived Freehold
People can be cruel. My sister had a difficult time, but she is built on a foundation of resilience and I love her deeply. We both survived growing up in Freehold

Well, my buddy Mike, he's the mayor now in Freehold
My friend Mike is now the mayor of Freehold

I remember when we used to have a lot more hair in Freehold
I remember when my friend Mike and I had more hair in Freehold

Well, I left and swore I'd never walk these streets again, Jack Tonight all I can say is, holy shit I'm back, back in Freehold
I left Freehold and made a promise never to return. But tonight, all I can say is that I'm back, back in Freehold

Well, this summer everything was green in Freehold
This summer, everything in Freehold was lush and green

Rode my kids on the fire engine through the streets of Freehold
I took my children on a ride through the streets of Freehold on a fire engine

I showed 'em where Daddy was born and raised, and first felt the sun on his face There in Freehold
I showed my children where I was born, grew up, and felt the sun on my face in Freehold

I still got a lot of good friends right here in town I can usually find me a free beer somewhere, with offers of free meals I am blessed Should I go crazy, blow all my money and ruin my life Well at least I'll never go hungry, I guess, here in Freehold
I still have many good friends in town and can usually find a free meal and beer. Even if I go crazy, blow my money, and ruin my life, I won't go hungry, I guess, here in Freehold

Well, I got a good Catholic education here in Freehold Led to an awful lot of masturbation here in Freehold Father, it was just something I did for a smile Hell, I still get a good one off once in a while And dedicate it to Freehold
I have received a good Catholic education in Freehold, which led to a lot of masturbation. Father, it's just something I did for pleasure. Even now, I still do it occasionally and attribute it to Freehold

Don't get me wrong, I ain't puttin' nobody down Hell, in the end it all just goes and comes around It's one hell of a town Freehold
I'm not criticizing anyone. In the end, everything comes full circle. It's one remarkable town: Freehold

Contributed by Christian W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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