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)
Last to Die
Bruce Springsteen Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
We marked Truth Or Consequences on our map
A voice drifted up from the radio
We saw the voice from long ago
[Chorus]
Who'll be the last to die for a mistake
The last to die for a mistake
Who'll be the last to die for a mistake
The kids asleep in the backseat
We're just countin' the miles you and me
We don't measure the blood we've drawn anymore
We just stack the bodies outside the door
The wise men were all fools
What to do
The sun sets in flames as the city burns
Another day gone down as the night turns
And I hold you here in my heart
As things fall apart
A downtown window flushed with light
Faces of the dead at five (faces of the dead at five)
A martyr's silent eyes
Petition the drivers as we pass by
Who'll be the last to die for a mistake
The last to die for a mistake
Whose blood will spill, whose heart will break
Who'll be the last to die
Who'll be the last to die for a mistake
The last to die for a mistake
Darlin' your tyrants and kings form the same fate
Strung up at your city gates
And you're the last to die for a mistake
The song "Last to Die" is a poignant response to the war in Iraq, written by Bruce Springsteen in 2007. The first verse sets the scene with the singer and someone they love, driving down the highway towards the town of Truth Or Consequences. The voice of a long-dead singer comes through the radio and the singer feels a connection to the past. The chorus asks the question of who will be the last to die for a mistake, a direct reference to the war in Iraq and the lives lost in what many saw as an unnecessary conflict.
The second verse continues the scene with the children asleep in the backseat and the passing miles. The singer reflects on the number of lives lost and the bodies that have piled up. The wise men have been shown to be fools as the world continues to descend into chaos. The sun sets over the burning city and the last line of the verse shows that love is still present, even as everything else falls apart.
The final verse is perhaps the most powerful. The image of a downtown window filled with light is juxtaposed with the faces of the dead at five. The martyrs "silent eyes" call out to the drivers as they pass by, asking the question of who will be the last to die for a mistake. The final lines show that even those in power will face the same fate as the tyrants and kings of the past, with the singer's love being the last to die.
Overall, "Last to Die" is a powerful anti-war song that speaks to the never-ending cycle of violence that plagues humanity. Springsteen's imagery and lyrics paint a picture of a bleak world, but the presence of love and connection show that all is not lost.
Line by Line Meaning
We took the highway till the road went black
We drove until our surroundings became pitch black.
We marked Truth Or Consequences on our map
We highlighted the town of Truth or Consequences on our map.
A voice drifted up from the radio
We heard a voice coming from the radio, faded and unclear.
We saw the voice from long ago
We recognized the voice from a long time ago.
Who'll be the last to die for a mistake
Who among us will be the final victim of an error?
The kids asleep in the backseat
The children are sound asleep in the back of the car.
We're just countin' the miles you and me
We're only keeping track of how much distance we've covered.
We don't measure the blood we've drawn anymore
We don't keep count of the violence we've caused.
We just stack the bodies outside the door
We simply leave the corpses outside.
The wise men were all fools
The intelligent people were all misled.
What to do
What should we do?
The sun sets in flames as the city burns
The city's flames cause the sun to appear as if it's on fire during sunset.
Another day gone down as the night turns
As the night approaches, another day has concluded.
And I hold you here in my heart
I keep you in my heart.
As things fall apart
As everything crumbles and falls apart.
A downtown window flushed with light
A bright light emanating from a window in the city center.
Faces of the dead at five (faces of the dead at five)
Images of the deceased people appear on the TV screen at 5 o'clock, as if it is a regular occurrence.
A martyr's silent eyes
The peaceful, resigned eyes of a martyr.
Petition the drivers as we pass by
The martyr's eyes seem as if they are asking something from the passing drivers.
Darlin' your tyrants and kings form the same fate
My dear, your dictators and monarchs will inevitably endure the same destiny.
Strung up at your city gates
They will be hanged on the city gates for all to see.
And you're the last to die for a mistake
And unfortunately, you are the final person to suffer the consequences of the unfortunate event.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind