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)
Meeting Across the River
Bruce Springsteen Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Tonight, can you get us a ride?
Gotta make it through the tunnel
Got a meeting with a man on the other side
Hey Eddie, this guy, he's the real thing
So if you want to come along
You gotta promise you won't say anything
And the word's been passed, this is our last chance
We gotta stay cool tonight, Eddie
'Cause man, we got ourselves out on that line
And if we blow this one
They ain't gonna be looking for just me this time
And all we gotta do is hold up our end
Here, stuff this in your pocket
It'll look like you're carrying a friend
And remember, just don't smile
Change your shirt, 'cause tonight we got style
Cherry says she's gonna walk
'Cause she found out I took her radio and hocked it
But Eddie, man, she don't understand
That two grand's practically sitting here in my pocket
Tonight's gonna be everything that I said
And when I walk through that door
I'm just gonna throw that money on the bed
She'll see this time I wasn't just talking
Then I'm gonna go out walking
Hey Eddie, can you catch us a ride?
In Bruce Springsteen's "Meeting Across the River," the singer, who is referred to as "the singer," is talking to his friend Eddie about a meeting he has on the other side of a tunnel. This meeting is with a "real" guy who "don't dance," and the singer thinks that this is his last chance to make a move. He and Eddie have to "stay cool" and "hold up [their] end" because if they mess up, they're both in trouble.
The singer gives Eddie some money to make it look like he's "carrying a friend," and he tells him to change his shirt and not to smile. The singer also tells Eddie about his girlfriend Cherry, who is angry because he took her radio and sold it, but he’s got two grand in his pocket tonight. The singer is going to throw the money on the bed to show that he wasn't just talking, then he's going to go out walking. He asks Eddie to catch them a ride to the meeting, indicating that this may be their last chance.
The song is a story of desperation and the desire for one last chance to make something happen. The singer and his friend Eddie are down on their luck and willing to take a risk to get ahead. The song is often interpreted as a prequel to the song "Jungleland," which follows the same characters as they attempt to escape the bleakness of their lives.
Line by Line Meaning
Hey Eddie, can you lend me a few bucks?
Eddie, can you please loan me some money?
Tonight, can you get us a ride?
Can you arrange a ride for us tonight?
Gotta make it through the tunnel
We have to travel through the tunnel.
Got a meeting with a man on the other side
I have an important meeting with someone on the other side.
Hey Eddie, this guy, he's the real thing
Eddie, this man I'm meeting is very important and genuine.
So if you want to come along
If you want to join me, that's fine.
You gotta promise you won't say anything
You have to promise not to disclose anything to anyone.
'Cause this guy don't dance
He is very serious and does not engage in any frivolous activities.
And the word's been passed, this is our last chance
This is our final opportunity, and we cannot afford to miss it.
We gotta stay cool tonight, Eddie
We have to maintain our composure tonight, Eddie.
'Cause man, we got ourselves out on that line
We have put ourselves at risk for this meeting.
And if we blow this one
If we mess up this opportunity,
They ain't gonna be looking for just me this time
We will both face consequences for the failure.
And all we gotta do is hold up our end
We just need to fulfill our part of the deal.
Here, stuff this in your pocket
Put this in your pocket,
It'll look like you're carrying a friend
So that it appears like you are carrying something insignificant.
And remember, just don't smile
Make sure to avoid smiling,
Change your shirt, 'cause tonight we got style
Wear a different shirt as we need to look stylish tonight.
Cherry says she's gonna walk
Cherry plans to walk away from me.
'Cause she found out I took her radio and hocked it
Because she discovered that I pawned her radio.
But Eddie, man, she don't understand
But Eddie, she doesn't comprehend the situation.
That two grand's practically sitting here in my pocket
I have almost two thousand dollars in my pocket right now.
Tonight's gonna be everything that I said
Tonight will happen exactly as I described earlier.
And when I walk through that door
Upon entering, I'll
I'm just gonna throw that money on the bed
Throw the money on the bed.
She'll see this time I wasn't just talking
She will realize that I wasn't lying this time.
Then I'm gonna go out walking
After that, I will go for a walk.
Hey Eddie, can you catch us a ride?
Can you provide us with a ride, Eddie?
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Bruce Springsteen
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind