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)
Mrs. McGrath
Bruce Springsteen Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
"Would you like a soldier of your son Ted?
With a scarlet coat and a big cocked hat
Now Mrs. McGrath would you like that?"
With your too-ri-aa, fol-did-dle-di-aa, too-ri-oo-ri-oo-ri-aa, too-ri-aa, fol-did-dle-di-aa, too-ri-oo-ri-oo-ri-aa
Now Mrs. McGrath lived on the shore
She spied a ship come into the bay
With her son from far away
"O Captain dear where have ye been?
You been sailing the Mediterranean?
Have you news from my son Ted?
Is he living or is he dead?"
With your too-ri-aa, fol-did-dle-di-aa, too-ri-oo-ri-oo-ri-aa, with your too-ri-aa, fol-did-dle-di-aa, too-ri-oo-ri-oo-ri-aa
Then came Ted without any legs
And in their place two wooden pegs
She kissed him a dozen times or two
And said, "My God Ted is it you"?
Now were ye drunk or were ye blind
When ye left yer two fine legs behind?
Or was it walking upon the sea
That wore your two fine legs away?"
With a too-ri-aa, fol-did-dle-di-aa, too-ri-oo-ri-oo-ri-aa, with a too-ri-aa, fol-did-dle-aa, too-ri-oo-ri-oo-ri-aa
With a too-ri-aa, fol-did-dle-di-aa, too-ri-oo-ri-oo-ri-aa, with a too-ri-aa, fol-did-dle-di-aa, too-ri-oo-ri-oo-ri-aa
Now I wasn't drunk and I wasn't blind
When I left my two fine legs behind
A cannonball on the fifth of May
Tore my two fine legs away
"My, Teddy boy," the widow cried
"Yer two fine legs were yer mother's pride
Stumps of a tree wouldn't do at all
Why didn't ye run from the cannon ball?"
With a too-ri-aa, fol-did-dle-di-aa, too-ri-oo-ri-oo-ri-aa, with a too-ri-aa, fol-did-dle-di-aa, too-ri-oo-ri-oo-ri-aa
With a too-ri-aa, fol-did-dle-di-aa, too-ri-oo-ri-oo-ri-aa, with a too-ri-aa, fol-did-dle-di-aa, too-ri-oo-ri-oo-ri-aa
"All foreign wars I do proclaim
Live on blood and a mother's pain
I'd rather have my son as he used to be
Than the King of America
And his whole Navy!"
With a too-ri-aa, fol-did-dle-di-aa, too-ri-oo-ri-oo-ri-aa, with a too-ri-aa, fol-did-dle-di-aa, too-ri-oo-ri-oo-ri-aa
With a too-ri-aa, fol-did-dle-di-aa, too-ri-oo-ri-oo-ri-aa, with a too-ri-aa, fol-did-dle-di-aa, too-ri-oo-ri-oo-ri-aa
With a too-ri-aa, fol-did-dle-di-aa, too-ri-oo-ri-oo-ri-aa, with a too-ri-aa, fol-did-dle-di-aa, too-ri-oo-ri-oo-ri-aa
The song "Mrs. McGrath" by Bruce Springsteen is a traditional Irish folk song with roots dating back to the 19th century. The song tells the story of a mother, Mrs. McGrath, whose son Ted went off to fight in the war. The sergeant comes to her and asks if she would like her son to return home, decorated in his military uniform. Mrs. McGrath eagerly awaits her son's return and finally sees a ship come into the bay. To her dismay, her son returns with no legs, only to tell her that he lost them in battle. She accuses him of either being drunk or blind, but he explains that a cannonball on the fifth of May took them away.
The song is extremely emotional and portrays the horrors of war, as well as the love between a mother and her son. Bruce Springsteen's version of the song incorporates a punk rock twist, making the story even more impactful.
Line by Line Meaning
O Mrs. McGrath, the sergeant said
The sergeant approached Mrs. McGrath and opened the conversation.
Would you like a soldier of your son Ted?
The sergeant offered to recruit Ted as a soldier.
With a scarlet coat and a big cocked hat
The soldier's uniform would consist of a bright red coat and an ornate hat.
Now Mrs. McGrath would you like that?
The sergeant asked Mrs. McGrath if she was interested in joining the army.
With your too-ri-aa, fol-did-dle-di-aa, too-ri-oo-ri-oo-ri-aa, too-ri-aa, fol-did-dle-di-aa, too-ri-oo-ri-oo-ri-aa
This line represents a traditional Irish folk music vocalization that is repeated throughout the song.
Now Mrs. McGrath lived on the shore
Mrs. McGrath resided in a house near the coast.
And after seven years or more
Mrs. McGrath had been waiting for her son Ted to return for over seven years.
She spied a ship come into the bay
Mrs. McGrath saw a ship approaching the bay where she lived.
With her son from far away
Ted was aboard the ship returning from a faraway location.
O Captain dear where have ye been?
Mrs. McGrath greeted the ship's captain and inquired about his whereabouts.
You been sailing the Mediterranean?
Mrs. McGrath asked the captain if the ship had traveled to the Mediterranean Sea.
Have you news from my son Ted?
Mrs. McGrath asked the captain about her son's well-being.
Is he living or is he dead?
Mrs. McGrath was concerned about whether her son had survived the war and the journey home.
Then came Ted without any legs
Ted returned home without his legs.
And in their place two wooden pegs
Ted's legs had been replaced with wooden prosthetic legs.
She kissed him a dozen times or two
Mrs. McGrath was overjoyed to see her son but also emotional and kissed him multiple times.
And said, 'My God Ted is it you?'
Mrs. McGrath was surprised and relieved to see that her son had returned.
Now were ye drunk or were ye blind
Mrs. McGrath was in disbelief that her son would let this happen to him and jokingly asked if he was either drunk or blind.
When ye left yer two fine legs behind?
Mrs. McGrath was confused and questioning how her son ended up losing his legs in the war.
Or was it walking upon the sea
Mrs. McGrath wondered if her son's legs were taken away due to a mishap while walking along the seashore.
That wore your two fine legs away?
Mrs. McGrath was pondering if the sea has eroded Ted's legs over time.
All foreign wars I do proclaim
Mrs. McGrath was against war and spoke out against them.
Live on blood and a mother's pain
Mrs. McGrath believed that wars resulted in the loss of lives and the pain experienced by mothers.
I'd rather have my son as he used to be
Mrs. McGrath preferred that her son return to the way he was before he lost his legs.
Than the King of America and his whole Navy!
Mrs. McGrath did not regard the King of America or his Navy as important as her son's well-being.
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: J BAIRD, TRADITIONAL, PD TRADITIONAL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@tombehnke9058
2:21
I almost cry at these lyrics....
'Well I wasn't drunk and I wasn't blind
When I left my two fine legs behind
But a big cannonball on the fifth of May
Flow my two fine legs from the knees away'
'Ah Teddy me boy', the poor widow cried
'Yer two fine legs were yer mummy's pride
Them old stumps of a tree wouldn't do at all
Why didn't ye run for the big cannonball?'
Sometimes, there's nothing that you do to stop the bad things from happening.
Sometimes, you come to grips with it....but other people can't and they blame your for their lack of understanding.
I know I've done that to others.
Others will likely do it to me.
God Bless.
We can all find our way and we will all fine our understanding someday....
@briangillespie9611
Bruce Springsteen is a genius. Spends a lot of time in Dublin. Sometimes drinks in the Long Hall and Whealans. He loves Ireland and we love him. What a fantastic person and a wonderful human being. What a treasure
@Ivonne-cs3xx
Sitting with earplugs in train. Have to take care to not singing loud 😂. Wonderful, Thank you so much ❤️🙏🏻!
@derekpych9792
All kiddin aside when you have cancer music is your angel
@stebou4174
Masterpiece ! I love it so much. The lyrics, the musical variation on a traditionnal song, this is so serious, so immersive, so tensed and powerful
@johnreckhow516
Thank Mr Springsteen for that wonderful album DVD live in Dublin with sessions band
@lucjusz84
even better than the album version... gives shivers all the time! wonderful performance!
@eshire7646
this song gives me chills every time
@mackan3143
irish folk Music works with any kind of Music thats why its so good !
@derekpych9114
I remember buying this cd for my dad we listened to it together before he died
@russellsullivan154
OMG Bruce O'Springsteen! What a master!