The 1973 movie Badlands, starring Martin Sheen and Sissy Spacek, was inspired by Starkweather's story. After seeing a poster for the movie in a theater lobby, Springsteen used the title for his 1978 song, but did not see it until 1980.
This was the title track to the first album Springsteen recorded by himself. He recorded the songs at his house with a 4-track recorder, and after playing them with The E Street Band, decided they worked best as they were.
E Street Band guitarist Steve Van Zant recalled to Rolling Stone magazine that Springsteen started cutting the tracks that made up Nebraska as demos for the band. However he saw potential in them and persuaded Springsteen to record them for an album: "I remember him playing them for me one day and said 'Here's my new songs. We'll start rehearsing them as a band soon.' And I listened to this thing and I thought to myself, 'I gotta say there's something extraordinary about this.' There was no intention of it being a record and no intention of it being released, but there was something just extraordinarily intimate about it. And I thought 'What a wonderful moment has been captured here just accidentally.' And I said to him, 'Listen, I know this is a bit strange but I honestly think this is an album unto itself and I think you should release it.' And he was like 'What do you mean? It's just demos for the band.' And I'm like 'I know you didn't intended for this to be recorded but I just know greatness when I hear it, okay? It's my thing, it's why I'm a record producer and that's why I'm your friend and I'm just telling you I think your fans will just love this and I think it's actually an important piece of work. Because it captures this amazingly strange, weirdly cinematic kind of dreamlike mood. I don't know what it is. All I know is I know greatness when I hear it and this is it, okay? And this deserves to be heard I think people will love it and I think it's a unique opportunity to actually release something absurdly intimate.'"
Springsteen included 4 mixes of this on the tape of demos he gave to his producer/manager Jon Landau, which would form the album of the same name.
Chrissie Hynde performed this on the 2000 album Badlands, a tribute album of songs from the album Nebraska.
Nebraska
Bruce Springsteen Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Just a-twirlin' her baton
Me and her went for a ride, sir
And ten innocent people died
From the town of Lincoln, Nebraska
With a sawed-off .410 on my lap
Through to the badlands of Wyoming
I can't say that I'm sorry
For the things that we done
At least for a little while, sir, me and her we had us some fun
Now the jury brought in a guilty verdict
And the judge he sentenced me to death
Midnight in a prison storeroom
With leather straps across my chest
Sheriff, when the man pulls that switch, sir
And snaps my poor head back
You make sure my pretty baby
Is sittin' right there on my lap
They declared me unfit to live
Said into that great void my soul be hurled
They wanted to know why I did what I did
Sir, I guess there's just a meanness in this world
The lyrics of Bruce Springsteen's song "Nebraska" narrate the story of a man who, standing on his front lawn, feels a sudden and inexplicable urge to kill. He takes his .410 shotgun and drives with a young woman through the Midwest, shooting and killing innocent people. He expresses no remorse for his actions, leaving the listener to confront the harshness of the world and the complexity of the human condition.
The song invites reflection on the dark side of the American Dream and the violence that underlies it. The singer's lack of justification for his actions reminds us of the emptiness at the heart of so much violence. The inclusion of the woman in the murder spree further complicates the situation. It seems that the need for human connection, even in the most heinous of circumstances, is a driving force for human beings.
One can also interpret the song as a commentary on the American justice system, with its power struggles and the inevitability of punishment. The character's request to have his lover with him during his execution is an attempt to subvert the system's finality and to find solace in the embrace of another person, even in his last moments. The song is an introspective reflection on the human condition, and its haunting music and lyrics stay with the listener long after it has ended.
Line by Line Meaning
I saw her standin' on her front lawn
I saw a girl twirling her baton on her front lawn.
Just a-twirlin' her baton
The girl was spinning her baton in a playful manner.
Me and her went for a ride, sir
The singer and the girl went for a drive.
And ten innocent people died
The artist and the girl killed ten people during their drive.
From the town of Lincoln, Nebraska
The events took place in Lincoln, Nebraska.
With a sawed-off .410 on my lap
The singer had a sawed-off .410 shotgun on his lap during the drive.
Through to the badlands of Wyoming
The singer and the girl drove through Wyoming on their killing spree.
I killed everything in my path
The artist killed anything that crossed his path.
I can't say that I'm sorry
The artist doesn't feel remorseful for his actions.
For the things that we done
The artist does not feel guilty for what he and the girl did.
At least for a little while, sir, me and her we had us some fun
The singer enjoyed spending time with the girl, even though it resulted in murder.
Now the jury brought in a guilty verdict
The artist was found guilty by a jury.
And the judge he sentenced me to death
The judge sentenced the singer to death.
Midnight in a prison storeroom
The execution took place in a prison storeroom at midnight.
With leather straps across my chest
The singer was restrained with leather straps.
Sheriff, when the man pulls that switch, sir
The artist is addressing the sheriff who will carry out the execution.
And snaps my poor head back
The electric chair will snap the artist's head back.
You make sure my pretty baby
The singer wants his girlfriend to be present at his execution.
Is sittin' right there on my lap
The singer wants his girlfriend to sit on his lap during the execution.
They declared me unfit to live
The artist was deemed unworthy to live by those in authority.
Said into that great void my soul be hurled
The artist's soul will presumably go to the afterlife after his execution.
They wanted to know why I did what I did
Authorities wanted to understand the motive behind the murders.
Sir, I guess there's just a meanness in this world
The singer suggests that the world contains elements of cruelty and meanness.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Bruce Springsteen
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@georgej.dorner3262
The voice of the Vietnam generation. The soul of a minstrel. A unique poet and musician. A man to admire and emulate.
@HiddenGenReviews
Okay
@carriesue2954
When I was a kid, in a group home.. This album saved my life. September 8, 2021
@shespeakssoftly
Bless you. Glad it was there for you.
@matthewadams1874
Absolute epic performance 👏
@restologyholland8829
Amen
@frankmcnally01
Bollocks
@danielmoran9902
God bless you, Sir. X
From the UK.
@Ironworthstriking
One of the most haunting, twisted, beautiful songs ever written.
@darrinchutter8014
Fell asleep to this album more times than I can remember when I was a kid in the UK. Pressure of school and mum dying of cancer at the time.
Still listen to it but appreciate it in different ways now.