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)
Pay Me My Money Down
Bruce Springsteen Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Pay me my money down
Tomorrow is our sailing day
Pay me my money down
Pay me, pay me, pay me my money down
Pay me or go to jail
Pay me my money down
Pay me my money down
He knocked me down with a spar
Pay me my money down
Pay me, pay me, pay me my money down
Pay me or go to jail
Pay me my money down
Well if I'd been a rich man's son
Pay me my money down
I'd sit on the river and watch 'er run
Pay me my money down
Pay me, pay me, pay me my money down
Pay me or go to jail
Pay me my money down
Well I wish I was Mr. Gates
Pay me my money down
They'd haul my my money in, in crates
Pay me my money down
Pay me, pay me, pay me my money down
Pay me or go to jail
Pay me my money down
Well forty nights and nights at sea
Pay me my money down
Captain worked every last dollar out of me
Pay me my money down
Pay me, pay me, pay me my money down
Pay me or go to jail
Pay me my money down
Pay me, pay me, pay me my money down
Pay me or go to jail
Pay me my money down
Pay me, pay me, pay me my money down
Pay me or go to jail
Pay me my money down
The song "Pay Me My Money Down" by Bruce Springsteen tells the story of a sailor who is working hard and waiting to receive his payment before setting sail once again. The captain demands that his crew pay him before they leave, and threatens to send them to jail if they don't comply. The singer is frustrated by the situation, but knows he has to pay up if he wants to avoid trouble.
The second verse describes a violent altercation between the singer and the captain, in which he is knocked down with a spar - a long, thick wooden beam used on ships. The chorus repeats the demand for payment and the threat of jail time, emphasizing the urgency and gravity of the situation.
The third verse introduces a sense of longing and regret, as the singer imagines what life would be like if he were a rich man's son. He would be able to sit by the river and watch it run, without the stress of having to pay off a debt. The final verse references Bill Gates, one of the wealthiest people in the world at the time the song was written, and imagines how easy life would be if one had that kind of wealth. The chorus repeats again, underscoring the theme of the importance of money and the power it holds over people.
Overall, the song is an ode to the struggles of working-class people and the pressure they face to make ends meet, and it conveys the message that money can be both a blessing and a curse.
Line by Line Meaning
I thought I heard the captain say
The singer heard the captain say something important and is now alert and listening intently.
Pay me my money down
The captain demands that the singer pay what is owed to him.
Tomorrow is our sailing day
The upcoming day is an important day for the captain and the crew as they have to set sail.
Soon as that boat cleared the bar
As soon as the boat left the port.
He knocked me down with a spar
The sailor was hit by a spar, which is a long pole used in a sailboat.
Well if I'd been a rich man's son
The singer is lamenting his lack of wealth and status.
I'd sit on the river and watch 'er run
The singer would be able to observe the river easily if he had wealth.
Well I wish I was Mr. Gates
Bill Gates is the co-founder of Microsoft and one of the richest people in the world. The artist wishes to be as wealthy as him.
They'd haul my my money in, in crates
If the artist was as rich as Mr. Gates, his wealth would need to be transported in large containers.
Well forty nights and nights at sea
The singer has been at sea for forty nights and days.
Captain worked every last dollar out of me
The captain has exhausted all of the singer's money.
Pay me, pay me, pay me my money down
The captain is demanding that the singer pay him what he is owed.
Pay me or go to jail
The captain is threatening to have the singer jailed if he does not pay his debts.
Pay me my money down
The captain is still demanding payment from the singer.
Pay me, pay me, pay me my money down
The captain is repeating his demand for payment.
Pay me or go to jail
The captain is still threatening to have the singer jailed if he does not pay his debts.
Pay me my money down
The captain is once again demanding payment from the singer.
Pay me, pay me, pay me my money down
The captain is repeating his demand for payment.
Pay me or go to jail
The captain is still threatening to have the singer jailed if he does not pay his debts.
Pay me my money down
The captain is still demanding payment from the singer.
Lyrics © Society of Composers, Authors and Music Publishers of Canada (SOCAN), Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: DP, BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@rachelhibbin3677
I cannot believe he is 72. He is as fresh as he was in the 70-80-90's
@rosebrown9265
No way older than me
@jangwirtz
@@rosebrown9265the videodate?
@sethieboy12
Well he was 54-55 here..
@user-bl2nj4lm3p
Looking Good, Bruce !
@marcioborras2572
Isso foi 2006
@patrickleboeuf4205
I'm from Houma, Louisiana just 60 miles east of New Orleans. When I first heard this song it just made me want to sing and dance all over in my house. This would make a great song for the Mardi Gras festival in South Louisiana.
Bruce Springsteen, if you get to read this and I hope you do. Please record more music like this. This is the best I've heard in a very long time.
Thank you so much for this song.
@tiborszentirmai8427
Vulgáris leszek! Baszott jó zene! Örökké hallgatnám!
@JAKraus
Love you, Bruce.😍😍😍
@welshieworldwide
05:50am on the underground in London and listening/watching this for the first time, legs swinging along and smiling to myself 😃