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)
Take 'em as They Come
Bruce Springsteen Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Tears streaming, your pretty face all a wreck
(I held your daddy's gun in my tremblin' hands
And down the highway another stranger comes
You gotta take 'em baby when they come.
Little girl put on your best dress
'Cause we're goin' out on the town tonight
'Cause for sure some fool's gonna want to fight
You've got to take 'em baby as they come
[Chorus]
You gotta take 'em, take 'em as they come, girl
Take 'em as they come, girl
Take 'em as they come, girl
Take 'em baby as they come
God save the rider in the black night
Save the man who taught that it was right
To do what they have done
To become what we have become
You gotta take 'em when they come
Little girl, gone are the days
Faded away into a clear blue night
And all the vows that we made
Lie shattered and broken in the morning light;
You gotta take 'em when they come
[Chorus]
I know your heart is breaking
I can feel it too
Though my finger on the trigger's shakin'
Here I swear to you
If I could take all your sorrow so that you'd never cry, girl, or be blue
(Come tomorrow)
That's what I'd do for you, pretty one
I swear I'll take 'em baby when they come
[Chorus]
"Take 'em as They Come" is a song that speaks to the challenges that come with life as well as the struggles of maintaining a relationship. The song appears to take place in a post-apocalyptic world, and the lyrics talk about running through the outlands with a loved one, holding a gun. The use of violent imagery could symbolize the hardships that people face in life, and how love can sometimes be a weapon people use to combat those struggles.
The first verse talks about the dream of running through the outlands, and how the singer is holding his loved one's father's gun. The tears streaming down the woman’s face may signify sadness and distress, which could mean that the singer is trying to protect and comfort her from the dangers of the outside world. The highway could mean the journey of life, and the strangers who come along represent the obstacles and difficulties that come with it. This is where the phrase "take 'em as they come" comes in, which means to accept and deal with whatever comes your way.
In the second verse, the singer urges his partner to put on her best dress and bring her switchblade because they are going out to town tonight, and someone's going to want to fight. This could signify that the singer is trying to teach his partner to be tough and not let anyone take advantage of her. While the song's theme may sound dark and pessimistic, it ends with making a promise to protect the partner from all the sorrow and hardships of life, demonstrating that love can overcome any obstacles.
Line by Line Meaning
Last night I dreamed we was running through the outlands
I had a dream where we were running through empty areas.
Tears streaming, your pretty face all a wreck
You were crying and your previously beautiful face was disfigured.
(I held your daddy's gun in my tremblin' hands
(I was holding your father's firearm with shaky hands.
And down the highway another stranger comes
As we were on the road, another unfamiliar person appeared.
You gotta take 'em baby when they come.
We have to accept such situations as they occur.
Little girl put on your best dress
Get dressed nicely, young lady.
'Cause we're goin' out on the town tonight
We're going out to town tonight.
(Better bring along your switchblades)
(Make sure you have your switchblade with you).
'Cause for sure some fool's gonna want to fight
Because someone is definitely going to pick a fight.
You've got to take 'em baby as they come
You have to accept these situations as they happen.
[Chorus]
Refrain
God save the rider in the black night
May the rider in the black night be saved by God.
Save the man who taught that it was right
Save the man who taught that it was the right thing to do.
To do what they have done
To do what they have done.
To become what we have become
And become what we have become.
You gotta take 'em when they come
We have to accept them as they come.
Little girl, gone are the days
Little girl, those days are gone.
Faded away into a clear blue night
They faded away into a clear blue night.
And all the vows that we made
All the promises we made.
Lie shattered and broken in the morning light;
They are all shattered and broken in the morning light.
You gotta take 'em when they come
We have to accept them as they come.
[Chorus]
Refrain
I know your heart is breaking
I know your heart is breaking.
I can feel it too
I can feel it too.
Though my finger on the trigger's shakin'
Although my finger is shaking on the trigger.
Here I swear to you
I swear to you right here.
If I could take all your sorrow so that you'd never cry, girl, or be blue
If I could take away all your sorrow to prevent you from ever crying or feeling blue.
(Come tomorrow)
(Tomorrow).
That's what I'd do for you, pretty one
That's what I would do for you, beautiful.
I swear I'll take 'em baby when they come
I promise to accept them as they occur.
[Chorus]
Refrain
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind