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)
The Line
Bruce Springsteen Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Took a place on the San Diego county line
Felt funny bein' a civilian again
It'd been some time
My wife had died a year ago
I was still tryin' to find my way back whole
Went to work for the INS on the line
With the California Border Patrol
Bobby Ramirez was a ten-year veteran
We became friends
His family was from Guanajuato
So the job it was different for him
He said' "They risk death in the deserts and mountains"
Pay all they got to the smugglers rings,
We send 'em home and they come right back again
Carl, hunger is a powerful thing."
Well I was good at doin' what I was told
Kept my uniform pressed and clean
At night I chased their shadows
Through the arroyos and ravines
Drug runners, farmers with their families,
Young women with little children by their sides
Come night we'd wait out in the canyons
And try to keep 'em from crossin' the line
Well the first time that I saw her
She was in the holdin' pen
Our eyes met and she looked away
Then she looked back again
Her hair was black as coal
Her eyes reminded me of what I'd lost
She had a young child cryin' in her arms
And I asked, "Senora, is there anything I can do"
There's a bar in Tijuana
Where me and Bobby drink alongside
The same people we'd sent back the day before
We met there she said her name was Louisa
She was from sonora and had just come north
We danced and I held her in my arms
And I knew what I would do
She said she had some family in Madera county
If she, her child and her younger brother could just get through
At night they come across the levy
In the searchlights dusty glow
We'd rush 'em in our Broncos
And force 'em back down into the river below
She climbed into my truck
She leaned towards me and we kissed
As we drove her brothers shirt slipped open
And I saw the tape across his chest
We were just about on the highway
When Bobby's jeep come up in the dust on my right
I pulled over and let my engine run
And stepped out into his lights
I felt myself movin'
Felt my gun restin' 'neath my hand
We stood there starin' at each other
As off through the arroyo she ran
Bobby Ramirez he never said nothin'
Six months later I left the line
I drifted to the central valley
And took what work I could find
At night I searched the local bars
And the migrant towns
Lookin' for my Louisa
With the black hair fallin' down
The lyrics of Bruce Springsteen's song "The Line" tell the story of a man who returns to civilian life after serving in the army in Fort Irwin, only to join the California Border Patrol working on the San Diego county line. He forms a bond with Bobby Ramirez, a fellow officer whose family is originally from Guanajuato. The job is often a struggle as they try to keep people from crossing the border illegally. In one encounter, the singer meets a woman called Louisa who is attempting to cross the border with her child and younger brother. After she and the singer dance in Tijuana, he decides to help her and her family cross the border, but is caught by Bobbie Ramirez, causing the singer to watch as the woman flees.
The song seems to highlight the difficulty and emotional toll of border patrol work, showing how the job is complicated and not just about stopping people illegally crossing, but also about the human cost and the morality of the mission. The reference to the singer's wife having died a year ago also suggests that he is trying to find a way to rejoin society following his time in the army. The lyrics show that the primary protagonist's morality and kindness stopped him from doing his job properly, eventually helping Louisa and her family, even if it meant going beyond his mandate.
Line by Line Meaning
I got my discharge from Fort Irwin
I finished my military service at Fort Irwin and returned to civilian life.
Took a place on the San Diego county line
I moved to San Diego and started working on the California Border Patrol.
Felt funny bein' a civilian again
It was strange to adjust to life as a civilian after my time in the military.
It'd been some time
I had been away from civilian life for a long time.
My wife had died a year ago
My wife had passed away one year prior to my return to civilian life.
I was still tryin' to find my way back whole
I was still struggling to come to terms with my loss and find a sense of completeness.
Went to work for the INS on the line
I started working for the INS (Immigration and Naturalization Service) on the California-Mexico border.
Bobby Ramirez was a ten-year veteran
Bobby Ramirez had been working on the border for ten years.
We became friends
Bobby and I developed a friendship over time.
His family was from Guanajuato
Bobby's family was originally from Guanajuato, Mexico.
So the job it was different for him
The job had a different significance and perspective for Bobby due to his family background.
He said' 'They risk death in the deserts and mountains'
Bobby explained the risks that many people take to illegally cross the border, often facing deadly conditions in the deserts and mountains.
Pay all they got to the smugglers rings,
Many people pay all their money to smugglers for help to cross the border.
We send 'em home and they come right back again
Despite our efforts to send them back, many people would try to cross the border again.
Carl, hunger is a powerful thing.'
Bobby explained that desperation and hunger can push people to take dangerous risks to cross the border and find a better life.
Well I was good at doin' what I was told
I was a disciplined worker who followed instructions well.
Kept my uniform pressed and clean
I took good care of my work uniform.
At night I chased their shadows
I worked night shifts patrolling the border and chasing after illegal crossers.
Through the arroyos and ravines
I had to navigate through rough terrain and natural formations like arroyos and ravines.
Drug runners, farmers with their families,
We encountered different types of people trying to cross the border, including drug runners and farmers with families.
Young women with little children by their sides
We also saw vulnerable groups like young women with little children trying to cross the border.
Come night we'd wait out in the canyons
At night we would hide out in canyons and other remote areas to catch people crossing the border.
And try to keep 'em from crossin' the line
We attempted to stop people from crossing the border illegally.
Well the first time that I saw her
I first noticed Louisa when she was in a holding pen with others who had been caught trying to cross the border.
She was in the holdin' pen
Louisa was in a detention center along with other people who had been caught crossing the border.
Our eyes met and she looked away
Louisa initially avoided eye contact with me when we first saw each other.
Then she looked back again
Louisa later looked back at me again.
Her hair was black as coal
Louisa had dark, black hair.
Her eyes reminded me of what I'd lost
Louisa's eyes reminded me of the person I had lost previously.
She had a young child cryin' in her arms
Louisa was holding a young child who was crying.
And I asked, 'Senora, is there anything I can do'
I asked Louisa if there was anything I could do to help her and her child.
There's a bar in Tijuana
Bobby and I would go to a bar in Tijuana.
Where me and Bobby drink alongside
We would drink with the same people we had caught and sent back across the border the day before.
We met there she said her name was Louisa
I met Louisa again at the bar, where she revealed her name to me.
She was from sonora and had just come north
Louisa was from Sonora, Mexico and had recently tried to cross the border into the US.
We danced and I held her in my arms
Louisa and I danced together, and I held her in my arms.
And I knew what I would do
I knew I wanted to help Louisa and her family get through the border.
She said she had some family in Madera county
Louisa mentioned that she had family in Madera County.
If she, her child and her younger brother could just get through
Louisa hoped to cross the border along with her child and younger brother to reunite with her family in Madera County.
At night they come across the levy
They planned to cross the border at night, passing by the levee.
In the searchlights dusty glow
The searchlights would cast a dusty glow in the area where people often tried to cross the border.
We'd rush 'em in our Broncos
We would quickly approach smugglers and illegal border crossers in our Broncos (vehicles).
And force 'em back down into the river below
We would try to stop them from crossing and force them to go back across the river.
She climbed into my truck
Louisa got into my truck to try to cross the border with her child and younger brother.
She leaned towards me and we kissed
As Louisa got into my truck, we shared a kiss.
As we drove her brother's shirt slipped open
While we were driving, Louisa's younger brother's shirt opened up slightly.
And I saw the tape across his chest
I noticed that there was tape across his chest, indicating that he might have been carrying something illegal.
We were just about on the highway
We were almost on the highway when something unexpected happened.
When Bobby's jeep come up in the dust on my right
Bobby arrived in his jeep and drove up in the dust on my right side.
I pulled over and let my engine run
I pulled over and left my engine running to wait for Bobby.
And stepped out into his lights
I stepped out of my truck and into the lights of Bobby's jeep.
I felt myself movin'
I felt like I was losing control of the situation and becoming more emotional.
Felt my gun restin' 'neath my hand
I knew that I had my gun within reach, adding to the tension of the moment.
We stood there starin' at each other
Bobby and I faced each other in a tense standoff.
As off through the arroyo she ran
As Bobby and I were facing off, Louisa ran away through the arroyo (a type of natural formation).
Bobby Ramirez he never said nothin'
Bobby didn't say anything, but his reaction spoke volumes.
Six months later I left the line
I quit my job on the border patrol six months later.
I drifted to the central valley
I moved to the central valley region of California.
And took what work I could find
I took whatever work was available to me.
At night I searched the local bars
At night I would go to local bars and establishments to try to find Louisa.
And the migrant towns
I also searched migrant communities and other areas where she might be living.
Lookin' for my Louisa
I was searching for Louisa, the woman I had helped cross the border.
With the black hair fallin' down
I was searching for a woman with dark, black hair.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind