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 Wall
Bruce Springsteen Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
This poem I wrote for you
This black stone and these hard tears
Are all I've got left now of you
I remember you in your Marine uniform laughing
Laughing that you're shipping out probably
I read Robert McNamara says he's sorry
Ah Billy you looked so bad
Ya, you and your rock and roll band
Was the best thing this shit town ever had
Now the man who put you here
He feeds his family in rich dining halls
And apology and forgiveness have no place here at all
At the wall
I'm sorry I missed you last year
I couldn't find no one to drive me
If your eyes could cut through that black stone
Tell me would they recognize me?
For the living, time must be served
Life goes on
Cigarettes and a bottle of beer
Skin on black stone
High School pictures, paper flowers
Ribbon, red as the blood
Red as the blood you spilled
In the Central Highlands mud
Now the limousines rush down Pennsylvania Avenue
As they fall
And apology and forgiveness have no place here at all
"The Wall" by Bruce Springsteen is a song that expresses the grief and pain experienced by a person who has lost a loved one in the Vietnam War. The title, "The Wall," alludes to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall in Washington D.C., which features the names of all the soldiers who died during the war. The singer of the song is grieving for a soldier friend named Billy, who died in the war. The lyrics mention cigarettes and a bottle of beer, which are symbolic of the singer's attempt to cope with the pain and loss of his friend.
The lyrics express the idea that the soldiers who went to war were heroes who fought for their country, but they were also victims of a system that sent them to their deaths. The singer remembers Billy in his Marine uniform, laughing as he ships out, knowing he might not return. The reference to Robert McNamara, the Secretary of Defense during the Vietnam War, apologizing for his role in the conflict, underscores the message that even those who were responsible for the war recognized its pointless and devastating nature.
The lyrics also express frustration and anger at the government and society that allowed the war to happen. The reference to the man who put Billy there, feeding his family in rich dining halls, highlights the inequality and injustice of the situation. The lines "And apology and forgiveness have no place here at all" convey the feeling that the government and society have not done enough to acknowledge the sacrifices made by the soldiers and their families. The reference to the limousines rushing down Pennsylvania Avenue at the end of the song suggests that the politicians have moved on, leaving the memory of the war behind.
Line by Line Meaning
Cigarettes and a bottle of beer
I am holding onto these small things because they remind me of you, and I don't have much else.
This poem I wrote for you
This is my way of expressing my feelings for you.
This black stone and these hard tears
All that remains of you is a cold, hard monument and my tears.
Are all I've got left now of you
You're gone, and all I have left are these few memories.
I remember you in your Marine uniform laughing
When I think of you, I picture you in your uniform, full of life.
Laughing that you're shipping out probably
Even as you were leaving for war, you had a laugh about it.
I read Robert McNamara says he's sorry
The man responsible for the war that took you away has finally apologized.
You and your boots and black t-shirt
I can picture you so clearly, in your uniform and casual clothes.
Ah Billy you looked so bad
I remember seeing you struggle after you returned from the war.
Ya, you and your rock and roll band
But even in your pain, you kept rocking and making music.
Was the best thing this shit town ever had
Your music brought joy to a place that didn't have much else going for it.
Now the man who put you here
The people who sent you to war and caused your pain.
He feeds his family in rich dining halls
They live a life of luxury, while others suffer the consequences of their actions.
And apology and forgiveness have no place here at all
The wounds run too deep to ever truly make things right.
At the wall
Standing at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, where your name is etched in stone.
I'm sorry I missed you last year
I wish I could have been there to pay my respects.
I couldn't find no one to drive me
It's hard to get around when you don't have anyone to help you.
If your eyes could cut through that black stone
If only you could see me now, standing here with you in spirit.
Tell me would they recognize me?
Would you know me if you saw me, now that we're both so much older?
For the living, time must be served
We must live out our lives and serve our time, even when it's painful.
Life goes on
Even as I stand here grieving your loss, the world keeps turning.
Skin on black stone
The physical markers of death and loss, like the stone holding yours name and my tears.
High School pictures, paper flowers
Memories of our youth and a more innocent time, represented by these simple symbols.
Ribbon, red as the blood
A reminder of the blood you spilled, and the sacrifice you made.
Red as the blood you spilled
The blood you gave for our country and people stays with me always.
In the Central Highlands mud
You died far from home, in a place with no connection to your everyday life.
Now the limousines rush down Pennsylvania Avenue
The politicians and elite cruise by, on their way to another meeting or event.
As they fall
Referring to the soldiers who died in war, just like you did.
And apology and forgiveness have no place here at all
Our nation has never been able to truly heal the wounds of war, and we continue to make the same mistakes.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Marci K
I wrote this about 25 years ago when I went to the Vietnam War Memorial for the first time and saw a friend's name on the Wall. Can't seem to stop thinking about that time today. So thought I'd share.
On The Wall
1969
Her heart skipped a beat,
There he was
Standing in line, She watched, as she always had.
He laughed with the guys,
trading lunches,
Trading stories
Stories of what would be
after graduation
Stories of getting out of this town
Stories of a country too far away to understand.
But she'd be here another three years,
Waiting, as she always had
For the boy next door
Who called her little girl.
Someday, he'd be back,
he'd see the little girl had grown.
He'd feel what she had always known
How could he not?
She watched as they said goodbye
To this boy in a soldier's uniform.
Kisses, hugs, pats on the back,
Fathers' memories of years before
When they went off to another war.
See you little girl
See you little girl
Will forever play in her ear.
1989
So many years gone by
So many names
Her heart skipped a beat
There he was
His name
On the Wall.
Paul Haider
I am leaving The River's new sequence of songs on the video of my favorite song from Bruce's most recent album in 2014. For my version of The River, the album has been expanded by two songs (22 now!), and I have updated the release date to Tuesday, September 23, 1980. This date allows time for the band to finish their rehearsals for the tour that would still begin on October 3 in Ann Arbor; this is also Bruce's 31st birthday with the gift to himself of a #1 album that kicks his friend Jackson Browne's Hold Out album out of the top slot. Here is The River revised:
1. The Ties That Bind (Take 8, original lyrics in chorus)
2. Loose Ends (Take 2, 07/18/1979, Ties That Bind album)
3. Jackson Cage (The River album)
4. Two Hearts (The River album)
5. Independence Day (The River album)
6. Where the Bands Are (10/09/1979, Tracks)
7. Hungry Heart (The River album)
8. Out in the Street (The River album)
9. Sherry Darling (The River album)
10. From Small Things, (1979, Essential, disc 3)
11. The River (The River album)
12. Take 'Em As They Come (04/10/1980, Tracks)
13. Be True (07/21/1979, Tracks)
14. Ricky Wants a Man of Her Own (07/16/1979, Tracks)
15. Price You Pay (1st Take, 09/25/1979, original lyrics)
16. I Wanna Be With You (05/31/1979, Tracks)
17. Stolen Car (3rd Take, 07/26/1979, Tracks)
18. Roulette (04/03/1979, Tracks)
19. Cadillac Ranch (The River album)
20. I'm a Rocker (The River album)
21. Restless Nights (04/11/1980, Tracks)
22. Wreck On the Highway (The River album)
B A Moore
My first love died in Nam...I was 17 and he was 19. To this day I see him in my dreams and feel his kiss. I'm 70 now and the day goes on...Thank you Bruce for this touching tribute to our fallen brothers and sisters. ^i^
Jenny Campbell
That's why Bruce wrote, I'll see you in my dreams, especially for you ba more
Tommy Morgan
The emotion and performance is unbelievable!! What a wonderful musician Bruce is!!
roy bollo
so much emotion in there
Wilma Nogata
Lindo💯🎶👏👏👏
Sandman
Been in another war in another country. This hit home so bad. Had me in tears.
The Boss is The Boss
From another place, another country, another state of Grace.
roy bollo
god bless you bro !!i am a veteran too
MONACO1860
How moving..
This is a man carrying his humanity around the stage night after night and never losing touch with his past, his story, his roots.
What a greatness, Bruce. I will love you forever.
Megan Grazman
Wow. That voice crack at 6:23...really shows what kind of man Bruce is. I've seen him in concert 4 times, and each time is a whole new experience. He shows us that it's okay for anyone to cry and for anyone to be proud of their country. Thank you, Bruce.
Ecclesiastes 3:14
The part from 2:20 and forward always gets me.. it really makes me think of all the young lives ended in so many senseless ways, leaving family and communities forever devastaded and ruined... All for the benefit and greater glory of the politicians and men in power.. one would only hope we'd better ourselves, but time tells us we're not learning... as George Santayana once said; ”Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it."
May God forgive us our atrocities... Thanks Bruce for reminding us of our frailty..