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)
jackson cage #1
Bruce Springsteen Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Turns a corner and drives down her street
Into a row of houses she just melts away
Like the scenery in another man's play
Into a house where the blinds are closed
To keep from seeing things she don't want to know
She pulls the blinds and looks out on the street
The cool of the night takes the edge off the heat
In the Jackson Cage
Down in Jackson Cage
You can try with all your might
But you're reminded every night
That you been judged and handed life
Down in Jackson Cage
Every day ends in wasted motion
Just crossed swords on the killing floor
To settle back is to settle without knowing
The hard edge that you're settling for
Because there's always just one more day
And it's always gonna be that way
Little girl you've been down here so long
I can tell by the way that you move you belong to
The Jackson Cage
Down in Jackson Cage
And it don't matter just what you say
Are you tough enough to play the game they play
Or will you just do your time and fade away
Down into the Jackson Cage
Baby there's nights when I dream of a better world
But I wake up so downhearted girl
I see you feeling so tired and confused
I wonder what it's worth to me or you
Just waiting to see some sun
Never knowing if that day will ever come
Left alone standing out on the street
Till you become the hand that turns the key down in
Jackson Cage
Down in Jackson Cage
Well darlin' can you understand
The way that they will turn a man
Into a stranger to waste away
Down in the Jackson Cage
"Jackson Cage" is a song by Bruce Springsteen that seems to describe a woman's monotonous daily life. She is estranged from the world, living in isolation, away from people and society. She drives home daily, but when she is around her house, she doesn't want to confront what is going outside. She keeps herself busy by pulling the blinds down, to avoid looking out of the window. The cool night breeze, however, makes things easier to bear. But she is trapped, living a life that seems mundane and without meaning. The song's title could refer to the psychological state the woman is in, with the word "Cage" representing her metaphorical imprisonment. In the chorus, Bruce Springsteen repeats "Down in Jackson Cage," thus emphasizing the woman's situation and the title of the song.
The second verse takes a broader perspective, looking at society in general, and how people have settled for a life they are not happy with, and how they feel trapped. "Every day ends in wasted motion, Just crossed swords on the killing floor," he sings, describing the repetitive tasks that people must die in their jobs, with no mental or emotional stimulation, and how it creates a deadening effect on them. He stresses that many have given up on pursuing happiness, accepting a life without meaning, and are content to keep living in their dimly-lit, purpose-free cages.
Finally, in the third verse, Bruce Springsteen searches for hope, a better world, and a way of realizing one's potential. The metaphorical use of the "Jackson Cage" suggests that there is a way out for those willing to try. He asks whether the woman is tough enough to play the game and break out of her prison or will fade and become but a shadow of herself.
Line by Line Meaning
Driving home she grabs something to eat
As she is driving home, she stops to grab something to eat
Turns a corner and drives down her street
She takes a turn and drives down her street
Into a row of houses she just melts away
She blends into a row of houses like she is part of them
Like the scenery in another man's play
She becomes like a part of the background and fades away
Into a house where the blinds are closed
She enters a house where the blinds are closed
To keep from seeing things she don't want to know
She closes the blinds to avoid seeing things that she does not want to know
She pulls the blinds and looks out on the street
She pulls the blinds and looks outside onto the street
The cool of the night takes the edge off the heat
The coolness of the night relieves some of the tension and stress
In the Jackson Cage
Refers to a place or a state of mind where one is trapped or confined, possibly symbolizing a jail cell or a place of stagnation and frustration, where one feels judged and hopeless
Down in Jackson Cage
You can try with all your might
One can strive and make efforts as much as they may
But you're reminded every night
Every night, the person is given a reminder of their unfortunate situation, leading to hopelessness and despair
That you been judged and handed life
The individual has been judged unfairly, and their life feels as if it is predetermined and out of their control
Every day ends in wasted motion
The individual's daily routines and tasks feel meaningless and aimless
Just crossed swords on the killing floor
The person feels like they are engaged in deadly or dangerous situations and conflicts, where they may not emerge as the victor
To settle back is to settle without knowing
To accept one's fate without questioning or trying to change things is to settle for a life they may not fully understand or deserve
The hard edge that you're settling for
The person is stuck with a life that is difficult and unforgiving
Because there's always just one more day
Every new day feels like another endless cycle of suffering and hardship
And it's always gonna be that way
There is no hope for change or improvement
Little girl you've been down here so long
The person has been trapped in their situation for a significant amount of time
I can tell by the way that you move you belong to
The way that the person moves and carries themselves illustrates how they have become part of this difficult situation
And it don't matter just what you say
What the person may say or do is irrelevant, and will not affect their situation
Are you tough enough to play the game they play
The person must be strong enough to endure the difficult and seemingly hopeless circumstances that they are in
Or will you just do your time and fade away
The person may resign themselves to serving their time and disappearing into obscurity rather than trying to fight their way out
Baby there's nights when I dream of a better world
The singer sometimes dreams of a better world where people are not trapped or judged unfairly
But I wake up so downhearted girl
However, the dream is not a reality, and the person wakes up feeling disheartened and hopeless
I see you feeling so tired and confused
The person is tired from their struggles and uncertain about what their future holds
I wonder what it's worth to me or you
The artist and the person question if their perseverance and efforts are worth the time and energy they invest
Just waiting to see some sun
The person is waiting for a moment of hope or light to shine through the darkness and despair
Never knowing if that day will ever come
The person has no guarantee that a moment of hope will come
Left alone standing out on the street
The person is left alone, not knowing what to do or where to go
Till you become the hand that turns the key down in
Until the person takes action and unlocks the door or key to their future, they remain trapped in their current situation
Jackson Cage
Down in Jackson Cage
Well darlin' can you understand
The singer is asking the person if they understand the difficult and hopeless situation they are in
The way that they will turn a man
The person is expressing how oppressors have turned people into victims, and that individuals are judged unfairly
Into a stranger to waste away
Through oppression, people are forced to become an unrecognizable version of themselves and are left with nothing, but a life of despair and hopelessness
Down in the Jackson Cage
Lyrics © OBO APRA/AMCOS
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