Since forming in 1972, the band's members have changed; however, core members include saxophonist Clarence Clemons, organist Danny Federici, bassist Garry Tallent, drummer Max Weinberg, pianist Roy Bittan and, of course, guitarist/singer/songwriter Bruce Springsteen. Guitarist Steven Van Zandt joined the band while recording Born to Run and made this record at least possible. He became one of the most honored and most influential members.
Other musicians important to the band include guitarist Nils Lofgren (who stepped in after Van Zandt quit); guitarist/singer Patti Scialfa (who is also Springsten's wife); and pianist David Sancious and drummers "Mad Dog" Vini Lopez and Ernest "Boom" Carter, who all had left the band prior to Born to Run. Also, The Rising tour saw the official addition of violinist Soozie Tyrell.
In 1989 the band split up, after the massive success of the Born in the USA tour and the quieter Tunnel of Love tour. However, in 1999, the band reunited and embarked on a rather successful 18-month reunion tour - the "E-United Tour" - and now were powered by three guitars (Springsteen, Van Zandt and Lofgren, with Scialfa usually playing a fourth, acoustic guitar).
Following the events of September 11, 2001, Springsteen and the Band embarked on their first studio recordings (excepting a short recording session for Springsteen's 1995 Greatest Hits album) since 1984's Born in the U.S.A. The band recorded The Rising in 2002, and then hit the road for another marathon, two-year tour.
After The Rising, Springsteen recorded two more albums without the E Streeters followed by "Magic", released in October 2007 and featuring the hit single "Radio Nowhere". Magic was followed up by a traditionally strong tour throughout 2008, during which original band-member and friend Danny Federici passed away. Federici had already been temporarily replaced by Charlie Giordano, with whom Springsteen played the year before during the Seeger Sessions. Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band rounded the 100-show tour at Harley-Davidson's 105th anniversary celebration.
On January 27, 2009 Springsteen's twenty-fourth album "Working on a Dream" will be released. According to the official press release, Working on a Dream was recorded with the E Street Band and features twelve new Springsteen compositions plus two bonus tracks. It is the fourth collaboration between Springsteen and Brendan O'Brien, who produced and mixed the album. A new tour for 2009 is expected to be announced soon. Springsteen and the E Street Band will play The Super Bowl halftime show on February 1, 2009.
Saturday 27th July 2009 saw Bruce and the E-Streeters played The Glastonbury Festival, England. This was the band's first-ever UK festival performance, a total of 135,000 people watched an epic, two-and-a-half hour headlining set.
Current members
* Bruce Springsteen - lead vocals, guitar, harmonica, piano
* Garry Tallent - bass guitar, tuba
* Max Weinberg - drums, percussion (joined September 1974)
* Roy Bittan - piano, synthesizer (joined September 1974)
* Steven Van Zandt - lead guitar, mandolin, backing vocals (officially joined July 1975 after playing in previous bands; left in 1984 to go solo; rejoined in early 1995) Steven Van Zandt
* Nils Lofgren - guitar, pedal steel guitar, backing vocals (replaced Steven Van Zandt in June 1984; remained in group after Van Zandt returned)
* Patti Scialfa - backing and duet vocals, acoustic guitar, percussion (joined June 1984; became Springsteen's wife in 1991; they have a daughter and two sons)
* Soozie Tyrell - violin, acoustic guitar, percussion, backing vocals (joined 2002, occasional appearances before that)
Former members
* Vinnie 'Mad Dog' Lopez - drums (inception through February 1974, when asked to resign)
* David Sancious - keyboards (June 1973 to August 1974)
* Ernest 'Boom' Carter - drums (February to August 1974)
* Suki Lahav - violin, backing vocals (September 1974 to March 1975)
* Danny Federici - organ, electronic glockenspiel, accordion, other keyboards (on medical leave of absence from late November 2007, temporarily replaced by Charles Giordano) (Danny passed away on April 17, 2008 after a battle with cancer.)
* Clarence Clemons - saxophone, percussion, backing vocals, larger-than-life persona and Springsteen foil (died 2011)
Adam Raised a Cain
Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
My father held me to his side
As they put me into the water
He said how on that day I cried
We were prisoners of love, a love in chains
He was standin' in the door, I was standin' in the rain
With the same hot blood burning in our veins
Adam raised a Cain (yeah)
Adam raised a Cain (yeah)
Adam raised a Cain (yeah)
All of the old faces
Asked you why you're back
They fit you with position
And the keys to your daddy's Cadillac
In the darkness of your room
Your mother calls you by your true name
You remember the faces, the places, the names
You know it's never over, it's relentless as the rain
Adam raised a Cain (yeah)
Adam raised a Cain (yeah)
Adam raised a Cain (yeah)
Adam raised a Cain (yeah)
In the Bible Cain slew Abel
And East of Eden mama he was cast
You're born into this life paying
For the sins of somebody else's past
Well Daddy worked his whole life for nothing but the pain
Now he walks these empty rooms looking for something to blame
You inherit the sins, you inherit the flames
Adam raised a Cain (yeah)
Adam raised a Cain (yeah)
Adam raised a Cain (yeah)
Adam raised a Cain (yeah)
Lost but not forgotten, from the dark heart of a dream
Adam raised a Cain (yeah)
Adam raised a Cain (yeah)
Adam raised a Cain (yeah)
Adam raised a Cain (yeah)
Adam raised a Cain (yeah)
Adam raised a Cain (yeah)
Adam raised a Cain (yeah)
Adam raised a Cain (yeah)
Oh oh, oh oh oh oh
Oh oh, oh oh oh oh
Oh oh, oh oh oh oh
Oh oh, oh oh oh oh
Oh oh, oh oh oh oh
Oh oh, oh oh oh oh (hey)
Oh oh, oh oh oh oh (hey)
Oh oh, oh oh oh oh (hey)
The lyrics to Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band's song "Adam Raised A Cain" are filled with powerful metaphors and symbols. The song begins with the singer recalling the day he was baptized, where his father held him close as they went into the water. However, it is clear that this was no ordinary baptism, as the father states that he cried on that day. This sets the tone for the rest of the song, which is about the weight and burden of inherited sin.
The song uses the story of Cain and Abel from the Bible as a metaphor for the theme of inherited sin. Cain famously killed his brother Abel, and as a result, was cast out of Eden. The singer of the song asserts that we are all born into this world paying for the sins of our parent's past. He describes himself and his father as being prisoners of love in chains, and the same hot blood burning in their veins. The chorus asserts that "Adam raised a Cain", suggesting that the sins of the father have been passed down to the son.
The final verse of the song brings it all together, showing how the themes of the song apply to the singer's own life. He sings about his father, who worked his whole life for nothing but pain and now walks empty rooms looking for something to blame. The singer asserts that he has inherited the sins of his father and the flames that come with it. The final line of the song, "Adam raised a Cain", repeats once again, driving home the theme of the inherited burden of sin.
Line by Line Meaning
In the summer that I was baptized
Bruce is talking about the summer when he was baptized into Christianity.
My father held me to his side
Bruce's father held him close to his side as he was being baptized.
As they put me to the water
Bruce is being immersed in water as part of the baptism process.
He said how on that day I cried
Bruce's father commented on how he cried on the day of his baptism.
We were prisoners of love, a love in chains
Bruce and his father were bound together by a love that was somewhat restrictive in nature.
He was standin' in the door I was standin' in the rain
Bruce's father was standing by the door, while Bruce was standing outside in the rain.
With the same hot blood burning in our veins
Both Bruce and his father share the same passion and intensity for life.
Adam raised a Cain
The phrase 'Adam raised a Cain' is used to convey the idea that one generation may suffer for the sins of the previous generation.
All of the old faces
Bruce encounters those who knew him from his past.
Ask you why you're back
People he knew in the past ask him why he has returned after so many years.
They fit you with position
He is given a certain status and place in society.
And the keys to your daddy's Cadillac
The keys to his father's Cadillac are metaphorically given to him.
In the darkness of your room
He remembers events from his past while in his dark and lonely room.
Your mother calls you by your true name
His mother calls him by his real name, reminding him of his identity.
You remember the faces, the places, the names
He recollects the people, places, and names from his past.
You know it's never over it's relentless as the rain
Bruce understands that memories and events from the past continue to affect him, relentlessly like the rain.
In the Bible Cain slew Abel
Referring to the biblical story, where Cain killed his brother Abel.
And East of Eden he was cast
After killing his brother, Cain was exiled from Eden.
You're born into this life paying
You are born into a world where you pay for the sins of your ancestors.
For the sins of somebody else's past
You bear the burdens and consequences of the deeds of others in previous generations.
Daddy worked his whole life for nothing but the pain
Bruce's father suffered his entire life and did not feel fulfilled, leading to pain.
Now he walks these empty rooms looking for something to blame
Bruce's father is searching for someone or something to hold responsible for his pain and dissatisfaction with life.
You inherit the sins, you inherit the flames
One generation inherits the consequences of the sins of the past generation.
Lost but not forgotten, from the dark heart of a dream
This line suggests that the idea of being abandoned, but still remembered, gives meaning to a person's life.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Bruce Springsteen
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
michelle 2003
That line "You're born into this life paying for the sins of somebody else's past." Really gets to me. I know this song is from a male perspective, but when my mother died when I was 9, I was left with my dad. He often drank too much and beat me up. Called me useless, ugly, bastard and that I would amount to nothing. He never called me by my name it was always 'it.' Which, until I read a book called A Child Called It, I thought it was a term of endearment!
I put up with his abuse until I ran off at 15. But it wasn't until I was 30 that I found out I wasn't my fathers child. My mother had an affair and I was the result. I have spent from the age of 19 on anti depressants, so many suicide attempts, drinking heavily etc. I'm now 50 and still on anti depressants. But don't drink anymore.
But I didn't know, it wasn't my bloody fault. So Bruce, here's an English poem by Philip Larkin Called This Be The Verse. It says everything and how we are all products of our childhoods.
They fuck you up, your mum and dad.
They may not mean to, but they do.
They fill you with the faults they had
And add some extra, just for you.
But they were fucked up in their turn
By fools in old-style hats and coats,
Who half the time were soppy-stern
And half at one another’s throats.
Man hands on misery to man.
It deepens like a coastal shelf.
Get out as early as you can,
And don’t have any kids yourself.
J Damian Abel, RN
"Adam Raised A Cain"
In the summer that I was baptized,
My father held me to his side,
As they put me to the water,
He said how on that day I cried.
We were prisoners of love, a love in chains,
He was standin' in the door, I was standin' in the rain,
with the same hot blood burning in our veins,
Adam raised a Cain.
All of the old faces,
Ask you why you're back,
They fit you with position,
And the keys to your daddy's Cadillac,
In the darkness of your room,
Your mother calls you by your true name,
You remember the faces, the places, the names,
You know it's never over, it's relentless as the rain,
Adam raised a Cain.
In the Bible Cain slew Abel
And East of Eden he was cast,
You're born into this life paying,
for the sins of somebody else's past,
Daddy worked his whole life, for nothing but the pain,
Now he walks these empty rooms, looking for something to blame,
You inherit the sins, you inherit the flames,
Adam raised a Cain.
Lost but not forgotten, from the dark heart of a dream
Bruce Springsteen Lyrics
album: "Darkness On The Edge Of Town" (1978)
Abhishek Singh
Ringtone on my cell phone for almost a half decade.
Became fan of this song when it was aired in SOA's final episode. Springsteen ❣️
Eric Portnoy
First time seeing this. That man is the balls. His emotional songwriting, guitar playing, and fierce commitment to being in the moment mean it all.
The Road Warrior
The Boss sounds better than the balls, I won’t lie
Randall Reid
Greatest album ever I’ll never forget this song the first time I saw him in concert 88 Pittsburgh turned 18 that night and he blew me away
JSGaming27
That’s amazing!! I’ll be 18 on the 27th of this month. I love old music like this.
Randall Reid
@JSGaming27 what’s your favorite old music my son will be 18 in November and he loves older music as well
hellermountain
The beauty of this song is its raw power and basic chord structures.
Matthew Grillo
The guitar at the beginning still gives me chills
Phillip Brennan
I would love it if the Paramount Theatre show were released on CD and Vinyl. Darkness on the Edge of Town is a phenomenal album. The lyrics are dark, and the band is mighty. Hearing the album live in its entirety is the best medicine
RandyLeeSnyderJr
This is a song that relates to my father and I. I always loved him until I realized he wasn't ever going to love me.