Night
Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band Lyrics

Lights out tonight
The current situation is bleak and uncertain.

Trouble in the heartland
There is unrest and turmoil in Bruce Springsteen's homeland.

Got a head-on collision
The problems Springsteen is facing are causing him significant personal pain.

Smashin' in my guts man
These problems are so intense, they're twisting Springsteen up emotionally.

I'm caught in a crossfire
Springsteen is stuck in between opposing forces that he cannot make sense of merely by choosing sides.

That I don't understand
The source of the conflict causing the pain is perplexing to Springsteen.

I don't give a damn
The tired, old, stereotypical perspectives on this kind of conflict don't interest or motivate him.

For the same old played out scenes
The common, culturally rehearsed narratives that should help Springsteen make sense of the conflict are unhelpful and stale.

I don't give a damn
This sentiment is so important to him, he repeats it twice in a row.

For just the in-betweens
Even the middling compromises are insufficient; he's seeking something more.

Honey I want the heart, I want the soul
He's seeking something real and meaningful that touches on what makes us human.

I want control right now
He seeks to take control of his life and his surroundings to alleviate the pain of conflict and lack of understanding.

Talk about a dream
A dream is a way to express a sense of hope despite the reality presently around us.

Try to make it real
We must act and work interpersonally to externalize our inner dreams and hopes.

You wake up in the night
In other words, Springsteen is losing sleep and struggling to find rest.

With a fear so real
The stress is visceral and exists within him as a physical sensation.

Spend your life waiting
It's easy to wait passively for things to get better on their own; this is a common default strategy that rarely works.

For a moment that just don't come
Hope remains a distant goal that seems unattainable in the face of uncertainty.

Well don't waste your time waiting
Instead of waiting for a solution to come from somewhere else, we should take proactive steps to change our circumstances ourselves.

Badlands, you gotta live it every day
Life is hard and difficult, and we exist within this struggle daily.

Let the broken hearts stand
If we've been hurt, we must learn to bear that pain and move on, rather than spiraling into negativity.

As the price you've gotta pay
Pain is inevitable, but it's an important and often necessary part of growth and development.

We'll keep pushin' till it's understood
We have to keep striving and trying new things to overcome obstacles and communicate with others to build positive and fruitful relations.

And these badlands start treating us good
Through persistence and cooperation, we can create something better out of a difficult situation.

Workin' in the fields
Springsteen compares the work he must do to survive with that of a farmer tending the crops.

Til you get your back burned
Working too hard for extended periods can lead to exhaustion, burnout, and pain.

Workin' 'neath the wheel
Another metaphor, this time referring to a person working on a factory wheel of some kind.

Till you get your facts learned
Through labor, people can learn more about themselves, the world around them, and the forces they're fighting against.

Baby got my facts
Springsteen now is using his labor and toil to gain knowledge and wisdom.

Learned real good right now
He's grown in many ways, and he's proud of the knowledge and wisdom gained.

Poor man want to be rich
Springsteen is describing the common desire of people to escape their current situation, especially if they're struggling economically.

Rich man want to be king
Even the most successful and wealthy people can feel a sense of lack or inadequacy and may seek more power or control.

And a king ain't satisfied
No matter how much wealth and power a person attains, they'll often still lack contentment and face new challenges and obstacles.

Till he rules everything
Even those with incredible success can still feel discontented and desire more control and power, no matter the cost or price to themselves or others.

I want to go out tonight
Springsteen wants to take action and make choice that will lead him towards his goals--he's not content to passively wait for life to get better.

I want to find out what I got
He's curious about what he's capable of and what opportunities could be before him if he bravely takes risks.

I believe in the love that you gave me
Springsteen is discussing the power of belief and faithful hope, especially when given by a supportive, loving community.

I believe in the hope that can save me
Through hopeful action and purposeful choices, one can make hope into a reality that can change their life for the better.

I believe in the faith
Sprinsteen believes in the power of faith, where a person can believe in fate, the universe, or destiny without formal religious affiliation.

And I pray that some day it may raise me
Through belief, hope, and faith, Springsteen hopes his actions will have a positive impact on others and assist in his growth as a person.

Above these badlands
He desires to transcend and rise above his current difficult circumstances and work towards his own happiness.

For the ones who had a notion
This is Springsteen writing for people who feel stuck in life and believe there is something more to it than their current struggles.

A notion deep inside
This is similar to the idea of intuition, a gut sense that there is more to life than what's immediately in front of us.

That it ain't no sin to be glad you're alive
It's ok to be happy about being alive and positive about life, even in the face of challenging circumstances.

I want to find one face that ain't looking through me
Loneliness can be powerfully felt even in the most crowded of spaces--Springsteen seeks deeper, more meaningful connections with others that go beyond simple eye contact.

I want to find one place
He's seeking a sense of home and belonging that can ease his feelings of existential angst and ennui.

I want to spit in the face of these badlands
He's unwilling to simply sit back and take whatever life hands him; he's seeking opportunities to act and change things for the better.