van Zandt was born as Steven Lento in Winthrop, Massachusetts. His mother, Mary Lento, remarried when he was young and Steven took the last name of his stepfather, William Van Zandt. The family moved from Massachusetts to Middletown Township, New Jersey when he was seven.
Van Zandt subsequently became a songwriter and producer for fellow Jersey shore act Southside Johnny & the Asbury Jukes in the mid- to late-1970s, penning their signature song "I Don't Wanna Go Home", co-writing other songs for them with Springsteen, and producing their most-acclaimed record, Hearts of Stone. As such, Van Zandt became a key contributor to the Jersey Shore sound. Van Zandt then went on to share production credits on the classic Springsteen albums Darkness on the Edge of Town, The River, and Born in the U.S.A..
Van Zandt has produced a number of other records, including an uncredited effort on the Iron City Houserockers' Have A Good Time (But Get Out Alive). Less successful was his work on Lone Justice's second album Shelter, which was a career-ending flop for the Los Angeles cowpunk band.
In 2004, he contributed the song "Baby Please Don't Go" to Nancy Sinatra's self-titled album
Van Zandt officially left the E Street Band in 1984 (Springsteen's song "Bobby Jean" is said to be inspired by the split) and has been involved in numerous solo musical projects and collaborations since then, ranging from soul music to hard rock to world music. In particular, he released four albums in the 1980s and one in 1999, sometimes fronting an on-and-off group known as Little Steven and the Disciples of Soul. Van Zandt has written that these albums are each elements in a five-part concept cycle. The first of them, 1982's white soul Men Without Women, earned the most critical praise (Jay Cocks of TIME magazine dubbed it one of the ten best albums of the year), while its follow-up, 1984's Voice of America, did the best on the U.S. albums chart, although none of them were much of a commercial success. With Voice of America, his music became explicitly political, with the central theme being opposition to Ronald Reagan-era American foreign policy.
Continuing his involvement in issues of the day, in 1985 he created the music-industry activist group Artists United Against Apartheid as an action against the Sun City resort in South Africa. Forty-nine top recording artists, including Springsteen, U2, Bob Dylan and Run DMC, collaborated on a song called "Sun City" in which they pledged they would never perform at the resort. The effort was modestly successful. In 1987 he released the album Freedom - No Compromise, which continued the political messaging in an even more strident fashion. Some U.S. appearances in that year as opening act for U2's arena-and-stadium Joshua Tree Tour continued in the same vein – Oliver North was labelled a "criminal motherfucker" – but were not well-received by audiences, who found the sound overbearing and the performances lacking musicality. Both the record and his concerts were more popular in Europe, however. Little Steven's fourth album, 1989's Revolution, attracted little attention.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steven_Van_Zandt
Bitter Fruit
Little Steven Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I work in these fields of plenty
Sweat for the company far away
Fruit once sweet now has bitter taste
My father was a union man
Very proud and outspoken
They came and took him when I was young
And my children are hungry
To taste the sweet life
Though my eyes have grown tired
Their desire keeps me alive
I will gather no more of your bitter fruit
I have a sister she loves to dream
Now she works right beside me
We work the land we can never own
Someday we'll reap what we have sown
I don't look east I don't look west
I don't understand their accent
If it's not soldiers it's foreign debt
But they haven't won this one yet
Soon from the fields will come fire
To cleanse the lies from all sides
The flames of freedom grow higher
Until desire - is satisfied
I will gather no more of your bitter fruit
And they want to help in America
And the guns they come from America
But they fight against us North America
Why are the people so quiet in America?
Little Steven's song "Bitter Fruit" speaks of injustice and the exploitation of workers in the fields. The singer of the song was born lucky, but life took a harsh turn for him and his family. He works in the fields but his sweat goes to benefit a company far away. The fruit he used to pick tasted sweet, but now it's become bitter, probably to symbolize the lack of justice he and his fellow workers receive.
The singer's father was a union man who was taken away by the authorities, leaving the singer to pick up the banner and fight for his father's cause. He sees that his children are hungry for the sweet life, but he will not let it happen at the cost of others' suffering. Despite growing tired, the desire of his children for a better life keeps him alive.
The singer's sister works beside him, and they both work the land they can never own. They hope to one day reap what they have sown. The singer doesn't look east or west and doesn't understand the accents of those who exploit them. But he knows they will never win, and soon the fields will come alive with the flames of freedom that will burn the lies from all sides until the desire for justice is satisfied.
Overall, the song is a rallying call for workers' rights and justice for those who toil in the fields. It speaks of the nobleness of fighting for what is right and just.
Line by Line Meaning
I was born lucky they always say
People say that I'm lucky since I was born in a free country, but this luck doesn't extend to my working conditions.
I work in these fields of plenty
I work long hours in the fields every day, but the profits go to someone else.
Sweat for the company far away
I work here, but higher-ups who make the real profits sit far away and don't sweat like I do.
Fruit once sweet now has bitter taste
The fruit used to be sweet and juicy, but now it bears no resemblance to its former self.
My father was a union man
My father was a believer in workers' rights and belonged to a union.
Very proud and outspoken
He was very vocal about his beliefs and was not afraid to speak out.
They came and took him when I was young
Those in power arrested him and took him away, leaving me fatherless before I could become a man.
I will fight 'till his work is done
I will continue to fight for the rights of workers like my father did, and the pursuit of equality will be my lifelong work.
And my children are hungry
My children want more than the meager existence that this job provides for us.
To taste the sweet life
They dream of a better life with less hardship and more opportunity.
Though my eyes have grown tired
I've been working so hard for so long that my eyes are tired and worn out.
Their desire keeps me alive
My children's dreams of a better life provide the motivation that keeps me going in these difficult times.
I will gather no more of your bitter fruit
I won't continue to accept the hard-working conditions and low pay that is given by the greedy people who take our fruit.
I have a sister she loves to dream
My sister, who is also burdened by this lifestyle, has the same dreams as my children, and she is committed like me to making them come true.
Now she works right beside me
We work together in the fields, like many other family members who share our struggles.
We work the land we can never own
Our hard work will never allow us to become owners just as we labor to make our small slice of the world a little bit better.
Someday we'll reap what we have sown
One day we will enjoy the fruits of our labor, and things will be better for us and our families.
I don't look east I don't look west
I do not care for geopolitical matters, I only care for the well-being and survival of my family.
I don't understand their accent
I am not interested in foreign tongues, because my interests and needs are limited to my immediate physical existence.
If it's not soldiers it's foreign debt
When one trouble fades, another one arises. When soldiers depart, debts arrive.
But they haven't won this one yet
There will always be another battle, but they haven't won the battle against us yet.
Soon from the fields will come fire
The desperation is growing, and there will soon be a reckoning to the false promises and lies that we’ve been told.
To cleanse the lies from all sides
The flames of justice will arise and burn away the rhetoric and deception on both sides of the aisle.
The flames of freedom grow higher
The flames of freedom will grow to an inferno, fueled by the frustration of the oppressed.
Until desire - is satisfied
Until my children's aspirations for a better life carries fertilizers and determination from the soil up to reality.
And they want to help in America
The people with power say they are here to help, but they have never been interested in seeing below the surface.
And the guns they come from America
The equipment and weapons being used are also imported from the ones we call our own.
But they fight against us North America
The powers in charge are not on our side, even if they are from our own North America.
Why are the people so quiet in America?
just like they steal our fruits and let us endure the violence, they're blind to the truth and don't hear the cries of its oppressed people.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: STEVEN VAN ZANDT
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@mauropodda3565
I was born lucky they always say
I work in these fields of plenty
Sweat for the company far away
Fruit once sweet now has bitter taste
My father was a union man
Very proud and outspoken
They came and took him when I was young
I will fight 'till his work is done
And my children are hungry
To taste the sweet life
Though my eyes have grown tired
Their desire keeps me alive
I will gather no more of your bitter fruit
I have a sister she loves to dream
Now she works right beside me
We work the land we can never own
Someday we'll reap what we have sown
I don't look east I don't look west
I don't understand their accent
If it's not soldiers it's foreign debt
But they haven't won this one yet
Soon from the fields will come fire
To cleanse the lies from all sides
The flames of freedom grow higher
Until desire - is satisfied
I will gather no more of your bitter fruit
And they want to help in America
And the guns they come from America
But they fight against us North America
Why are the people so quiet in America?
@konapaddler2403
Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in.
@tch8787
Jesus Christ my respect for syl just plummeted
@konapaddler2403
@@tch8787 To sing like a woman? It's a fucking disgrace.
@NunyaBSwax-xr9gn
He sang for decades before acting folks 🤷♀️👑😎
@flaviosambruni2503
@@konapaddler2403 do Tony appreciate this?
@retroltu
@@flaviosambruni2503 i actually laughed hahahah. He turned out great actor
@stefanocesari5260
Questo brano l'avrò ascoltato decine di volte nei miei "maledetti" anni 80. È sempre bello
@boogaboom
He always had the makings of a varsity musician
@DarkReaperK97
A hit is a hit
@TheUltimateBlue
Another No Limits classic.