Bruce Springsteen

Released: May 3, 1984

Songwriter: Bruce Springsteen

Producer: Little Steven Bruce Springsteen Chuck Plotkin Jon Landau

[Verse 1]
I get up in the evening
And I ain't got nothing to say
I come home in the morning
I go to bed feeling the same way
I ain't nothing but tired
Man, I'm just tired and bored with myself
Hey there, baby
I could use just a little help

[Chorus]
You can't start a fire
You can't start a fire without a spark
This gun's for hire
Even if we're just dancing in the dark

[Verse 2]
Messages keep getting clearer
Radio's on, and I'm moving 'round my place
I check my look in the mirror
I wanna change my clothes, my hair, my face
Man, I ain't getting nowhere
I'm just living in a dump like this
There's something happening somewhere
Baby, I just know that there is

[Chorus]
You can't start a fire
You can't start a fire without a spark
This gun's for hire
Even if we're just dancing in the dark

[Bridge]
You sit around getting older
There's a joke here somewhere, and it's on me
I'll shake this world off my shoulders
Come on, baby, the laugh's on me

[Verse 3]
Stay on the streets of this town
And they'll be carving you up all right
They say, "You gotta stay hungry"
Hey, baby, I'm just about starving tonight
I'm dying for some action
I'm sick of sitting around here trying to write this book
I need a love reaction
Come on now, baby, give me just one look

[Chorus]
You can't start a fire
Sitting 'round crying over a broken heart
This gun's for hire
Even if we're just dancing in the dark
You can't start a fire
Worrying about your little world falling apart
This gun's for hire
Even if we're just dancing in the dark

[Outro]
Even if we're just dancing in the dark
Even if we're just dancing in the dark
Even if we're just dancing in the dark
Hey, baby

[Outro Saxophone Solo]

Bruce Springsteen is a rock ‘n’ roll icon from the great state of New Jersey. Nicknamed “The Boss,” he’s known for spirited sax-powered anthems about working-class people making their way in the world. Backed by the trusty E Street Band, he’s sold more than 120 million records, won numerous awards (including 20 Grammys and an Oscar), sold out stadiums around the globe, and earned a place alongside his teenage heroes in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Although he’s a living legend who ranks among the most important artists in rock history, Springsteen wasn’t an overnight success. Around the time of his first album, 1973’s Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J., he was dismissed as just another “new Dylan"—some scruffy folk singer with a decent vocabulary looking to follow in Bob’s footsteps. In the decade that followed, Springsteen proved himself to be much more.

His breakthrough came with his third album, 1975’s Born to Run. The record hit No. 3 on the Billboard 200 and landed the singer-songwriter on the cover of both Time and Newsweek. Bruce nabbed his first chart-topping album five years later with The River, and in 1984, he went global with Born in the U.S.A., a critical and commercial smash that produced seven Top 10 singles.

more tracks from the album

Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J.

From the albums

Amor com Amor se Paga: Internacional (1984)
Born in the U.S.A. (1984)
Greatest Hits (1995) (1995)
The Essential Bruce Springsteen (2003)
Greatest Hits (2009) (2009)
Blinded by the Light (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) (2019)

Bruce Springsteen popular songs

Dancing in the DarkBruce Springsteen

Bruce Springsteen

Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J.