Bruce Springsteen

Songwriter: Bruce Springsteen

Producer: Jim Cretecos Mike Appel

They broke your toys this morning, Henry
Rode your board right into dust
Surrounded you with strangers who you could not trust
And then they had the gall
To write your name up on the girls' room wall
And send you out to Maria
Who spoke of babies and all
And wanted to shoot your joy
It's a hard world when you're the new kid in town
Ain't it, Henry Boy

Well the North side is for diamond-studded woman
Subtly selling their wares
And the West side is for debutantes
And would be millionaires
Oh the East side is for lost boys
Who know their moves too well
The South side is for gamblers, Henry Boy
The train stops once for Hell
It's a hard world when they're forcing you
To live your life out on Broadway
But Henry I'm sure you're gonna like it well

The constellation she points to Gate Eleven
That's where you got your connections
Let me take a look inside my magic book
I don't think you're beyond my inventions
Oh these doctor's appendages I'm giving you for wings
I'm sure it'll meet the occasion
I'm gonna mix you some magic, you'll spittin' sparks
And ready for the invasion

Oh and the Milky Way's a trip for dippers
They saw ya coming a mile away
In the amusement park you'll get clipped by rippers
Hiding behind candy 'cades
In the alleyway you'll get ripped by strippers
All who know your name
In the stalls sit the soldier-boy kissers on leave for just a day
And Henry couldn't take it
He's gonna be a submariner
Riding underground for the Pope
Gonna stand on the corner of Broadway
And scream: "Up 'scope"

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

Chapter and Verse

From the album

Chapter and Verse (2016)

Bruce Springsteen popular songs

Henry BoyBruce Springsteen

Bruce Springsteen

Chapter and Verse