Bruce Springsteen

Released: October 3, 1987

Songwriter: Bruce Springsteen

Producer: Bruce Springsteen Jon Landau Chuck Plotkin

[Verse]
I hold you in my arms as the band plays
What are those words whispered, baby, just as you turn away
I saw you last night out on the edge of town
I wanna read your mind to know just what I've got in this new thing I've found

[Chorus]
So tell me what I see when I look in your eyes
Is that you, baby, or just a brilliant disguise?

[Verse 2]
I heard somebody call your name from underneath our willow
I saw something tucked in shame underneath your pillow
Well I've tried so hard, baby, but I just can't see
What a woman like you is doing with me

[Chorus]
So tell me who I see when I look in your eyes
Is that you, baby, or just a brilliant disguise?

[Bridge]
Now look at me, baby
Struggling to do everything right
And then it all falls apart
When out go the lights
I'm just a lonely pilgrim
I walk this world in wealth
I want to know if it's you I don't trust
'Cause I damn sure don't trust myself

[Verse 3]
Now you play the loving woman, I'll play the faithful man
But just don't look too close into the palm of my hand
We stood at the altar, the gypsy swore our future was right
But come the wee wee hours, well maybe, baby, the gypsy lied

[Chorus]
So when you look at me, you better look hard and look twice
Is that me, baby, or just a brilliant disguise?

[Verse 4]
Tonight our bed is cold
I'm lost in the darkness of our love
God have mercy on the man
Who doubts what he's sure of

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

Greatest Hits (1995)

From the albums

Bruce Springsteen popular songs

Brilliant DisguiseBruce Springsteen

Bruce Springsteen

Greatest Hits (1995)