Bruce Springsteen

Released: March 31, 1992

Songwriter: Bruce Springsteen

Producer: Bruce Springsteen Chuck Plotkin Jon Landau Roy Bittan

[Verse]
Ol' catfish in the lake, we called him Big Jim
When I was a kid my only wish was to get my line in him
Skipped church one Sunday, rowed out and throw'd in my line
Jim took that hook pole and me right over the side

Went driftin' down past old tires and rusty cans of beer
The angel of the lake whispered in my ear
"Before you choose your wish, son, you better think first
With every wish, there comes a curse"

I fell in love with beautiful Doreen
She was the prettiest thing this old town'd ever seen
I courted her and I made her mine
But I grew jealous whenever another man'd come walkin' down the line

And my jealousy made me treat her mean and cruel
She sighed "Bobby, oh Bobby, you're such a fool
Don't you know before you choose your wish, you'd better think first?
'Cause with every wish, there comes a curse"

These days I sit around and laugh at the many rivers I've crossed
But on the far banks, there's always another forest where a man can get lost
Well, there in the high trees, love's bluebird glides
Guiding us 'cross to another river on the other side

And there, someone is waitin' with a look in her eyes
And though my heart's grown weary and more than a little bit shy
Tonight I'll drink from her waters to quench my thirst
And leave the angels to worry with every wish

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.

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