Bruce Springsteen

Released: July 30, 2002

Songwriter: Bruce Springsteen

Producer: Brendan O’Brien

[Verse 1]
Where the river runs to black
I take the schoolbooks from your pack
Plastics, wire and your kiss
The breath of eternity on your lips

[Verse 2]
In the crowded marketplace
I drift from face to face
I hold my breath and close my eyes
I hold my breath and close my eyes

[Chorus 1]
And I wait for paradise
And I wait for paradise

[Verse 3]
The Virginia hills have gone to brown
Another day, another sun going down
I visit you in another dream
I visit you in another dream

[Verse 4]
I reach and feel your hair
Your smell lingers in the air
I brush your cheek with my fingertips
I taste the void upon your lips

[Chorus 1]
And I wait for paradise
And I wait for paradise

[Verse 5]
I search for you on the other side
Where the river runs clean and wide
Up to my heart, the waters rise
Up to my heart, the waters rise

[Verse 6]
I sink beneath the river cool and clear
Drifting down, I disappear
I see you on the other side
I search for the peace in your eyes

[Chorus 2]
But they're as empty as paradise
They're as empty as paradise

[Outro]
I break above the waves
I feel the sun upon my face

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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