Bruce Springsteen

Released: October 17, 1980

Songwriter: Bruce Springsteen

Producer: Little Steven Jon Landau Bruce Springsteen

[Verse 1]
I see you walking, baby, down the street
Pushing that baby carriage at your feet
I see that lonely ribbon in your hair
Tell me, am I the man for whom you put it there?
You never smile, girl, you never speak
You just walk on by, darling, week after week
Raising two kids alone in this mixed-up world
Must be a lonely life for a working girl

[Chorus]
Little girl, I wanna marry you
Oh yeah, little girl, I wanna marry you
Yes I do, little girl, I wanna marry you

[Verse 2]
Now, honey, I don't wanna clip your wings
But a time comes when two people should think of these things
Having a home and a family
Facing up to their responsibilities
They say in the end, true love prevails
But in the end, true love can't be some fairytale
To say I'll make your dreams come true would be wrong
But maybe, darling, I could help them along

[Chorus]
Little girl, I wanna marry you
Oh yeah, little girl, I wanna marry you
Yes I do, little girl, I wanna marry you

[Bridge]
My daddy said right before he died
That true, true love was just a lie
He went to his grave a broken heart
An unfulfilled life makes a man hard

[Verse 3]
Oh darling
There's something happy and there's something sad
'Bout wanting somebody oh so bad
I wear my love, darling, without shame
I'd be proud if you would wear my name

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

The River

From the album

The River (1980)

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I Wanna Marry YouBruce Springsteen

Bruce Springsteen

The River