Bruce Springsteen

Released: October 17, 1980

Songwriter: Bruce Springsteen

Producer: Bruce Springsteen Little Steven Jon Landau

[Verse 1]
You been hurt, and you're all cried out, you say
You walk down the street pushing people outta your way
You packed your bags and all alone you wanna ride
You don't want nothing, don't need no one by your side
You're walking tough, baby, but you're walking blind
To the ties that bind

[Chorus]
The ties that bind
Now you can't break the ties that bind

[Verse 2]
Cheap romance, it's all just a crutch
You don't want nothing that anybody can touch
You're so afraid of being somebody's fool
Not walking tough, baby, not walking cool
You walk cool, but darling, can you walk the line
And face the ties that bind?

[Chorus]
The ties that bind
Now you can't break the ties that bind

[Bridge]
Whoa, I
I'd rather feel the hurt inside
Yes, I would, darling
Than know
Know the emptiness your heart must hide
Yes, I would, darling
Yes, I would, darling
Yes, I would, baby

[Saxophone Solo]

[Verse 3]
You sit and wonder just who's gonna stop the rain
Who'll ease the sadness? Who's gonna quiet your pain?
It's a long dark highway and a thin white line
Connecting, baby, your heart to mine
We're running now, but, darling, we will stand in time
To face the ties that bind

[Chorus]
The ties that bind
Now you can't break the ties that bind
You can't forsake the ties that bind
Whoa

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)

Bruce Springsteen popular songs

The Ties That BindBruce Springsteen

Bruce Springsteen

The River