Bruce Springsteen

Released: November 5, 1973

Songwriter: Bruce Springsteen

Producer: Jim Cretecos Mike Appel

[Verse 1]
Billy, he's down by the railroad tracks
Sitting low in the back seat of his Cadillac
Diamond Jackie, she's so intact
As she falls so softly beneath him
Jackie's heels are stacked
Billy's got cleats on his boots
Together they're gonna boogaloo down Broadway
And come back home with the loot
It's midnight in Manhattan, this is no time to get cute
It's a mad dog's promenade
So walk tall
Or baby, don't walk at all

[Verse 2]
Fish lady, oh, fish lady, fish lady
She baits them tenement walls
She won't take corner boys
They ain't got no money
And they're so easy
I said, "Hey, baby won't you take my hand?
Walk with me down Broadway
Well mama, take my arm and move with me down Broadway," yeah
I'm a young man, I talk real loud
Yeah babe, I walk real proud for you
Ah, so shake it away
So shake away your street life
Shake away your city life
Hook up to the train
And hook up to the night train
Hook it up
Hook up to the, hook up to the train

[Verse 3]
But I know that she won't take the train, no, she won't take the train
No, she won't take the train, no, she won't take the train
Oh, she won't take the train, no, she won't take the train
Oh, she won't take the train, no, she won't take the train
She's afraid them tracks are gonna slow her down
And when she turns, this boy'll be gone
So long, sometimes you just gotta walk on, walk on

[Verse 4]
Hey, vibes man, hey, jazz man, aw, play me a serenade
Any deeper blue and you're playing in your grave
Save your notes, don't spend 'em on the blues boy
Save your notes, don't spend 'em on the darling yearling sharp boy
Straight for the church note ringing, vibes man sting a trash can
Listen to your junk man
Aw, listen to your junk man
Listen to your junk man
Oh, listen to your junk man
He's singing (Singing)
He's singing (Singing)
He's singing (Singing)
All dressed up in satin, walking past the alley (Singing)
He's singing, singing, singing, singing
Singing, singing, singing, singing

[Outro]
Oh, oh, oh, oh yeah
(Singing, singing, singing)
Oh, oh, ooh, ooh
Oh yeah
Watch I'ma be a junk man
Oh, watch I'ma be a junk man
Come on, little girl
Won't ya?
Watch I'ma be a junk man

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 Wild, the Innocent & the E Street Shuffle

From the album

The Wild, the Innocent & the E Street Shuffle (1973)

Bruce Springsteen popular songs

New York City SerenadeBruce Springsteen

Bruce Springsteen

The Wild, the Innocent & the E Street Shuffle