Released: October 9, 1987

Songwriter: Bruce Springsteen

Producer: Chuck Plotkin Bruce Springsteen Jon Landau

[Verse]
Bill Horton was a cautious man of the road
He walked lookin' over his shoulder and remained faithful to its code
When something caught his eye, he'd measure his need
And then very carefully he'd proceed

Billy met a young girl in the early days of May
It was there in her arms, he let his cautiousness slip away
In their lovers' twilight as the evening sky grew dim
He'd lay back in her arms and laugh at what had happened to him

On his right hand, Billy'd tattooed the word "love" and on his left hand was the word "fear"
And in which hand he held his fate was never clear
Come Indian summer, he took his young lover for his bride
And with his own hands built her a great house down by the riverside

Now Billy was an honest man, he wanted to do what was right
He worked hard to fill their lives with happy days and loving night
Alone on his knees in the darkness for steadiness he'd pray
For he knew in a restless heart the seed of betrayal lay

One night Billy awoke from a terrible dream callin' his wife's name
She lay breathing beside him in a peaceful sleep a thousand miles away
He got dressed in the moonlight and down to the highway he strode
When he got there, he didn't find nothing but road

Billy felt a coldness rise up inside him that he couldn't name
Just as the words tattooed 'cross his knuckles he knew would always remain
At their bedside, he brushed the hair from his wife's face as the moon shone on her skin so white
Filling their room in the beauty of God's fallen light

Bruce Springsteen

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.