Bruce Springsteen

Released: April 25, 2006

Songwriter: Traditional

Producer: Bruce Springsteen Jon Landau

[Verse 1]
I thought I heard the Captain say
Pay me my money down
Tomorrow is our sailing day
Pay me my money down

[Chorus]
Oh, pay me, oh, pay me
Pay me my money down
Pay me or go to jail
Pay me my money down

[Verse 2]
As soon as the boat was clear of the bar
Pay me my money down
The captain knocked me down with a spar
Pay me my money down

[Chorus]
Oh, pay me, oh, pay me
Pay me my money down
Pay me or go to jail
Pay me my money down

[Verse 3]
If I'd been a rich man's son
Pay me my money down
I'd sit on the river and watch it run
Pay me my money down

[Chorus]
Oh, pay me, oh, pay me
Pay me my money down
Pay me or go to jail
Pay me my money down

[Verse 4]
I wish I was Mr Gates
Pay me my money down
They'd haul my money in in crates
Pay me my money down

[Chorus]
Oh, pay me, oh, pay me
Pay me my money down
Pay me or go to jail
Pay me my money down

[Verse 5]
Well 40 nights, nights at sea
Pay me my money down
Captain worked every last dollar out of me
Pay me my money down

[Chorus]
Oh, pay me, oh, pay me
Pay me my money down
Pay me or go to jail
Pay me my money down
Oh, pay me, oh, pay me
Pay me my money down
Pay me or go to jail
Pay me my money down

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

We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions

From the album

We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions (2006)

Bruce Springsteen popular songs

Pay Me My Money DownBruce Springsteen

Bruce Springsteen

We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions