Bruce Springsteen

Released: January 27, 2009

Songwriter: Bruce Springsteen

Producer: Brendan O’Brien

[Verse 1]
He was born a little baby on the Appalachian Trail
At six months old he'd done three months in jail
He robbed a bank in his diapers and his little bare baby feet
All he said was "Folks, my name is Outlaw Pete."

[Chorus]
I'm Outlaw Pete!
I'm Outlaw Pete!
Can you hear me?

[Verse 2]
At twenty-five a mustang pony he did steal
And they rode around and 'round on heaven's wheel
Father Jesus, I'm an outlaw, killer and a thief
And I slow down only to sow my grief

[Chorus]
I'm Outlaw Pete!
I'm Outlaw Pete!
Can you hear me?

[Verse 3]
He cut his trail of tears across the countryside
And where he went, women wept and men died
One night he woke from a vision of his own death
Saddled his pony and rode her deep into the West
Married a Navajo girl and settled down on the res
And as the smoke fell he held that beautiful daughter to his chest

[Chorus]
I'm Outlaw Pete!
I'm Outlaw Pete!
Can you hear me?

[Verse 4]
Out of the East on an Irish stallion came Bounty Hunter Dan
His heart quickened and burdened by the need to get his man
He found Pete peacefully fishing by the river, pulled his gun and got the drop
He said, "Pete, you think you've changed, but you have not"
He cocked his pistol, pulled the trigger and shouted, "Let it stop!"
He drew a knife from his boot, threw it, and pierced Dan through the heart
Dan smiled as he lay in his own blood dying in the sun
And whispered in Pete's ear, "We cannot undo these things we've done"

[Chorus]
You're Outlaw Pete!
You're Outlaw Pete!
Can you hear me?
Can you hear me?
Can you hear me?

[Verse 5]
For forty days and nights Pete rode and did not stop
Till he sat high upon an icy mountain top
He watched a hawk on a desert updraft slip and slide
Moved to the edge and dug his spurs deep into his pony's side

Some say Pete and his pony vanished over the edge
Some say they remain frozen high upon that icy ledge
The young Navajo girl washes in the river, skin so fair
And braids a piece of Pete's buckskin chaps into her hair

[Extended Chorus]
Outlaw Pete!
Outlaw Pete!
Can you hear me?
Can you hear me?
Can you hear me?
Can you hear me?
Can you hear me?
Can you hear me?
Can you hear me?
Can you hear me?
Can you hear me?
Can you hear me?
Can you hear me?
Can you hear me?
Can you hear me?

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

Working on a Dream

From the album

Working on a Dream (2009)

Bruce Springsteen popular songs

Outlaw PeteBruce Springsteen

Bruce Springsteen

Working on a Dream