Bruce Springsteen and the Lyrics of Transcendence

The first I ever heard of Bruce Springsteen was in the 9th grade, when someone wrote the lyrics of "Born To Run" on one of the desks. Later, I added "Thunder Road" and "Jungleland" to the mix tape that played endlessly on my Walkman titled "Rock 2." (Who knows what happened to Rock 1). Over time more of his songs became familiar and, at mid-decade, working in the record department at an outlet of the legendary Crazy Eddie's electronics chain, I began buying his albums, under the mentorship of the department manager, Bob, a Springsteen fanatic.

In the years since I've often said the soundtrack of my life is all Springsteen. But this week we entered a new phase in our relationship. These days Bruce sings "Meet Me In The City Tonight," so I did. Along with 18,000 other fans, seeing Bruce live at Madison Square Garden. At a healthy 66, Bruce lived up to his well-earned reputation as a singular, hard-working performer, with a non-stop three and a half-hour show packed with audience interaction (crowd-surfing!) and a mix of old and new favorites (including the entire "River" album, in order).

Bruce is known to have one of the most loyal fan bases of any performer. It's not just his guitar skills and his ability to set poetry to music. I think it's also the result of a backstory that matches the narrative of his songs. Though he's surely one of the richest people in show business, his gruff-denim look and scratchy, smoky voice still make him seem like the working-class guy who plays in dive bars.

But his lyrics are imbued with a singular sense of rebellion and transcendence.

"I want to spit in the face of these badlands."
"Say goodbye, it's Independence Day."
"We gotta get out while we're young."
"Tonight this fool's halfway to heaven and a mile out of hell."
"Lost track of how far I've gone. How far I've gone, how high I've climbed."

Some artists (Simon and Garfunkle, Don McLean) write poetic lyrics that are subject to speculation.With Bruce the theme is obvious. He didn't fit in in the small New Jersey town of Freehold. Not at church either. Or high school or, briefly, at college. It was only on stage, guitar in hand, that he felt like himself. And so he ran to better places.

And he shares the journey with us.

Some artists' songs complain about life being tough or romantic partners who did them wrong. In a few songs, like "The River" and "Jungleland," Bruce lingers on inescapable misery.

"The poets down here don't write nothing it all, they just stand back and let it all be."
"Is a dream a lie if it don't come true. Or is it something worse?"

But the overarching theme in Springsteen's ouvre is vowing to break out of a trap, or boasting that he's already done it. And there's no walking away or leaving on the jet plane for this guy. It's all about getting in cars.

"Climb in back heaven's waiting down on the tracks."
"I got some beer and the highway's free."
"Well I run that hard road out of heartbreak city, built a roadside carnival out of hurt and self-pity, It was all wrong, well now I'm moving on."
"Kids asleep in the backseat. We're just counting the miles, you and me."

The man whose best-known hit is Born To Run, really was. And fortunately, he shows no sign of slowing down.