Showing posts with label Bruce Springsteen. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Bruce Springsteen. Show all posts

Monday, 9 February 2026

LEAVING L'EMPORDÀ, 'ÉS QUAN DORMO QUE HI VEIG CLAR'

Today, Claire Fontaine and The Grandma are on their way to Barcelona after spending a few days in El Port de la Selva where they are going to pay a final tribute to an old friend and visit another, Tina Picotes.

Yesterday, they took their bicycles and went up from El Port de la Selva to the Monastery of Sant Pere de Rodes, one of the most imposing and mysterious buildings from where on a clear day you can even see the Serra de l'Albera, Canigó and the Pyrenees.

On the way back, they went down through Vilajuïga and returned to El Port de la Selva along the Llançà road, a road that allows you to enjoy an extraordinarily beautiful landscape and, although you have to keep your attention on the road 100%, it allows you to stop at different places and contemplate how the sea and the mountain coexist.
 

NOTES SOBRE EL PORT DE LA SELVA per J.V. Foix

Em trobaren ajaçat a la sorra quan ja tots els banyistes havien desertat la platja. Enganxats a la nuca i a l'esquena tenia papers de totes les colors amb inscripcions de duanes i de grans hotels i balnearis exòtics. Me'ls volien arrencar, però seguien trossos de carn viva. Els ulls dels cavalls els pesquen a la cova de la Colomera quan toquen les dotze de la nit. Només en aquell instant precís es poden obrir com qui obre una ostra. Llur pupil·la flota damunt un licor tan ardent, que mai cap llavi humà no ha pogut acostar-s'hi. No els mireu mai de fit a fit, perquè us prendrà per sempre una tristesa sense fi, i la passió per les cales inabordables lligarà la vostra vida al més misteriós dels destins.

NOTES ON PORT DE LA SELVA by J.V. Foix

They found me lying in the sand when all the swimmers had already abandoned the beach. Stuck on my back and the nape of my neck were pieces of paper in all colours with inscriptions from customs houses and from grand hotels and exotic spas. They wanted to tear them from me, but chunks of live flesh came off as well. They go fishing for horses' eyes in Colomera's cave when it strikes midnight. Only at that precise instant can they be opened as one opens an oyster. Their pupils float on a liquid which burns so strongly, that no human lips have ever been able to come near. Don't ever stare at them, because an endless sadness will take hold of you for good, and the passion for inaccessible inlets will bind your life to the most mysterious of destinies.
 

They arrived on Friday with J.V. Foix and his poetry and they leave in the same way, remembering his writings about this beautiful town and what is, perhaps, his best-known poem, the one that tells us about dreams as a way to escape from reality, especially when it is harder and crueler than you can bear.

In this poem, J.V. Foix reminds us of the Occitan poets who also sang of love at night surrounded by the dreamlike atmosphere, and even reminds us of Corto Maltese, the character of Hugo Pratt, who also uses dreams as a way of refuge (or escape) in Les CèltiquesCalderón de la Barca also told us that life was a dream and Bernat Metge took advantage of the resource of dreams to be able to criticize society and the political power of the time and avoid the established censorship, and dreams allow us to live as we want and desire, that's why our beloved Bruce Springsteen also invites us to daydream...
 

És quan plou que ballo sol
Vestit d'algues, or i escata,
Hi ha un pany de mar al revolt
I un tros de cel escarlata,
Un ocell fa un giravolt
I treu branques una mata,
El casalot del pirata
És un ample gira-sol.
Es quan plou que ballo sol
Vestit d'algues, or i escata.

És quan ric que em veig gepic
Al bassal de sota l'era,
Em vesteixo d'home antic
I empaito la masovera,
I entre pineda i garric
Planto la meva bandera;
Amb una agulla saquera
Mato el monstre que no dic.
És quan ric que em veig gepic
Al bassal de sota l'era.

És quan dormo que hi veig clar
Foll d'una dolça metzina,
Amb perles a cada mà
Visc al cor d'una petxina,
Só la font del comellar
I el jaç de la salvatgina,
-O la lluna que s'afina
En morir carena enllà.
Es quan dormo que hi veig clar
Foll d'una dolça metzina.

 

It's when it rains I dance alone
Dressed in seaweed, scales and gold,
There's a patch of sea at a bend in the road
And a piece of scarlet sky,
A bird loops the loop
And a shrub branches out,
And the pirate's manor-house
Is a broad sunflower.
It's when it rains I dance alone
Dressed in seaweed, scales and gold.

It's when I laugh I see my hunched back
In the pond below the threshing floor,
I dress up as a man from antiquity
And harass the farm-girl,
And between pine grove
And kermes oak I plant my standard;
With a sail needle
I slay the monster whose name I do not utter.
It's when I laugh I see my hunched back
In the pond below the threshing floor.

It's when I sleep I see all clearly,
Deranged by a sweet venom,
With pearls in either hand
I live in the heart of a scallop shell,
I am the spring in the gulley
And the bed
Of the wild creature,
—Or the moon who becomes more delicate
As she dies beyond the ridge—.
It's when I sleep I see all clearly,
Deranged by a sweet venom.

 
El Port de la Selva, April 1939
On he deixat les claus...
 

More information: Anglo-Catalan Society

 

I quan tot just si la tenora sona,
Pastors i estels perduts serrat enllà,
La Verge i Tu tots sols, a l'Hora Sola,
I els corns reials qui sap qui els sentirà,
Vindré mudat, al costat de la dona,
Amb els vestits de quan ens vam casar.


And then just as the woodwind tenora sounds, 
shepherds and stars lost beyond the hills, 
the Virgin and You all alone at the Single Hour, a
and who knows who will hear the royal horns, 
I shall come, having changed my clothes, beside my wife,
dressed as we were when we married.

J.V. Foix
El Port de la Selva, Christmas 1948
Onze Nadals i un Cap d'Any

Friday, 31 October 2025

BELIEVE ME [...] THE AURORA WILL SHINE YOUR WAY...

Well, the multitude assembled
And tried to make the noise
Them black blind poet generals
And restless loud white boys

Time's grew thin and the axis
Grew somehow incomplete
Where instead of child lions
We had aging junkie sheep

Well, how many wasted have I seen signed:
"Hollywood or bust"
And left to ride the ever ghostly Arizona gusts
Cheerleader tramps and kids with big amps
Sounding in the void
High society vamps, ex-heavyweight champs
Mistaking soot for soil

So break me now, big Mama
As Old Faithful breaks the day
Believe me, my good Linda
The aurora will shine the way
The confederacy's in my name now
The hounds are held at bay
The axis needs a stronger arm
Do you feel your muscles play?

Well, the doorstep blanket weaver
Madonna pushes bells
From house to house I see her
Giving last kisses and wishing well

To every gypsy mystic hero
That the kids might find a place
Who get lost forever their mom and pops
On their weekends out in space

Well, sons they search for fathers
But the fathers are all gone
The lost souls search for saviors
But saviors don't last long

Those nameless, questless renegade brats
Who live their lives in song
They run the length of a candle
With a goodnight whisper, then they're gone

So break me now, big Mama
As Old Faithful breaks the day
Believe me, my good Linda
The aurora will shine the way
The confederacy's in my name now
The hounds are held at bay
The axis needs a stronger arm
Do you feel your muscles play?

Well, the missions are filled with Hermits
They're looking for a friend
The terraces are filled with cat-men
Just looking for a way in

Those orphans jumped on silver mountains
Lost in celestial alleyways
They wait for that old tramp Dog Man Moses
He takes in all the strays

Now don't you grow on empty legends
Or lonely cradle songs
Billy the Kid was just a bowery boy
Who made a living twirling his guns

The night she's long and lanky
And she speaks in a mother tongue
She lullabies the refugees
With amplifier's hum

So break me now, big Mama
As Old Faithful breaks the day
Believe me, my good Linda
The aurora will shine the way
The confederacy's in my name now
The hounds are held at bay
The axis needs a stronger arm
Do you feel your muscles play?

The confederacy's in my name now
The hounds are held at bay
The axis needs a stronger arm
Do you feel your muscles play?
 

 So break me now big mama
As old faithful breaks the day
Believe me, my good linda,
The aurora will shine your way
 
Bruce Springsteen

Thursday, 30 October 2025

IT'S JUST YOUR GHOST MOVING THROUGH THE NIGHT...

I hear the sound of your guitar
Comin' from the mystic far
Stone and the gravel in your voice
Come in my dreams and I rejoice

It's your ghost moving through the night
Your spirit filled with light
I need, need you by my side
Your love and I'm alive

I can feel the blood shiver in my bones
I'm alive and I'm out here on my own
I'm alive and I'm comin' home

Old buckskin jacket you always wore
Hangs on the back of my bedroom door
Boots and the spurs you used to ride
Click down the hall but never arrive

It's just your ghost moving through the night
Your spirit filled with light
I need, need you by my side
Your love and I'm alive

I can feel the blood shiver in my bones
I'm alive and I'm out here on my own
I'm alive and I'm comin' home

Your old Fender Twin from Johnny's Music downtown
Still set on ten to burn this house down
Count the band in, then kick into overdrive
By the end of the set we leave no one alive

Ghosts runnin' through the night
Our spirits filled with light
I need, need you by my side
Your love and I'm alive

I shoulder your Les Paul and finger the fretboard
I make my vows to those who've come before
I turn up the volume, let the spirits be my guide
Meet you, brother and sister, on the other side

I'm alive, I can feel the blood shiver in my bones
I'm alive and I'm out here on my own
I'm alive and I'm comin' home

Yeah, I'm comin' home


Alive, I can feel the blood shiver in my bones
I'm alive and I'm out here on my own
I'm alive and I'm coming home

Bruce Springsteen

Wednesday, 29 October 2025

FORGET ABOUT THE OLD FRIENDS AND THE OLD TIMES...

 There's a light on yonder mountain
And it's callin' me to shine
There's a girl over by the water fountain
And she's askin' to be mine
And Jesus is standing in the doorway
In a buckskin jacket, boots and spurs so fine
Says, "We need you, son, tonight up in Dodge City
'Cause there's just too many outlaws
Tryin' to work the same line"

Now if Jesus was a sheriff and I were a priest
If my lady was an heiress and my mama was a thief
If papa rode shotgun on the Fargo line
There's still too many bad boys
Tryin' to work the same line

Well sweet Virgin Mary runs the Holy Grail saloon
With a nickel she'll give ya whiskey
And a personally blessed balloon
And the Holy Ghost is the host with the most
He runs the burlesque show
Where they'll let you in for free
And they hit you when you go
Mary's serving Mass on Sunday
And she sells her body on Monday
To the bootlegger who paid the highest price
He don't know he got stuck with a loser
She's a stone junkie, what's more she's a user
She's only been made once or twice
By some kind of magic

If Jesus was a sheriff and I was the priest
If my lady was an heiress and my mama was a thief
And papa rode shotgun on the Fargo line
There's still too many outlaws
Tryin' to work the same line

Well things ain't been the same in heaven
Since big bad Bobby came to town
He's been known to down eleven
Then ask for another round
Me, I got scabs on my knees
From kneeling way too long
It's about time I played the man
Took a stand where I belong
Yeah, forget about the old friends and the old times
There's just too many new boys
Tryin' to work the same line

Well, if Jesus was a sheriff and I were the priest
If my lady was an heiress and my mama was a thief
And papa rode shotgun on the Fargo line
There's just too many outlaws
Tryin' to work the same line

Well there's a light on yonder mountain
And it's calling me to shine
There's a girl over by the water fountain
She's asking to be mine
Jesus is standing in the doorway
Six guns drawn and ready to fan
Said, "We need you tonight son, up in Dodge City"
Told him I was already overdue for Cheyenne

Yeah, if Jesus was the sheriff and I was the priest
If my lady was an heiress and my Mama was a thief
And Papa rode shotgun on the Fargo line
There's still too many bad boys
Tryin' to work the same line

If Jesus was the sheriff and I was the priest
If my lady was an heiress and my mama was a thief
And papa rode shotgun on the Fargo line
There's still too many bad boys
Tryin' to work the same line
Yeah, if Jesus was the sheriff and I was the priest


 Now there's a light on yonder mountain
And it's calling me to shine

Bruce Springsteen 

Tuesday, 28 October 2025

FOLKS NEED TO BELIEVE IN SOMETHING SO BAD, SO BAD...

Parched crops dying 'neath a dead sun
We've been praying but no good comes
The dog's howling, home's stripped bare
We've been worried but now we're scared

People come for comfort or just to come
Taste the dark sticky potion or hear the drums
Hands raised to Yahweh to bring the rain down
He comes crawling 'cross the dry fields like a dark shroud

Rainmaker, a little faith for hire
Rainmaker, the house is on fire
Rainmaker, take everything you have
Sometimes folks need to believe in something
So bad, so bad, so bad
They'll hire a rainmaker
(Rainmaker)

Rainmaker says white's black and black's white
Says night's day and day's night
Says close your eyes and go to sleep now
I'm in a burning field unloading buckshot into low clouds

Rainmaker, a little faith for hire
Rainmaker, the house is on fire
Rainmaker, take everything you have
Sometimes folks need to believe in something
So bad, so bad, so bad
They'll hire a rainmaker
(Rainmaker)

Slow moving wagon drawing through a dry town
Painted rainbow, crescent moon and dark clouds
Brother patriot, come forth and lay it down
Your blood brother for king and crown
For your rainmaker

They come for the smile, the firm handshake
They come for the raw chance of a fair shake
Some come to make damn sure, my friend
This mean season's got nothing to do with them

They come 'cause they can't stand the pain
Of another long hot day of no rain
'Cause they don't care or understand
What it really takes for the sky to open up the land

Rainmaker, a little faith for hire
Rainmaker, the house is on fire
Rainmaker, take everything you have
Sometimes folks need to believe in something
So bad, so bad, so bad
They'll hire a rainmaker

Rainmaker
Rainmaker
Rainmaker


 People come for comfort or just to come
Taste the dark sticky potion or hear the drums
Hands raised to Yahweh to bring the rain down
He comes crawling 'cross the dry fields like a dark shroud

Bruce Springsteen 

Monday, 27 October 2025

WE'LL LIGHT UP THE HOUSE OF A THOUSAND GUITARS...

The blood moon shines across the vale
Bells ring out through churches and jails
I tally my wounds and count the scars
Here in the house of a thousand guitars

The criminal clown has stolen the throne
He steals what he can never own
May the truth ring out from every small town bar
We'll light up the house of a thousand guitars

Well it's alright yeah, it's alright
Meet me darlin' come Saturday night
All good souls from near and far
Will meet in the house of a thousand guitars

Here the bitter and the bored
Wake in search of the lost chord
That'll band us together for as long as there's stars
Yeah, in the house of a thousand guitars

Well it's alright yeah, it's alright
Meet me darlin' come Saturday night
Brother and sister wherever you are
We'll meet in the house of a thousand guitars

So wake and shake off your troubles my friend
We'll go where the music never ends
From the stadiums to the small town bars
We'll light up the house of a thousand guitars
House of a thousand guitars, house of a thousand guitars

Brother and sister wherever you are
We'll rise together till we find the spark
That'll light up the house of a thousand guitars

Well it's alright yeah, it's alright
Meet me darlin' come Saturday night
All the souls from near and far
We'll meet at the house of a thousand guitars

A thousand guitars, a thousand guitars
A thousand guitars, a thousand guitars
A thousand guitars, a thousand guitars
A thousand guitars, a thousand guitars


 So wake and shake off your troubles my friend
We'll go where the music never ends
From the stadiums to the small town bars
We'll light up the house of a thousand guitars

Bruce Springsteen 

Sunday, 26 October 2025

I AM REACHING FOR HEAVEN, WE WILL MAKE IT THERE...

Dreamy afternoon 'neath the summer sun
We'd lie by the lake 'til the evening comes
I run my fingers through your sun streaked hair
Baby, that's the power of prayer

Summer nights, summer's in the air
I stack the tables with the chairs
It's closing time and you're standing there
Baby, that's the power of prayer

It's a fixed game without any rules
An empty table on a ship of fools
I'm holding hearts, I play the pair
Darling, it's just the power of prayer

It's a fixed game without any rules
An empty table on a ship of fools
I'm holding hearts, I play the pair
I'm going all in 'cause I don't care

They say that love, love comes and goes
But darling, what, what do they know?
I'm reaching for heaven, we'll make it there
Darling, it's just the power of prayer
Baby, it's just the power of prayer
Darling, it's just the power of prayer

Last call, the bouncer shuts the door
"This Magic Moment" drifts across the floor
As Ben E. King's voice fills the air
Baby, that's the power of prayer


 Summer nights, summer's in the air
I stack the tables with the chairs
It's closing time and you're standing there
Baby that's the power of prayer

Bruce Springsteen 

Saturday, 25 October 2025

COUNT THE NAMES OF THE MISSING AS COUNT OFF TIME

Faded pictures in an old scrapbook
Faded pictures that somebody took
When you were hard and young and proud
Backed against the wall, running raw and loud

Snakeskin vest and a sharkskin suit
Cuban heels on your boots
Kick in the band and side by side
You take the crowd on their mystery ride

Knights of Columbus and the Fireman's Ball
Friday night at the union hall
Black leather clubs all along route nine
You count the names of the missing as you count off time

Rock of ages lift me somehow
Somewhere high and hard and loud
Somewhere deep into the heart of the crowd
I'm the last man standing now
(I'm the last man standing now)

Out of school and out of work
Thrift store jeans and flannel shirts
The lights go down as you face the crowd
The last man standing now

Lights come up at the legion hall
Pool cues go back up on the wall
You pack your guitar and have one last beer
With just the ringing in your ears

Rock of ages lift me somehow
Somewhere high and hard and loud
Somewhere deep into the heart of the crowd
I'm the last man standing now
(I'm the last man standing now)
I'm the last man standing now

Faded pictures in an old scrapbook
Faded pictures that somebody took
When you were hard and young and proud
Back against the wall running raw and loud
 
Bruce Springsteen

Friday, 24 October 2025

WELL JANEY'S GOT A PRIEST FROM HIS MARBLE PULPIT

Well Janey's got a doctor who tears apart her insides
He investigates her and silently bates her sighs
He probes with his fingers but knows her heart only through his stethoscope
His hands are cold and his body's so old
Janey turns him down like dope

Janey needs a shooter now
A shooter like me on her side
Janey needs a shooter now
A shooter man who knows her style
The way that I know her style

Well Janey's got a priest from his marble pulpit he smiles
He provides consolation and he hears her confession at any time
In the pages of his bible he holds from what Janey hides
And with her doors open wide she begs, "Come inside"
But he's been frozen so long on the outside

Janey needs a shooter now
A shooter like me on her side
Janey needs a shooter now
A shooter man who knows her style
The way that I know her style, yeah

Well Janey's got a cop who lives 'round the block and checks on her every night
The skin turn pale as the siren he'd wail outside when he knew I was inside
Janey's small and sometimes he scared her
So I held her real close, she was more saint than a ghost
And told her I so long had been prepared for her

Janey needs a shooter now
A shooter like me on her side
Janey needs a shooter now
A shooter man who knows her style
Janey needs a shooter now
A shooter like me on her side
Janey needs a shooter now
A shooter man who knows her style
The way that I know her style
A man who knows her style
The way that I know her style
A man who knows her style
The way that I know her style
A man who knows her style
The way that I know her style
A man who knows her style
The way that I know her style
A man who knows her style
The way that I know her style
A man who knows her style
The way that I know her style

 Well Janey's small and sometimes he scares her
So I held her real close she flowed like a ghost
And I told her bye, so long, I can't play that dope.
 
Bruce Springsteen

Thursday, 23 October 2025

WE WHISPERED OUR BLACK PRAYERS, ROSE UP IN FLAMES

Zero's my number
Time is my hunter
I wanted you to heal me
But instead you set me on fire

We were out over the borders
I washed you in holy water
We whispered our black prayers
And rose up in flames

Take me on your burnin' train
Take me on your burnin' train

White sun burnin'
Black wings beatin'
I ran my fingers 'cross the hollow of your stomach
As you lay breathing

With our shared faith
Rising dark and decayed
Take me and shake me from this mortal cage

Take me on your burnin' train
Take me on your burnin' train

Something's shining in the light 'neath your breast
The thick smell of you on my chest

Your bed of thorns
I brought you shining gifts
Wiped the sweat from your brow
And I touched your lips

Sheets stained with sweat
Outside the endless rain
Darlin' I'm blessed in your blood
And marked by Cain

Take me on your burnin' train
Take me on your burnin' train
Take me on your burnin' train


 With our shared faith, rising dark and decayed
Take me and shake me from this mortal cage

Bruce Springsteen

Wednesday, 22 October 2025

TRIED TO SUMMON ALL THAT MY HEART FINDS TRUE...

'Neath a crown of mongrel trees
I pulled that bothersome thread
Got down on my knees
Grabbed my pen and bowed my head
Tried to summon all that my heart finds true
And send it in my letter to you

Things I found out through hard times and good
I wrote 'em all out in ink and blood
Dug deep in my soul and signed my name true
And sent it in my letter to you

In my letter to you
I took all my fears and doubts
In my letter to you
All the hard things I found out
In my letter to you
All that I've found true
And I sent it in my letter to you

I took all the sunshine and rain
All my happiness and all my pain
The dark evening stars
And the morning sky of blue
And I sent it in my letter to you
And I sent it in my letter to you

In my letter to you
I took all my fears and doubts
In my letter to you
All the hard things that I found out
In my letter to you
All that I found true
And I sent it in my letter to you
I sent it in my letter to you


 In my letter to you
I took all my fears and doubts
In my letter to you
All the hard things I found out

Bruce Springsteen 

Tuesday, 21 October 2025

ONE MINUTE YOU'RE HERE, NEXT MINUTE YOU'RE GONE

 Big black train comin' down the track
Blow your whistle long and long
One minute you're here
Next minute you're gone

I lay my penny down on the rails
As the summer wind sings its last song
One minute you're here
Next minute you're gone

Baby, baby, baby
I'm so alone
Baby, baby, baby
I'm coming home

Autumn carnival on the edge of town
We walk down the midway arm-in-arm
One minute you're here
Next minute you're gone

I thought I knew just who I was
And what I'd do but I was wrong
One minute you're here
Next minute you're gone

Red river running along the edge of town
On the muddy banks
I lay my body down
This body down

Footsteps cracklin' on a gravel road
Stars vanish in a sky as black as stone

One minute you're here
Next minute you're gone
One minute you're here
Next minute you're gone
One minute you're here


One minute you're here
Next minute you're gone

Bruce Springsteen

Tuesday, 7 October 2025

'CAUSE LONDON IS DROWNIN' AND I LIVE BY THE RIVER

London calling to the faraway towns
Now war is declared and battle come down
London calling to the underworld
Come out of the cupboard, ya boys and girls
London calling, now don't look to us
Phony Beatlemania has bitten the dust
London calling, see we ain't got no swing
Except for the ring of that truncheon thing

The ice age is comin', the sun's zoomin' in
Meltdown expected, the wheat is growin' thin
Engines stop runnin', but I have no fear
'Cause London is drownin' and I live by the river

(London calling) to the imitation zone
Forget it, brother, you can go it alone
London calling to the zombies of death
Quit holdin' out and draw another breath
London calling and I don't wanna shout
But while we were talking, I saw you noddin' out
London calling, see we ain't got no Hyde
'Cept for that one with the yellowy eyes

The ice age is comin', the sun's zoomin' in
Engines stop runnin', the wheat is growin' thin
A nuclear error, but I have no fear
'Cause London is drownin' and I, I live by the river

The ice age is coming, the sun's zoomin' in
Engines stop running, the wheat is growin' thin
A nuclear error, but I have no fear
'Cause London is drowning, an' I, I live by the river

Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh
Ooh, ooh, ooh
Now get this

(London calling) Yes, I was there, too
And you know what they said? Well, some of it was true
(London calling) At the top of the dial
And after all this, won't you give me a smile?
(London calling)

I never felt so much alike, alike, alike

And after all this, won't you give me a smile?

Bruce Springsteen/The Clash

Tuesday, 30 September 2025

I JUST WANNA SEE YOU SMILE, COME ON DREAM BABY...

Dream baby dream
Dream baby dream
Dream baby dream
Come on and dream baby dream
Come on and dream baby dream

We gotta keep the light burning
Come on, we gotta keep the light burning
Come on, we gotta keep the light burning
Come on, we gotta keep the light burning
Come on and dream baby dream

Gotta keep the fire burning
Come on, we gotta keep the fire burning
Come on, we gotta keep the fire burning
Come on and dream baby dream

Come open up your heart
Come on and open up your heart
Come on and open up your heart
Come on dream on, dream baby dream

Come on and open up your heart
Come on and open up your hearts
Come on and open up your hearts
Come on dream on, dream baby dream

Come on, we gotta keep on dreaming
Come on, we gotta keep on dreaming
Come on, we gotta keep on dreaming
Come on dream on, dream baby dream

Come on darling and dry your eyes
Come on baby and dry your eyes
Come on baby and dry your eyes
Come on dream on, dream baby dream

Yeah I just wanna see you smile
Now I just wanna see you smile
Yeah I just wanna see you smile
Come on dream on, dream baby dream

Come on and open up your hearts
Come on and open up your hearts
Come on and open up your hearts
Come on dream on, dream baby dream

Yeah I just wanna see you smile
And I just wanna see you smile
Yeah I just wanna see you smile
Come on dream on, dream baby dream

Yeah I just wanna see you smile
Yeah I just wanna see you smile
Yeah I just wanna see you smile
Come on dream on, dream baby dream

Come on and open up your heart
Come on and open up your heart
Come on and open up your heart
Come on dream on, dream baby dream

Come on dream on, dream on baby
Come on dream on, dream on baby
Come on dream on, dream on baby
Come on dream on, dream baby dream

Talk about a dream, try to make it real.

Bruce Springsteen

Thursday, 25 September 2025

THE POET & THE PAINTER FAR BEHIND HIS RIGHTFUL TIME

Far between sundown's finish an' midnight's broken toll
We ducked inside the doorway as thunder went crashing
As majestic bells of bolts struck shadows in the sounds
Seeming to be the chimes of freedom flashing
Flashing for the warriors whose strength is not to fight
Flashing for the refugees on the unarmed road of flight
An' for each an' ev'ry underdog soldier in the night
An' we gazed upon the chimes of freedom flashing.

In the city's melted furnace, unexpectedly we watched
With faces hidden as the walls were tightening
As the echo of the wedding bells before the blowin' rain
Dissolved into the bells of the lightning
Tolling for the rebel, tolling for the rake
Tolling for the luckless, the abandoned an' forsaked
Tolling for the outcast, burnin' constantly at stake
An’ we gazed upon the chimes of freedom flashing.

Through the mad mystic hammering of the wild ripping hail
The sky cracked its poems in naked wonder
That the clinging of the church bells blew far into the breeze
Leaving only bells of lightning and its thunder
Striking for the gentle, striking for the kind
Striking for the guardians and protectors of the mind
An' the poet an' the painter far behind his rightful time
An' we gazed upon the chimes of freedom flashing.

In the wild cathedral evening the rain unraveled tales
For the disrobed faceless forms of no position
Tolling for the tongues with no place to bring their thoughts
All down in taken-for granted situations
Tolling for the deaf an' blind, tolling for the mute
For the mistreated, mateless mother, the mistitled prostitute
For the misdemeanor outlaw, chased an' cheated by pursuit
An' we gazed upon the chimes of freedom flashing.

Even though a cloud's white curtain in a far-off corner flared
An' the hypnotic splattered mist was slowly lifting
Electric light still struck like arrows, fired but for the ones
Condemned to drift or else be kept from drifting
Tolling for the searching ones on their speechless, seeking trail
For the lonesome-hearted lovers with too personal a tale
An' for each unharmful, gentle soul misplaced inside a jail
An' we gazed upon the chimes of freedom flashing.

Starry-eyed an' laughing as I recall when we were caught
Trapped by no track of hours for they hang suspended
As we listened one last time an' we watched with one last look
Spellbound an' swallowed 'til the tolling ended
Tolling for the aching whose wounds cannot be nursed
For the countless confused, accused, misused, strung-out ones an' worse
An' for every hung-up person in the whole wide universe
An' we gazed upon the chimes of freedom flashing.


The best music is essentially there 
to provide you something to face the world with.

Bruce Springsteen

Monday, 25 August 2025

'I WILL LOVE YOU WITH ALL THE MADNESS IN MY SOUL...'

There are people who accompany you throughout your life and who make you happier, especially in those difficult moments when you need to disconnect or reconnect. It can be an athlete, whom you follow and enjoy her triumphs; a writer, whom you read and accompany you in the moments of greatest solitude or a musician, whose songs accompany you at all times and mark you forever.

Today is the 50th anniversary of the publication of one of the most spectacular works that the history of music has ever produced: Born to run by Bruce Springsteen. It is very difficult to choose a single song from this entire masterpiece, although The Grandma's favourite song has always been Thunder Road, a song about resilience and continuing forward despite setbacks and difficulties, but the song that gives the title to this work Born to run, is no less spectacular and, just like with Thunder Road, encourages us to keep going and not give up, because that is what it is always about: not giving up.

Thank you, Bruce. We have always followed you, since that unforgettable concert at the Palau dels Esports in Barcelona in 1981, and we will continue to do so. Thank you for being the soundtrack of our lives, for writing such spectacular songs and for accompanying them with this music that is so unmistakably yours.

More information: Bruce Springsteen & BCN, I'll see you in my dreams

Born to Run is the third studio album by the American singer-songwriter Bruce Springsteen, released on August 25, 1975, through Columbia Records. 

Co-produced by Springsteen with his manager Mike Appel and the producer Jon Landau, its recording took place in New York. Following the commercial failures of his first two albums, the album marked Springsteen's effort to break into the mainstream and create a commercially successful album. Springsteen sought to emulate Phil Spector's Wall of Sound production, leading to prolonged sessions with the E Street Band lasting from January 1974 to July 1975; six months alone were spent working on the title track.

The album incorporates musical styles including rock and roll, pop rock, R&B, and folk rock. Its character-driven lyrics describe individuals who feel trapped and fantasize about escaping to a better life, conjured via romantic lyrical imagery of highways and travel. Springsteen envisioned the songs taking place over one long summer day and night. They are also less tied to the New Jersey area than his previous work. 

The album cover, featuring Springsteen leaning on E Street Band saxophonist Clarence Clemons's shoulder, is considered iconic and has been imitated by various musicians and in other media.

Supported by an expensive promotional campaign, Born to Run became a commercial success, reaching number three on the US Billboard Top LPs & Tape chart and the top ten in three others. Two singles were released, Born to Run and Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out, the first of which became a radio and live favourite. The album's release generated extensive publicity, leading to backlash from critics who expressed skepticism over whether Springsteen's newfound attention was warranted. Following its release, Springsteen became embroiled in legal issues with Appel, leading him to tour the United States and Europe for almost two years. Upon release, Born to Run received highly positive reviews. Critics praised the storytelling and music, although some viewed its production as excessive and heavy-handed.

Born to Run was Springsteen's breakthrough album. Its success has been attributed to capturing the ideals of a generation of American youths during a decade of political turmoil, war, and issues facing the working class

Over the following decades, the album has become widely regarded as a masterpiece and one of Springsteen's best records. It has appeared on various lists of the greatest albums of all time and was inducted into the National Recording Registry in 2003 by the Library of Congress for being culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant

Born to Run received an expanded reissue in 2005 to celebrate its 30th anniversary, featuring a concert film and a documentary detailing the album's making.

More information: Bruce Springsteen


And when we live amongst ghosts,
Always trying to reach us,
From that shadow world,
And they're with us every step of the way.

Bruce Springsteen

Wednesday, 23 July 2025

THUNDER ROAD... I'M PULLING OUT OF HERE TO WIN

The screen door slams, Mary's dress sways
Like a vision she dances across the porch as the radio plays
Roy Orbison's singing for the lonely
Hey, that's me and I want you only
Don't turn me home again
I just can't face myself alone again

Don't run back inside, darling
You know just what I'm here for
So you're scared and you're thinking
That maybe we ain't that young anymore
Show a little faith, there's magic in the night
You ain't a beauty, but hey, you're alright
Oh, and that's alright with me

You can hide 'neath your covers and study your pain
Make crosses from your lovers, throw roses in the rain
Waste your summer praying in vain
For a savior to rise from these streets

Well now, I'm no hero, that's understood
All the redemption I can offer, girl, is beneath this dirty hood
With a chance to make it good somehow
Hey, what else can we do now?

Except roll down the window
And let the wind blow back your hair
Well, the night's busting open
These two lanes will take us anywhere
We got one last chance to make it real
To trade in these wings on some wheels
Climb in back, heaven's waiting down on the tracks

Oh, come take my hand
We're riding out tonight to case the promised land
Oh, Thunder Road, oh, Thunder Road
Oh, Thunder Road

Lying out there like a killer in the sun
Hey, I know it's late, we can make it if we run
Oh, Thunder Road, sit tight
Take hold, Thunder Road

Well, I got this guitar and I've learned how to make it talk
And my car's out back if you're ready to take that long walk
From your front porch to my front seat
The door's open but the ride ain't free
And I know you're lonely for words that I ain't spoken
Tonight we'll be free, all the promises will be broken

There were ghosts in the eyes of all the boys you sent away
They haunt this dusty beach road
In the skeleton frames of burned out Chevrolets
They scream your name at night in the street
Your graduation gown lies in rags at their feet

And in the lonely cool before dawn
You hear their engines roaring on
When you get to the porch they're gone on the wind
So Mary, climb in
It's a town full of losers
I'm pulling out of here to win


Oh, come take my hand
We're riding out tonight to case the promised land
Oh, Thunder Road, oh, Thunder Road
Oh, Thunder Road

 Bruce Springsteen

Thursday, 3 July 2025

THE LAST SHALL BE FIRST AND THE FIRST SHALL BE LAST

Men walking along the railroad tracks
Going someplace and there's no going back
Highway patrol choppers coming up over the ridge
Hot soup on a campfire under the bridge

Shelter line stretching around the corner
Welcome to the new world order
Families sleeping in the cars in the southwest
No home, no job, no peace, no rest

Well, the highway is alive tonight
But nobody's kidding nobody about where it goes
I'm sitting down here in the campfire light
Searching for the ghost of Tom Joad

He pulls a prayer book out of his sleeping bag
Preacher lights up a butt and he takes a drag
Waiting for when the last shall be first and the first shall be last
In a cardboard box 'neath the underpass

Got a one-way ticket to the promised land
You got a hole in your belly and a gun in your hand
Sleeping on a pillow of solid rock
Bathing in the city aqueduct

The highway is alive tonight
Where it's headed, everybody knows
I'm sitting down here in the campfire light
Waiting on the ghost of Tom Joad

Now Tom said, "Mom, wherever there's a cop beating a guy
Wherever a hungry newborn baby cries
Where there's a fight against the blood and hatred in the air
Look for me, Mom, I'll be there

Wherever somebody's fighting for a place to stand
Or a decent job or a helping hand
Wherever somebody's struggling to be free
Look in their eyes, Ma, and you'll see me"

Well, the highway is alive tonight
But nobody's kidding nobody about where it goes
I'm sitting down here in the campfire light
With the ghost of old Tom Joad


The highway is alive tonight
Where it's headed, everybody knows
I'm sitting down here in the campfire light
Waiting on the ghost of Tom Joad
 
Bruce Springsteen 

Wednesday, 2 July 2025

WELL, YOUR HONOR, I DO BELIEVE I'D BE BETTER OFF DEAD

Well, they closed down the auto plant in Mahwah late last month
Ralph went out lookin' for a job, but he couldn't find none
He came home too drunk from mixin' Tanqueray and wine
He got a gun, shot a night clerk, now they call him Johnny 99

Down in the part of town where when you hit a red light, you don't stop
Johnny's wavin' his gun around and threatenin' to blow his top
When an off-duty cop snuck up on him from behind
Out in front of the Club TipTop, they slapped the cuffs on Johnny 99

Well, the city supplied a public defender, but the judge was Mean John Brown
He came into the courtroom and stared poor Johnny down
"Well, the evidence is clear, gonna let the sentence, son, fit the crime
Prison for ninety-eight and a year and we'll call it even, Johnny 99"

A fistfight broke out in the courtroom, they had to drag Johnny's girl away
His mama stood up and shouted, "Judge, don't take my boy this way"
"Well, son, you got any statement you'd like to make
Before the bailiff comes to forever take you away?"

"Now, judge, judge, I got debts no honest man could pay
The bank was holdin' my mortgage and takin' my house away
Now I ain't sayin' that made me an innocent man
But it was more than all this that put that gun in my hand
Well, your honor, I do believe I'd be better off dead
And if you can take a man's life for the thoughts that's in his head
Then won't you sit back in that chair and think it over, judge, one more time?
And let 'em shave off my hair and put me on that execution line"


"Well, the evidence is clear, gonna let the sentence, son, fit the crime
Prison for ninety-eight and a year and we'll call it even, Johnny 99"

Bruce Springsteen 

Tuesday, 1 July 2025

NOW'S THERE'S TEARS ON THE PILLOW, WHERE WE SLEPT

 There is a blood red circle on the cold dark ground
And the rain is falling down
The church door's thrown open, I can hear the organ's song
But the congregation's gone

My city of ruins
My city of ruins

Now the sweet bells of mercy drift through the evening trees
Young men on the corner like scattered leaves
The boarded-up windows, the empty streets
While my brother's down on his knees

My city of ruins
My city of ruins

Come on, rise up!
Come on, rise up!
Come on, rise up!
Come on, rise up!
Come on, rise up!
Come on, rise up!

Now's there's tears on the pillow, darling, where we slept
And you took my heart when you left
Without your sweet kiss, my soul is lost, my friend
Tell me how do I begin again?

My city's in ruins
My city's in ruins

Now with these hands
With these hands
With these hands
With these hands
I pray Lord
With these hands, with these hands
I pray for the strength, Lord
With these hands, with these hands
Yeah, I pray for the faith, Lord
With these hands, with these hands
We pray for your love, Lord
With these hands, with these hands
I pray for the strength, Lord
With these hands, with these hands
I pray for Your love, Lord
With these hands, with these hands
We pray for the faith, Lord
With these hands (Alright), with these hands
We pray for the strength, Lord
With these hands (Come on), with these hands (Come on)

Come on, rise up!
Come on, rise up!
Come on, rise up!
Come on, rise up!

Come on, rise up!
Come on, rise up!
Come on, rise up!
Come on, rise up!

Come on, rise up!
Come on, rise up!


Now's there's tears on the pillow, darling, where we slept
And you took my heart when you left
Without your sweet kiss, my soul is lost, my friend
Tell me how do I begin again?

Bruce Springsteen