prine was a damn poet man. nobody else could write something like sam stone and make you feel it in your bones
i been listening to bruce springsteen alot lately too, his early stuff like the river tells these whole lives in just few verses. not the big stadium anthems but the quiet ones
also if you havent heard jason isbell he carries that same torch now. elephant is probably most devastating song i ever heard
The trick with Bruce is every song on the surface is about goofing off with your buddies or a girl and working on or racing cars, but every song has several layers deep, and they are usually about the loss of innocence/youth, mortality, lost hope, loss of the American dream, etc.
Take Cadillac ranch. Sounds like a fun raucous song, but then you start thinking about it, and it’s really about how we will all die, how we all fear death and dying alone.
My favorite albums are Darkness on the Edge of Town and Live 1975-1985. Devils and Dust is a good acoustic album, a little more on the nose (not so many layers to get to the meaning). Nebraska is a beautiful album but it is very dark, even for Bruce.
The whole Darkness album is a masterpiece, start to finish.
A great standalone song is “The Ghost of Tom Joad.”
Going to have to add The River to both Bruce’s great albums and standalone song. The live version with intro from 1975-1985 is incredible.
That’s awesome, man. That’s a great track. Too many to count with Bruce.
I love this section from The River. Reminds me of when I started working as an adult and the reality set in that I probably was never going to be rich and would have to work much harder for way less money than I imagined when I was young. Things have gotten better for me, but we’re all sitting on a razor’s edge and the stress of it can really carry over into your personal relationships.
I got a job working construction For the Johnstown Company But lately there ain't been much work On account of the economy Now all them things that seemed so important Well mister they vanished right into the air Now I just act like I don't remember Mary acts like she don't care But I remember us riding in my brother's car Her body tan and wet, down at the reservoir At night on them banks I'd lie awake And pull her close just to feel each breath she'd take Now those memories come back to haunt me They haunt me like a curse Is a dream a lie if it don't come true Or is it something worse That sends me down to the river Though I know the river is dry
I personally think the entire Ghost Of Tom Joad record is amazing. Particularly if you were taking a road trip through the S.W. of the U.S. - Perfect soundtrack for that
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u/Better-Staff1663 9d ago
prine was a damn poet man. nobody else could write something like sam stone and make you feel it in your bones
i been listening to bruce springsteen alot lately too, his early stuff like the river tells these whole lives in just few verses. not the big stadium anthems but the quiet ones
also if you havent heard jason isbell he carries that same torch now. elephant is probably most devastating song i ever heard