No not the medieval ‘Bruce’, the 20th Century ‘Bruce’. I was watching/listening to him late last night when I thought ‘these badlands’ could be the UK. When he sang ‘Keep pushing till it’s understood. These badlands start treating us good’, I remembered the powerful words of ‘The Sturgeon’ last night.
I know Bruce didn’t like it when the Trump or was it the Bush, tried to use his ‘Born in the USA’ after failing to get its critical not triumphal message. They don’t get irony. Will he mind if I just change one two words? And, he must have some Scottish DNA. He looks a bit like my dad and he’s ‘Bruce’ and ‘Springsteen’ is a corruption of ‘Springstane’. The Springstanes had the responsibility of marking the position of life-giving springs with wee stone cairns. These cairns saved many lives in Celtic times and were still being used in the heatwave of 1976.
Important note: When I say ‘England’ I mean the England of the Queen, Theresa May and Jacob Rees-Mogg but not of the millions of nice ordinary English folk. OK?
Anyhoo, here’s the words, slightly adapted to our times:
Lights out tonight, trouble in Scotland.
Got a head-on collision, smashin in ma guts ken.
I’m caught in a crossfire that I don’t understand.
But there’s one thing I know for sure hen:
I don’t give a damn for the same old played out scenes
I don’t give a damn for just the in-betweens.
Honey I want the heart, I want the soul, I want control right now.
You better listen to me baby:
Talk about a dream; try to make it real.
You wake up in the night with a fear so real.
You spend your life waiting for a moment that just don’t come.
Well don’t waste your time waiting
Badlands you gotta live it every day
Let the broken hearts stand
As the price youve gotta pay
Well keep pushin till it’s understood
And ‘England’ starts treating us good
Workin in the field till you get your back burned
Workin ‘neath the wheels till you get your facts learned.
Baby I got my facts learned real good right now.
You better get it straight hen:
Poor men wanna be rich, rich men wanna be kings,
And a king aint satisfied till he rules everything.
I wanna go out tonight, I wanna find out what I got.
Now I believe in the love that you gave me.
I believe in the faith that could save me.
I believe in the hope and I pray that some day it
Will raise me above these
Badlands…
For the ones who had a Nation, a Nation deep inside
That it aint no sin to be glad you’re a Jock.
I wanna find one face that aint looking through me
I wanna find one place, I wanna spit in the face of these
Badlands…
One more time!
Talking-up Scotland 
Brilliant John! I love it.
By coincidence I was driving over to Braeheid on Monday (to look for a cheap pensioner’s suit in the sales ;o) and I stuck my Bruce Springsteen’s Greatest Hits CD on. I was just thinking about how intelligent and thoughtful his lyrics were in comparison to most rock music.
“So Mary climb in
It’s a town full of losers
And I’m pulling out of here to win”
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Thanks Bryan
Is that a cheap pensioner or a cheap suit?
I like the River but it reminds me of my late dad who left school at 14 and had to become a man straight away.
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“Is that a cheap pensioner or a cheap suit?”
In my case? Probably both and I never got the suit. Looks like Matalan for me.
BTW, it’s hard to believe that Bruce is also a senior citizen. He’s only a year younger than me for god’s sake!!!
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1949 for Bruce, 1951 for me, 1948 for you, so little between us? He seems to have the most energy?
As for suits, get a denim or a corduroy one! Stand out from the crowd?
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