Adam Raised a Cain

Album: Darkness On The Edge Of Town (1978)
Play Video
  • In the summer that I was baptized
    My father held me to his side
    As they put me into the water
    He said how on that day I cried

    We were prisoners of love, a love in chains
    He was standin' in the door, I was standin' in the rain
    With the same hot blood burning in our veins
    Adam raised a Cain (yeah)
    Adam raised a Cain (yeah)
    Adam raised a Cain (yeah)
    Adam raised a Cain (yeah)

    All of the old faces
    Asked you why you're back
    They fit you with position
    And the keys to your daddy's Cadillac

    In the darkness of your room
    Your mother calls you by your true name
    You remember the faces, the places, the names
    You know it's never over, it's relentless as the rain
    Adam raised a Cain (yeah)
    Adam raised a Cain (yeah)
    Adam raised a Cain (yeah)
    Adam raised a Cain (yeah)

    In the Bible Cain slew Abel
    And East of Eden mama he was cast
    You're born into this life paying
    For the sins of somebody else's past

    Well Daddy worked his whole life for nothing but the pain
    Now he walks these empty rooms looking for something to blame
    You inherit the sins, you inherit the flames
    Adam raised a Cain (yeah)
    Adam raised a Cain (yeah)
    Adam raised a Cain (yeah)
    Adam raised a Cain (yeah)

    Lost but not forgotten, from the dark heart of a dream
    Adam raised a Cain (yeah)
    Adam raised a Cain (yeah)
    Adam raised a Cain (yeah)
    Adam raised a Cain (yeah)
    Adam raised a Cain (yeah)
    Adam raised a Cain (yeah)
    Adam raised a Cain (yeah)
    Adam raised a Cain (yeah)

    Oh oh, oh oh oh oh
    Oh oh, oh oh oh oh
    Oh oh, oh oh oh oh
    Oh oh, oh oh oh oh

    Oh oh, oh oh oh oh
    Oh oh, oh oh oh oh (hey)
    Oh oh, oh oh oh oh (hey)
    Oh oh, oh oh oh oh (hey) Writer/s: Bruce Springsteen
    Publisher: Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
    Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind

Comments: 6

  • Bob From South Jersey from ArizonaWhen I was a kid I thought Bruce wrote this song about me...he even got the make of the car right!
  • Mark from Worcester, MiMarc, Philadelphia-thanks. That helped.
  • Gene from San Diego, CaDefinitely a metaphor. Great song. Love the allusions.
  • Conor from Dublin, IrelandDOTEOT is Bruces best album by a distance ....
  • Sheldon from Toronto, CanadaThe first in a series of songs about his father. Listen to Adam Raised a Cain, Independance Day, My Father's House, My Hometown, Walk Like a Man and then Long Time Coming and you see a very interesting evolution from lyrics like "You're born into this life paying for the sins of somebody else's past" in Adam Raised a Cain to "Well if I had one wish for you in this god forsaken world, kid.It'd be that your mistakes will be your own. That your sins will be your own" in Long Time Comin
  • Marc from Philadelphia, PaThis song-- and much of the Darkness on the Edge of Town album-- is inspired by John Steinbeck's "East of Eden," which deals with a repeated father-and-sons story that mirrors a lot of Genesis.
see more comments

Editor's Picks

Prince

PrinceFact or Fiction

Prince is shrouded in mystery, making him an excellent candidate for Fact or Fiction. Is he really a Scientologist? Does he own an exotic animal?

Songs in Famous Movie Scenes: '80s Edition

Songs in Famous Movie Scenes: '80s EditionMusic Quiz

You know the scenes - Tom Cruise in his own pants-off dance off, Molly Ringwald celebrating her birthday - but do you remember what song is playing?

Graham Bonnet (Alcatrazz, Rainbow)

Graham Bonnet (Alcatrazz, Rainbow)Songwriter Interviews

Yngwie Malmsteen and Steve Vai were two of Graham's co-writers for some '80s rock classics.

P.F. Sloan

P.F. SloanSongwriter Interviews

P.F. was a teenager writing hits and playing on tracks for Jan & Dean when he wrote a #1 hit that got him blackballed.

Def Leppard Quiz

Def Leppard QuizMusic Quiz

Can you name Def Leppard's only #1 hit in America? Get rocked with this adrenalized quiz.

Ralph Casale  - Session Pro

Ralph Casale - Session ProSongwriter Interviews

A top New York studio musician, Ralph played guitar on many '60s hits, including "Lightnin' Strikes," "A Lover's Concerto" and "I Am A Rock."