Cautious Man

Album: Tunnel of Love (1987)
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  • Bill Horton was a cautious man of the road
    He walked lookin' over his shoulder and remained faithful to its code
    When something caught his eye he'd measure his need
    And then very carefully he'd proceed

    Billy met a young girl in the early days of May
    It was there in her arms he let his cautiousness slip away
    In their lovers twilight as the evening sky grew dim
    He'd lay back in her arms and laugh at what had happened to him

    On his right hand Billy tattooed the word love and on his left hand was the word fear
    And in which hand he held his fate was never clear
    Come Indian summer he took his young lover for his bride
    And with his own hands built a great house down by the riverside

    Now Billy was an honest man he wanted to do what was right
    He worked hard to fill their lives with happy days and loving nights
    Alone on his knees in the darkness for steadiness he'd pray
    For he knew in a restless heart the seed of betrayal lay

    One night Billy awoke from a terrible dream callin' his wife's name
    She lay breathing beside him in a peaceful sleep, a thousand miles away
    He got dressed in the moonlight and down to the highway he strode
    When he got there he didn't find nothing but road

    Billy felt a coldness rise up inside him that he couldn't name
    Just as the words tattooed 'cross his knuckles he knew would always remain
    At their bedside he brushed the hair from his wife's face as the moon shone on her skin so white
    Filling their room with the beauty of God's fallen light Writer/s: BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN
    Publisher: Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
    Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind

Comments: 4

  • Girl E from Florida I think this is a great song - well the whole album is! This song tells me about a man who has doubts and lots of questions... like we all do in relationships. He loves her, way over thinks, only to find himself with nothing but road... the road of life. In the end he returns to her, enjoying what he has in spite of uncertainty... life.
  • Barry from Sauquoit, NyI guess my hearing was off the first time I heard this song; I thought the opening line was "The warden was a cautious man" {Well, I was 43 years old when 'Tunnel of Love' was released, so maybe that explains it}...
  • Scott from Detroit, MiI think James from Chattanooga has some anger issues...good luck with that.
  • James from Chattanooga, TnWhat a farce? He promised his roadies if they sacrificed for him on the way to the top, he would reward them. They ended up in court with Bruce losing Big Time Bucks. He spoke of his roadies as common dirt labor. Contrast this with a Elvis that gave out bonus's to all after every concert. Bruce's lyrics are less than mature and sophistacated. On one hand he "FEARS" that his narcissic "LOVE" will be his downfall.
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