High Sierra

Album: Tracks II: The Lost Albums (2025)
Play Video
  • I was down on my luck
    So down on my luck
    Packed my bags and left
    The big city and the trouble I'd seen
    Took the highway north
    Tryin' to find some place where the air felt clean
    I came upon that little cafe in the early spring
    Where as you came through the door
    Above a little bell would ring

    She was waiting there in the High Sierras
    Flower in her long black hair in the High Sierras
    And I'd been down on my luck
    So down on my luck

    It was laughter and wine
    And warm endless nights
    In that little motel
    I could have stayed there the rest of my life
    Found a job at the filling station
    She worked at the luncheonette
    In the evening she'd set the table
    As I washed off the dirt and sweat
    Then it was good as it gets
    Just as good as it gets

    And we were happy there in the High Sierras
    Oh, so happy there in the High Sierras
    And I'd been down on my luck
    And she lifted me up

    One day a man came through town
    Someone I used to know
    Reminded me of something I'd done
    A long time ago
    I told him I'd changed
    He said, "We owe what we owe"
    That evening I boarded the train
    Into the big city
    I told her I'd be back again
    Soon from the big city
    It's just old business that had to be done
    As the train left the station, they gave me my gun

    The day smelled of ash
    The sky was hard and blue
    All I remember was my shirt
    With the blood seeping through

    At dusk she'd set the silverware
    For the morning shift
    She'd sit on the motel porch with a beer and cigarette
    As the summer nights would drift
    Seasons passed, the winter snow
    Melted and come the early spring
    At the luncheonette she'd look up from the counter
    Each time that little bell would ring

    We were happy there in the High Sierras
    Oh, so happy there in the High Sierras
    When I was down on my luck
    She lifted me up Writer/s: Bruce Springsteen
    Publisher: Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
    Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Rickie Lee Jones

Rickie Lee JonesSongwriter Interviews

Rickie Lee Jones on songwriting, social media, and how she's handling Trump.

Amy Lee of Evanescence

Amy Lee of EvanescenceSongwriter Interviews

The Evanescence frontwoman on the songs that have shifted meaning and her foray into kids' music.

Dick Wagner (Alice Cooper/Lou Reed)

Dick Wagner (Alice Cooper/Lou Reed)Songwriter Interviews

The co-writer/guitarist on many Alice Cooper hits, Dick was also Lou Reed's axeman on the Rock n' Roll Animal album.

Amanda Palmer

Amanda PalmerSongwriter Interviews

Call us crazy, but we like it when an artist comes around who doesn't mesh with the status quo.

He Hit Me (And It Felt Like A Kiss): A History Of Abuse Pop

He Hit Me (And It Felt Like A Kiss): A History Of Abuse PopSong Writing

Songs that seem to glorify violence against women are often misinterpreted - but not always.

Tony Iommi of Black Sabbath, Heaven And Hell

Tony Iommi of Black Sabbath, Heaven And HellSongwriter Interviews

Guitarist Tony Iommi on the "Iron Man" riff, the definitive Black Sabbath song, and how Ozzy and Dio compared as songwriters.