Album: Nebraska (1982)

License This Song 

• Seen a man standin' over a dead dog lyin' by a highway in a ditch
  He's lookin' down kinda puzzled, pokin' that dog with a stick
  Got his car doors flung open he's standin' out on Highway thirty-one
  Like if he stood there long enough that dog'd get up and run
  Struck me kinda funny, seem kinda funny, sir, to me
  Still, at the end of every hard day people find some reason to believe
  
  Now Mary Lou loved Johnny with a love mean and true
  She said "Baby, I'll work for you every day, bring my money home to you"
  One day he up and left her and ever since that
  She waits down at the end of that dirt road for young Johnny to come back
  Struck me kinda funny, funny, yeah, to me
  How at the end of every hard-earned day people find some reason to believe
  
  Take a baby to the river, Kyle William they called him
  Wash the baby in the water, take away little Kyle's sin
  In a whitewash shotgun shack an old man passes away
  Take his body to the graveyard and over him they pray
  Lord won't you tell us, tell us what does it mean
  At the end of every hard-earned day people find some reason to believe
  
  Congregation gathers down by the riverside
  Preacher stands with a Bible, groom stands waitin' for his bride
  Congregation gone, the sun sets behind a weepin' willow tree
  Groom stands alone and watches the river rush on, so effortlessly
  Wonderin' where can his baby be
  Still, at the end of every hard-earned day people find some reason to believe Writer/s: Bruce Springsteen
  Publisher: Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
  Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind

Comments: 8

• Austin from KentuckyI hear the song as one of Hope, even if a desperate hope that is clung to. John McCutcheon covers this song in a mashup with Tom Chapin on his album "Live at the Wolf Trap" that is a little more up tempo. To Kyle in New Zealand, in Catholic Tradition, all newborns carry the taint of 'original sin' (Garden of Eden). The Sacrament of Baptism cleanses the child of this sin, and purifies the Soul.
• Kyle from Dunedin, New Zealandhey guys - Kyle William here as well. Bruce mentions Kyle William was taken to the river to wash away his sins - Why would a baby have any sins?? Either way, when I first heard this as a 12 year old I thought it was some kind of spooky coincidence. I am from New Zealand and there aint that many Kyle William's over here...But in the US its obviously a different story! Love Bruce's work, first time I heard Racing in the Streets Iw as hooked. Cheers!
• Kyle from Schaumburg, Ilin the song, bruce sings about a boy named Kyle William. my parents actually liked the name and named me after it. my first name is Kyle and my middle is William, so this song kind of has a secret meaning to me.
• Kyle from Belleville, CanadaGreat song, catchy but delivers a stern message.
• Kyle from New York, NyThis is an amazing song...and not only because my name is Kyle William and I am named after this song.
• Scott from St. Louis, MoSimply a masterpiece. It sums up everything I believe about life. Bruce gives me, and many others I'm sure, reason to believe.
• Josh from Terre Haute, InListen to the version on the live boxset. Awesome version of this song.
• Adrian from Kingston, CanadaAmazing song. Reminds me of Devils and Dust.

More Songfacts:

That'll Be The DayBuddy Holly

Buddy Holly got the title for his hit song "That'll Be The Day" from a phrase John Wayne repeats in the 1956 movie The Searchers.

StrongerKanye West

A 2011 Gold's Gym poll found "Stronger" by Kanye West the best song to work out to. Second place was the Rocky theme.

Boom ClapCharli XCX

Before recording "Boom Clap" herself, Charli XCX offered the song to Hilary Duff, but her people turned down the tune because it "wasn't cool enough for Hilary."

Work ItMissy Elliott

On Missy Elliott's "Work It," the backward vocal is the previous line, "Put my thing down, flip it, and reverse it," in reverse. She stumbled on it when the engineer played it backward by mistake.

Crocodile RockElton John

Elton John's "Crocodile Rock" borrows a bit from Don McLean's "American Pie." Both songs feature a Chevy, and are about young people who are heartbroken when their music "dies."

Flying Without WingsWestlife

A live, stripped-down version of "Flying Without Wings" by the Irish boy band Westlife was the first #1 on the Official UK Download Chart. It was recorded in May 1994 at The Globe, Stockholm.

Editor's Picks

Rickie Lee JonesSongwriter Interviews

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

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)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 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 PopSong Writing

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

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.