The Wall

Album: High Hopes (2014)
Play Video
  • Cigarettes and a bottle of beer
    This poem that I wrote for you
    This black stone and these hard tears
    Are all I got left now of you
    I remember you in your Marine uniform laughing
    Laughing at your ship-out party
    I read Robert McNamara says he's sorry

    Your high boots and striped t-shirt
    Ah Billy, you looked so bad
    Yeah, you and your rock-n-roll band
    You were best thing this shit town ever had
    Now the men who put you here
    Eat with their families in rich dining halls
    And apology and forgiveness got no place here at all
    At the wall

    Well, I'm sorry I missed you last year
    Couldn't find no one to drive me
    If your eyes could cut through that black stone
    Tell me, would they recognize me?
    For the living time it must be served
    The day goes on
    Cigarettes and a bottle of beer
    Skin on black stone

    On the ground, dog tags and wreaths of flowers
    With ribbons red as the blood
    Red as the blood you spilled in the Central Highlands mud
    Limousines rush down Pennsylvania Avenue
    Rustling the leaves as they fall
    And apology and forgiveness got no place here at all
    Here at the wall 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

Joan Armatrading

Joan ArmatradingSongwriter Interviews

The revered singer-songwriter talks inspiration and explains why she put a mahout in "Drop the Pilot."

American Hits With Foreign Titles

American Hits With Foreign TitlesSong Writing

What are the biggest US hits with French, Spanish (not "Rico Suave"), Italian, Scottish, Greek, and Japanese titles?

Is That Song Public Domain?

Is That Song Public Domain?Fact or Fiction

Are classic songs like "Over The Rainbow" and "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" in the public domain?

Lita Ford

Lita FordSongwriter Interviews

Lita talks about how they wrote songs in The Runaways, and how she feels about her biggest hit being written by somebody else.

Best Band Logos

Best Band LogosSong Writing

Queen, Phish and The Stones are among our picks for the best band logos. Here are their histories and a design analysis from an expert.

Phone Booth Songs

Phone Booth SongsSong Writing

Phone booths are nearly extinct, but they provided storylines for some of the most profound songs of the pre-cell phone era.