| Bruce Springsteen – Gave It A Name Lyrics | 18 years ago |
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To me, two themes come through in this song. First - as represented by the first two verses - the two characters (Cain and Billy) have done something wrong. They then try and rationalise their actions by "giving it a name" to make them feel better. For example, Billy tells his wife that he would not have hit her if she had not criticised him. By rationalising his actions in this way, he is able to pass the blame, and therefore deal with the shame. Second - represented by the final verse - really gets at the idea that humans are a product of our environment. If your experience is observing people that pass the blame then it is likely that you too will go through life passing the blame. Which is poisioness. Great song! |
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| Bruce Springsteen – Long Walk Home Lyrics | 18 years ago |
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I think this song draws a comparsion with a relationship and the state of the US. The relationship was wrong from the outset. The girl brought out the worst in the guy. By the end of the relationship the guy was a new person (for the worst). She ends it and then he then realises how he has changed as a result of the relationship and he wants to get back to who he was. So he begins the 'long walk home' to who he was. If you have ever been in that situation, that change for the worst as a result of being with the wrong person likely resonates. Similarily, the US - at least from my point of view (I am not a US citizen) - once stood for some great values (e.g. freedom of speech, vehmently opposed to torture) which over the past 7 years have eroded. The country - again from my point of view - appears to be realising now that the values that they once stood for are not being practiced. It is now time to take the 'long walk home' to those values that are enshrined in the constitution (the courthouse reference). It takes time to go back to your funadamental values once you have strayed. I like it how as the song progresses the protagonist sees things as being more and more familiar as he gets closer to home. |
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