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Dry Lightning Lyrics
I threw my robe on in the morning
Watched the ring on the stove turn to red
Stared hypnotized into a cup of coffee
Pulled on my boots and made the bed
Screen door hangin' off its hinges
Kept bangin' me awake all night
As I look out the window
The only thing in sight
Is dry lightning on the horizon line
Just dry lightning and you on my mind
I chased the heat of her blood
Like it was the holy grail
Descend beautiful spirit
Into the evening pale
Her appaloosa's
Kickin' in the corral smelling rain
There's a low thunder rolling
'Cross the mesquite plain
But there's just dry lightning on the horizon line
It's just dry lightning and you on my mind
I'd drive down to Alvarado street
Where she danced to make ends meet
I'd spend the night over my gin
As she'd talk to her men
Well the piss yellow sun
Comes bringin' up the day
She said "ain't nobody gonna give nobody
What they really need anyway"
Well you get so sick of the fightin'
You lose your fear of the end
But you can't lose your memory
And the sweet smell of your skin
And it's just dry lightning on the horizon line
Just dry lightning and you on my mind
Watched the ring on the stove turn to red
Stared hypnotized into a cup of coffee
Pulled on my boots and made the bed
Screen door hangin' off its hinges
Kept bangin' me awake all night
As I look out the window
The only thing in sight
Just dry lightning and you on my mind
Like it was the holy grail
Descend beautiful spirit
Into the evening pale
Her appaloosa's
Kickin' in the corral smelling rain
There's a low thunder rolling
'Cross the mesquite plain
But there's just dry lightning on the horizon line
It's just dry lightning and you on my mind
Where she danced to make ends meet
I'd spend the night over my gin
As she'd talk to her men
Comes bringin' up the day
She said "ain't nobody gonna give nobody
What they really need anyway"
You lose your fear of the end
But you can't lose your memory
And the sweet smell of your skin
And it's just dry lightning on the horizon line
Just dry lightning and you on my mind
Song Info
Submitted by
oofus On Jun 05, 2004
More Bruce Springsteen
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it is about a frelationship that was almost perfect but yet was never going to be, as he said himself, close but not close enough, he idolised the girl, chased the heat of her blood like it was the holy grail, wow great line, she was a bar girl who would never really trust a guy and he was besotted with her, if he could have tamed her it would have been perfect but that was never going to happen, it was just dry lightning on the horizon line, something that was within reach but ultimaltely was never going to happen.
I got this idea that narrator here is the same "Carl" from "The Line" the other song on this album. He has found Louisa but things didn't work out because "ain't nobody gonna give nobody What they really need anyway". like I said it's the best song on this album.
If you ever get the chance, listen to the live version of this song from acoustic Tom Joad tour. It is fantastic. The show at the Roayal Albert hall was just amazing. It is out on bootleg somewhere.
This is a great song. Probably my fav BS song. Different than the other songs on the album and sort of refreshing for the album as alot of the songs sound similar, though thats not neccesarily a bad thing.
A really beautiful song among many from this outstanding album.Springsteen shines best when it's just him and an acoustic guitar,IMO.The word picture he paints using "Dry Lightning" as a metaphor for something that is less that what it appears,in this case his relationship with a lady is really very lovely,and the way he sings the lyrics,with a forlorn sense of coming to grips with the situation is powerful in it's simplicity.
One of my all time favorite songs.
She said "ain't nobody gonna give nobody What they really need anyway" Many of Bruce's songs portray a protagonist who fails to grasp the holy grail. We chase it, we dream about it and we suffer all for it. We suffer to the point of being utterly pathetic, others see how pathetic we are, we cannot see it ourselves. The screen door is hanging of the hinges, our quest is also hanging off the hinges.
Others will not fulfill our needs, that is the dry lighting.
@frankroberts
@frankroberts
Yes.The dry lightning symbolizes unfulfilled promise of what could have been. Lightning on the horizon signals rain coming,but dry lightning is a cruel ruse, leading one to believe for a time that something positive(rain) is going to occur,but never does.
Yes.The dry lightning symbolizes unfulfilled promise of what could have been. Lightning on the horizon signals rain coming,but dry lightning is a cruel ruse, leading one to believe for a time that something positive(rain) is going to occur,but never does.
Like many of Bruce's songs, I think this is all euphemism and related to a relationship gone wrong. Dry Lightning being a euphemism for intense inner sadness but no tears - "I can't lose your memory, or the sweet smell of your skin".
this one really stood out from the other songs of the album [except for Tom Joad, obviously] on the very first listen. The way he utters "horizon" is to die for. it kinda gives me the setting of a steinbeck story again.