Bruce Springsteen – Tunnel Of Love

General CommentThe Tunnel of Love is a metaphor for the journey a man takes when following the path of marriage with his new bride. The Tunnel of Love is an old amusement ride, usually found in the lower-budget "carnivals" and smalltime fairs. In the ride, two lovers would sit closely together in a small "boat" and ride through an indoor cavern that was plunged in darkness. The boat would twist and turn through the dark, following the current of a narrow river, while dimly lit mannequins and models would occassionally appear. In a sense, you were largely helpess on the ride...you were at the mercy of the darkness, you had no control over the controls of the boat, and you never knew what lay around the next sharp turn - "Then the lights go out and it's just the three of us, yeah you me and all that stuff we're so scared of".

Springsteen uses this ride as a metaphor for a new marriage. The feelings of fear, helplessness, nervousness, the unpredictability that come with the vows and new obligations. Two people are embarking on a journey that neither one has even been on before - "Cuddle up angel cuddle up my little dove and we'll ride down baby into this tunnel of love".

The final third of the song is where the true "meat" lies - "It's easy for two people to lose each other in this tunnel of love". In the darkness, with the rocky waters and sharp turns in the river, it is easy to fall apart, to let fear and mistrust come between you, and quite easily make you lose your way.

The song ends with two offerings from Springsteen - he gives us warning, followed by sage wisdom. His warning to his audience is that "...it ought to be easy, ought to be simple enough - Man meets woman and they fall in love...But the house is haunted and the ride gets rough". Perhaps riding down the "Tunnel of Love" isn't the sweet, innocent and fun-filled ride that we all hope and dream it is.

Finally, Springsteen offers some wisdom, and it is the final line that provides the home run in this song: "You've got to learn to live with what you can't rise above if you want to ride on down in through this tunnel of love".

Amazing song. Great solos and breaks that are just dripping with pain and emotion. The music is accented with fairground side effects, and in a chilling twist, the song fades to the sound of screams. Screams of helplessness, fear, anticipation and nervous energy. Do we take them literally as the sounds of a group of customers enjoying the thrills and scares of of a rollercoaster? Or are these screams indicating the fear and discomfort of serious commitment?

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  @BlueMonkey
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  Excellent analysis. Thank you.

  Flag captaing1203on April 08, 2012