Adam Raised a Cain Lyrics

Lyric discussion by patrickynt 

Cover art for Adam Raised a Cain lyrics by Bruce Springsteen

Beautiful song, deep on so many levels. Clearly about Bruce's dad, who I'm sure Bruce was similar to.

I think this is about the difficulty of breaking generational trauma, and choosing a new path; to recognize the problems in you that you want to fix. And it is hard as heck to do it, as you can attest to the raw emotion in Bruce's voice.

Imagine this song without any instrumentation, just Bruce singing. It would sound nuts, eerie, creepy and dark.

The telltale line to me is "All of the old faces ask you why you're back They fit you with position and the keys to your daddy's Cadillac"

He is expected to take the keys to his father's Cadillac, which to me is become just like his dad.

But Bruce hangs on by his fingernails on the edge of a cliff. I love this song and album.

Positive
Subjective
Enjoyment
Generational Trauma
Family
Identity
Struggle
Emotion