Bruce Springsteen and September 11. Springsteen enters the recording studio and responds to the attack with an album about the wounded pride of the United States. The Boss, the voice of America that lifts its head. Healing the nation, as the title of an article on “The Rising” suggests. Mmmmhh... I wondered: is it really true that this is a themed album about September 11? Could Springsteen be so cunning and populist? Of course, it's possible, "Haters" would say. Springsteen raw, populist, a rockstar for musical illiterates, blah blah blah. Ok, let's directly analyze the song lyrics. Hear, hear: of 15 songs, only 1 can be considered on-theme: Into the Fire, an explicit homage to the firefighters who intervened at the Twin Towers. Then only vague hints: Empty Sky, where it reads Blood on the streets / Blood flowin' down, and Worlds Apart which, even without specific references, obviously alludes to the two worlds, Western and Arab. All other tracks contain no univocal references to September 11. Springsteen talks about desolation and hope, his favorite themes, without precise historical references. As he's always done.

Take Paradise for example. Almost everyone says it talks about a terrorist; however, upon closely reading the text, the identification isn't so clear. The first verse: Where the river runs black / I take the schoolbooks from your pack / Plastics, wire and your kiss / The breath of eternity on your lips, “Where the river runs black / I take the schoolbooks from your pack / Plastics, wire, and your kiss / The breath of eternity on your lips.” Plastics and wire here, do they have to do with bombs? Maybe, but who can say for certain? For me, placing them alongside schoolbooks and a kiss doesn't immediately make me think of a bomb-wielding terrorist. The second verse continues in an ambiguous tone: in the crowded market, the narrator looks from face to face, holds his breath, closes his eyes, and waits for paradise. It could be a kamikaze terrorist at the moment before the explosion, or perhaps it's just a snapshot of someone anxiously waiting for the arrival of their beloved. The following verses present dreamlike images, in my opinion, even less imaginable in a terrorist context. The meaning of the final image is clear: I break above the waves / I feel the sun upon my face, “I resurface from the waves / I feel the sun upon my face”. But let's give another example. Take You're Missing. Where is it stated that it tells of the absence of a 9/11 victim? There are no direct or indirect references to the dead of the Twin Towers in the text. It is simply a song about the loss of a family member, probably the narrator's wife (see the verses Too much room in my bed and Will you be in our arms tonight). So, does Paradise have nothing to do with terrorists and You're Missing, nothing with the victims of September 11? In “The Rising”, September 11 is the starting point, not the arrival. At the arrival, we find songs with broader breath, going beyond the specific historical event.

Springsteen is less crude than he seems, and here pardon a brief parenthesis. The problem is that many can't see beyond first impressions: since once they saw him succeed on TV with a sleeveless t-shirt and raised fist shouting a hit titled Born in the USA, from that moment he is neatly packaged and labeled: the crude guy from New Jersey, the man who if you put a shovel instead of a guitar in his hand, wouldn't notice (by the way you guitar enthusiasts, make a small effort and check out Prove It All Night live 1978 or the acoustic guitar solo on Open All Night live in Dublin).

But back to the point. “The Rising” is a great album. In my opinion, it ranks second behind the trio of Springsteen masterpieces (“Born to Run”, “Nebraska”, “Darkness on the Edge of Town”), alongside “The River”. Some might wrinkle their noses at the comparison with the double album; well, then let's compare the pieces. On Further On (Up the Road), The Rising, and Worlds Apart, the bellows of the E Street Band blows like the old rock’n roll times (You Can Look, Cadillac Ranch, and Ramrod). Waitin' on a Sunny Day repeats the magic of Hungry Heart, and it's no blasphemy: just see the reception it gets at concerts. Mary’s Place or Lonesome Day stand up well in comparison with Two Hearts or Out in the Street. The sense of anguish in Paradise recalls that of Point Blank. And then You're Missing. Touching as Independence Day. Of course, there's no classic like The River; and maybe this is the only reason why in the tower game (which one would you throw off?) the 1980 album would win.

In any case, in “The Rising”, there are all substantial tracks, except for Let's be Friends (Skin to Skin), decidedly too light although catchy, and perhaps the vaguely rhetorical Countin' on a Miracle. But I ask: weren't there also I Wanna Marry You and I'm a Rocker in “The River”? In short, there are beautiful songs, there's the E Street Band and producer Brendan O’Brien does a good job (unlike, in my opinion, in “Magic”). The result is one of the best Springsteen albums ever.

Tracklist Lyrics and Videos

01   Lonesome Day (04:08)

02   Into the Fire (05:04)

03   Waitin' on a Sunny Day (04:18)

04   Nothing Man (04:23)

05   Countin' on a Miracle (04:44)

It's a fairytale so tragic
There's no prince to
break the spell
I don't believe in magic
But for you I will,
for you I will
if I'm a fool I'll be a fool
Darlin' for you

I'm countin on a miracle
Baby I'm countin
on a miracle
Darlin' I'm countin'
on a miracle
To come through

There ain't no story book story
There's no never-ending song
Our happily ever after Darlin'
Forever come and gone
I'm movin' on
if I'm gonna believe
I'll put my faith
Darlin' in you

I'm countin' on a miracle
Baby I'm countin' on a miracle
Darlin' I'm countin' on a miracle
To come through

Sleeping beauty awakes
from her dream
With her lover's kiss on her lips
Your kiss was taken from me
Now all I have is this...

Your kiss, your kiss
your touch, your touch
Your heart, your heart
your strength, your strength
Your hope, your hope,
your faith, your faith
Your face, your face
your love, your love
Your dream, your dream
your life, your life

I'm runnin' through the forest
With the wolf at my heels
My king is lost at midnight
When the tower bells peal
We've got no fairytale ending
In God's hand our
fate is complete
Your heaven's here in my heart
Our love's this dust
beneath my feet
Just this dust beneath my feet
If I'm gonna live I'll lift my life
Darlin' to you

Cause I'm countin' on a miracle
Baby I'm countin' on a miracle
Darlin' I'm countin' on a miracle
To come through

Well I'm countin' on a miracle
Baby I'm countin' on a miracle
Darlin' I'm countin' on a miracle
To come through

countin' on a miracle
Baby I'm countin' on a miracle
Darlin' I'm countin' on a miracle
To come through

Yea I'm countin' on a miracle

06   Empty Sky (03:34)

07   Worlds Apart (06:07)

I hold you in my arms,
Yeah that's where it starts
I seek faith in your kiss,
And comfort in your heart
I taste the seed upon your lips,
Lay my tongue upon your scars
I look into your eyes,
And we stand worlds apart

Where the distant oceans sing,
And rise to the plain
In this dry and troubles counntry,
Your beauty remains
Down from the mountain roads,
Where the highway rolls to dark
'Neath Allah's blessed rain,
We remain worlds apart

Sometimes the truth just ain't enough,
Or it's too much in times like this
Lets throw the truth away,
We'll find it in this kiss
In your skin upon my skin,
In the beating of our hearts.
May the living let us in,
Before the dead tear us apart.

We'll let blood build a bridge,
Over mountains draped in stars
I'll meet you on the ridge,
Between these worlds apart
We've got this moment now to live,
Then it's all just dust and dark
Let love give what it gives
Let's let love give what it gives

08   Let's Be Friends (Skin to Skin) (04:21)

09   Further On (Up the Road) (03:52)

10   The Fuse (05:37)

Down at the court house they're ringin' the flag down
Long black line of cars snakin' slow through town
Red sheets snappin' on the line
With this ring will you be mine
The fuse is burning
Shut out the lights
The fuse is burning
Come on let me do you right

Trees on fire with the first fall's frost
Long black line in front of Holy Cross
Blood moon risin' in a sky of black dust
Tell me Baby who do you trust?
The fuse is burning
Shut out the lights
The fuse is burning
Come on let me do you right

Tires on the highway hissin' that something's coming
You can feel the wires in the tree tops hummin'
Devil's on the horizon line
Your skin and I'm alive

Quiet afternoon in the empty house
On the edge of the bed you slip off your blouse
The room is burning with the noon sun
Your bittersweet taste on my tongue
The fuse is burning
Shut out the lights
The fuse is burning

11   Mary's Place (06:03)

12   You're Missing (05:10)

Shirts in the closet, shoes in the hall
Mama's in the kitchen, baby and all
Everything is everything
Everything is everything
But you're missing

Coffee cups on the counter, jackets on the chair
Papers on the doorstep, you're not there
Everything is everything
Everything is everything
But you're missing

Pictures on the nightstand, TV's on in the den
Your house is waiting, your house is waiting
For you to walk in, for you to walk in
But you're missing, you're missing
You're missing when I shut out the lights
You're missing when I close my eyes
You're missing when I see the sun rise
You're missing

Children are asking if it's alright
Will you be in our arms tonight?

Morning is morning, the evening falls I have
Too much room in my bed, too many phone calls
How's everything, everything?
Everything, everything
You're missing, you're missing

God's drifting in heaven, devil's in the mailbox
I got dust on my shoes, nothing but teardrops

13   The Rising (04:50)

Can't see nothin' in front of me
Can't see nothin' coming up behind
I make my way through this darkness
I can't feel nothing but this chain that binds me
Lost track of how far I've gone
How far I've gone, how high I've climbed
On my back's a sixty pound stone
On my shoulder a half mile of line

Come on up for the rising
Come on up, lay your hands in mine
Come on up for the rising
Come on up for the rising tonight

Left the house this morning
Bells ringing filled the air
I was wearin' the cross of my calling
On wheels of fire I come rollin' down here

Come on up for the rising
Come on up, lay your hands in mine
Come on up for the rising
Come on up for the rising tonight

Li,li, li,li,li,li, li,li,li

There's spirits above and behind me
Faces gone black, eyes burnin' bright
May their precious blood bind me
Lord, as I stand before your fiery light

Li,li, li,li,li,li, li,li,li

I see you Mary in the garden
In the garden of a thousand sighs
There's holy pictures of our children
Dancin' in a sky filled with light
May I feel your arms around me
May I feel your blood mixed with mine
A dream of life comes to me
Like a catfish dancin' on the end of my line

Sky of blackness and sorrow (a dream of life)
Sky of love, sky of tears (a dream of life)
Sky of glory and sadness (a dream of life)
Sky of mercy, sky of fear (a dream of life)
Sky of memory and shadow (a dream of life)
Your burnin' wind fills my arms tonight
Sky of longing and emptiness (a dream of life)
Sky of fullness, sky of blessed life

Come on up for the rising
Come on up, lay your hands in mine
Come on up for the rising
Come on up for the rising tonight

Li,li, li,li,li,li, li,li,li

14   Paradise (05:39)

15   My City of Ruins (05:00)

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