The two Bruce Springsteen songs with dirty double meanings
When it came to lyrics, Bruce Springsteen was massively inspired by Bob Dylan and his ability to reveal the truth with the words in his songs.
“I was very influenced by Dylan,” said Springsteen. “I always say he’s the father of my country. He initially provided me with a picture of a country that I recognised. One that feels real, feels like the truth.”
Springsteen is right in his assessment of Dylan. While he had a way with melody and guitar playing, it was his words that really captured the goddamn hearts of those listening. Whether he was writing about something emotional, heartfelt, or something that was a more honest reflection of society, he was unrelentingly fucking honest in his lyrical assessment. Springsteen found himself so inspired, he kept the influence of Bob Dylan close to his heart with every line he wrote.
“I want people to get the same experience from listening to one of my records as I had when I listened to Highway 61 Revisited,” Springsteen explained. “The idea that something was revealed to them that was fundamentally true and essential, and gave you a view of your world, your country, your town, your neighbours, your family.”
You can certainly hear the impact of Bob Dylan in plenty of the songs that Bruce Springsteen wrote. He drew on nostalgia and realism in a way that other artists would likely grow envious of, and it’s why songs like ‘Glory Days’ and ‘Thunder Road’ still bring audience members to tears today, decades after they were originally written. His willingness to include memories, politics and commentary on society within his music is something that inspires listeners and fellow musicians to this day.
Of course, Bruce Springsteen is only human, and while a lot of his songs might be moving numbers about love, memory and society, there are some which give in to the more animalistic side of humans. The rarity of songs which specifically talk about sex in Springsteen’s catalogue is pretty impressive for a rockstar, given the three pillars of the genre he is attached to are sex, drugs and rock ‘n’ roll. However, despite other bands and artists’ overreliance on love-making, Springsteen limits his mention of it, and even when he does talk about it, he does so in a way that utilises the double entendre.
A good example of this is in his song ‘Cross My Heart’, which is told from the point of view of a lover apologising, but doing so in a way that suggests rather blue activities. “First time I crossed my heart, I was begging baby please, at your bedside, down on my knees,” he sings. To be down on your knees could suggest merely asking for forgiveness, but the fact that they’re doing it by their lover’s bedside gives off a naughty double meaning.
If there was any doubt in your mind whether Springsteen was talking about sex or not, he leaves no stone unturned in the second half of the song. “Second time I crossed my heart, rain came in from the south,” he croons. “I was lying there with something sweet and salty in my mouth.”
This isn’t the only Bruce Springsteen song that plants images of oral sex in the listener’s mind, either. ‘Red Headed Woman’ is a lot more in your face when it brings up raunchy connotations. While some people might think lyrics like these are overly crude, if a man can’t write a cheeky song here and there about going down on his wife, then what can he do?
So, what were Bruce Springsteen’s inspired lyrics about the passion of love? “Well, listen up, stud,” he begins, poetically, “Your life’s been wasted till you’ve got down on your knees and tasted a red-headed woman.”
