Lyrics to
The Promised Land

Released by Bruce Springsteen in 1978
From the Album: Darkness On The Edge Of Town |

This version of The Promised Land was released by Bruce Springsteen in 1978.

Our Bruce Springsteen Songs profile has The Promised Land lyrics from 1978 and most if not all of the lyrics by Bruce Springsteen that we have here at Decade Lyrics.

Here's more interesting things in songs and lyrics tied to Bruce Springsteen or about the 1970s in general.

On a rattlesnake speedway in the Utah desert
I pick up my money and head back into town
Driving cross the Waynesboro county line
I got the radio on and I’m just killing time
Working all day in my daddy’s garage
Driving all night, chasing some mirage
Pretty soon little girl I’m gonna take charge.

The dogs on main street howl,
’cause they understand,
If I could take one moment into my hands
Mister, I ain’t a boy, no, I’m a man,
And I believe in a promised land.

I’ve done my best to live the right way
I get up every morning and go to work each day
But your eyes go blind and your blood runs cold
Sometimes I feel so weak I just want to explode
Explode and tear this town apart
Take a knife and cut this pain from my heart
Find somebody itching for something to start

The dogs on main street howl,
’cause they understand,
If I could take one moment into my hands
Mister, I ain’t a boy, no, I’m a man,
And I believe in a promised land.

There’s a dark cloud rising from the desert floor
I packed my bags and I’m heading straight into the storm
Gonna be a twister to blow everything down
That ain’t got the faith to stand its ground
Blow away the dreams that tear you apart
Blow away the dreams that break your heart
Blow away the lies that leave you nothing but lost and brokenhearted

The dogs on main street howl,
’cause they understand,
If I could take one moment into my hands
Mister, I ain’t a boy, no, I’m a man,
And I believe in a promised land
I believe in a promised land…


Bruce Springsteen has released many songs over the years besides The Promised Land. Bruce Springsteen released songs from 1973 to 2007 spanning across albums like The Wild, The Innocent And The E Street Shuffle, Greetings From Asbury Park, N.J., Born To Run, Darkness On The Edge Of Town, The River, Nebraska, Born In The U.S.A., Tunnel Of Love, Human Touch, Lucky Town, The Ghost Of Tom Joad, The Rising, Devils & Dust, We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions, and Magic. Decade Lyrics has over lyrics & songs by Bruce Springsteen.

If you're a fan of 1970s songs looking for more songs from 1978 or the 1970s overall, you've come to the right place!

See also  Heal Your Heart

About Lyrics and The Promised Land by Bruce Springsteen

The lyrics to The Promised Land are the words, verses and chorus for the song released by Bruce Springsteen in 1978. Elements of the lyrics to The Promised Land are both direct in meaning and also metaphorical with the real meanings of the song only known by Bruce Springsteen and any collaborating writers working on the lyrics for The Promised Land back when it was created.

Some people have an interest in the etymology behind words and phrases. You can take apart the lyrics to The Promised Land by Bruce Springsteen in a number of ways. The word "lyric" itself derives from the Latin word lyricus, with the actual English word lyrics applied to the definition "words set to music" listed in Stainer and Barrett's 1876 Dictionary of Musical Terms. Continuing the chain, the Latin word lyricus derives from the Greek word λυρικός or lyrikós. This somewhat means "poetry accompanied by the lyre" or "words set to music." You can easily see that by looking at the background of the word lyric, that the "lyrics to The Promised Land" means the words set to the music of The Promised Land, or poetry accompanied by the lyre played by Bruce Springsteen. The singular form "lyric" is still used to mean the complete words to a song. However, the singular form lyric is also commonly used to refer to a specific line (or phrase) within a song's lyrics. Hence, by this analysis of word structure, you could say that the lyric to The Promised Land and the lyrics to The Promised Land are both one and the same thing. None of this talk about the word Lyrics is really relevant to fans of Bruce Springsteen who came here looking just for the lyrics to The Promised Land, but we feel it is still fun to learn what's behind commonly used words and lyrics in songs.

More Songs & Lyrics by Bruce Springsteen

Show More Lyrics

Visit our Bruce Springsteen profile for more Bruce Springsteen songs, lyrics & info!

See also  Volcano

Show More

See also  She Never Knew Me
)