Bruce Springsteen y su vena poética

Hablando de Bruce Springsteen, como la mayoría de personas lo conocí en su etapa de músico masivo, con su excelente álbum “Born in the US” (1984) que lo internacionalizó con canciones como “Dancing in the Dark”, “Born in the US”, “I’m going down”, “Glory Days”, “Cover me” y “No surrender”, y las menos conocidas pero buenas “I’m on fire” y “My hometown”. Guardo con especial cariño la versión latinoamericana Long Play de ese álbum. Hace no mucho tuve la suerte de conseguir la versión americana de ese LP.

“The Boss”, como se le conoce a Springsteen, tiene una vena poética que merece tanta atención como su música. Seleccioné su canción “The River”, de su legendario álbum del mismo nombre del año 1980, como una muestra de lo que digo. En este video la canta junto a su grupo “The E Street Band”.

"The River" (1979)

The River (1979)

Come from down in the valley, where mister when you’re young

They bring you up to do, like your daddy done

Me and Mary we met in high school, when she was just seventeen.

We'd ride out of that valley, down to where the fields were green

We'd go down to the river

And into the river we'd dive
Oh down to the river we'd ride.

Then I got Mary pregnant, and man that was all she wrote

And for my nineteen birthday, I got a union card and a wedding coat

We went down to the courthouse, and the judge put it all to rest

No wedding day smiles, no walk down the aisle

No flowers, no wedding dress.

That night we went down to the river

And into the river we’d dive

On down to the river we did ride

I got a job working construction, for the Johnstown Company

But lately there ain’t been much work, on account of the Economy

Now all them things that seemed so important

Well mister they vanished right into the air

Now I just act like I don’t remember, Mary acts like she don’t care.

But I remember us riding in my brothers car

Her body tan and wet down at the reservoir

At night on them banks I’d lie awake

And pull her close just to feel each breath she’d take

Now those memories come back to haunt me, they haunt me like a curse

Is a dream a lie if it don’t come true

Or is it something worse that sends me

Down to the river, though I know the river is dry

Down to the river, my baby and I

Oh down to the river we ride