The Promised Land

Springsteen has an odd relationship with American elections. Born in the USA (the bumper sticker bite) was petitioned for use by Reagan in 1984. Reagan was not a Springsteen fan, and the kind of person, like his ideal constituent, who 'doesn't listen to the lyrics.' Springsteen has been , for the intelligensia Left, the saving grace of Classic Rock. Springsteen is also the poster boy of earnestness in a naive wonderland of garages and AM radios where a person doesn't feel like s/he is lost in a funhouse of mirrors. Aside from being a nostalic projection, Springsteen is also a projection of the proletariate of Marx's or the New Left's imagination. That is, he satisfies this mythic need while the actual 'proletariate' (which translates to the shifting temp/tele workforce of today's America TM) is not listening to Springsteen but to Toby Keith. Recently, I've been seeing a lot of Springsteen-next-to-Kerry-in-Madison, WI clips. He's the perfect accompaniment to Kerry's billion dollar crooning about the plight of the poor. There he is, earnestly praying the lyric "I believe in the promised land" into the mic. I, predictably, think Springsteen is great. Like Born in the USA of the cold war, this song is an interesting read of the present WAR X. Here it is:

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 star



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