Song title: Cautious man
Cautious man
Bill Horton was a cautious man of the road
He walked lookin’ over his shoulder and remained faithful to its code
When something caught his eye he’d measure his need
And then very carefully he’d proceed
Billy met a young girl in the early days of May
It was there in her arms he let his cautiousness slip away
In their lovers twilight as the evening sky grew dim
He’d lay back in her arms and laugh what had happened to him
On his right hand Billy tatooed the word love and on his left hand was the word fear
And in which hand he held his fate was never clear
Come Indian summer he took his young lover for his bride
And with own hands built a great house down by the riverside
Now Billy was an honest man he wanted to do what was right
He worked hard to fill their lives with happy days and loving nights
Alone on his knees in the darkness for steadiness he’d pray
For he knew in a restless heart the seed of betrayal lay
One night Billy awoke from a terrible dream callin’ his wife’s name
She lay breathing beside him in a peaceful sleep a thousand miles away
He got dressed in the moonlight and down to the highway he strode
When he got there he didn’t find nothing but road
Billy felt a coldness rise up inside him that he couldn’t name
Just as the words tattooed ‘cross his knuckles he knew would always remain
At their bedside he brushed the hair from his wife’s face as the moon shone on her skin so white
Filling their room with the beauty of God’s fallen light
Published on the following official releases:
- TUNNEL OF LOVE (Album,1987)
Very few performances of this songs are known (to me, at least!):
- 10/05/1988 Met Center, Minneapolis,MN ,USA during the Tunnel of Love Tour
- 02/05/2005 Pantages Theatre, Los Angeles,CA ,USA during the Devils and Dust tour
- 07/05/2005 Convention center, Denver,CO ,USA during the Devils and Dust tour
- 20/05/2005 Orpheum Theater, Boston,MA ,USA during the Devils and Dust tour
- 27/05/2005 Royal Albert Hall, London ,GB during the Devils and Dust tour
- 16/07/2005 Pepsi arena, Albany,NY ,USA during the Devils and Dust tour
- 06/10/2005 Blue Cross Arena, Rochester,NY ,USA during the Devils and Dust tour
- 30/10/2005 TD Bank North Garden, Boston,MA ,USA during the Devils and Dust tour
- 17/11/2005 Continental Arena, E.Rutherford,NJ ,USA during the Devils and Dust tour
Data from the www.brucespringsteen.it database
First known live performance: 10/05/1988 Met Center, Minneapolis,MN ,USA
Last known live performance: 17/11/2005 Continental Arena, E.Rutherford,NJ ,USA
Song 'history':
Published on TUNNEL OF LOVE, in 1987.
Played once in the whole Tunnel of Love tour (10/05/1988 Met Center, Minneapolis,MN ,USA)
Not much used during the Devils and Dust tour, deserving only less than a dozen renderings
Data from the www.brucespringsteen.it database