Song title: Prodigal son
Prodigal son - Before the fame
In a place where outlaws are banned from the range
On a day when mountains have fallen to foes
In a land where boys are forbidden to grow
And metal is the only master
Where the highway ends and the desert breaks [1]
And buildings are bent from great earthquakes
And statesmen crawl on their bellies like snakes
And feed off the public hunger
In a land where sky-scrapers scratch the sky
And delinquent daughters to their mothers still lie
Papa stands on the corner he wants to beat the drum
Welcome home my prodigal son
When rivers run raging through city streets
And great eagles have fallen from their lofty peaks
And policemen moonlight as sideshow freaks
For the final crime is committed
When Presidents ride in Ford Mustangs
And the black man releases his Cadillac fangs
And your cheque died in bed as the landlord bangs
The young girl next door for the rent
Where telegraph wires are attached to your mind
Delinquent daughters to their mothers still lie
Papa stands on the corner waitin' to beat the drum
Welcome home my prodigal son
When the telephone rings and falls off the hook
And your legs have been stolen by some defence department crook
And you startin' to think about writing a book
But now you won't pledge allegiance to anything
And the maid comes in with coffee and cake
In a low-cut dress she wore just for your sake
You explain your not dead and she takes it as a compliment
And sticks out her tongue and asks for requests
In a land where skyscrapers scratch the sky
And delinquent daughters to their mothers still lie
Papa stands on the corner waitin' to beat the drum
Welcome home my prodigal son
And the mercury men with hydraulic joints
They bribe with a smile and hold you up in the alley at pinpoint
And ask you to bend over that they may anoint
You with the holy water of your profession
When the line between love and hate gets so thin
And your body takes over when your mind gives in
And your lady lover demands that you pin her to the floor
But its too late your reflexes are shot
And the man on the corner with the nervous twitch
Whispers "Hey, how would you like to buy a nice bitch
She's a .38, and I got her loaded in all six"
He keeps talkin', and you just keep walkin'
And you reach for the sky and get stuck on a steeple
You reach out for love but you get lost in the people
You run through the canyon, screaming like an eagle
Then you fall face first in the mud
In a land where skyscrapers scratch the sky
And delinquent daughters have their own children who lie
Papa stands on the corner, watchin' the parade, he wants to beat the drum
Welcome home, welcome home my prodigal son
Welcome home, my prodigal son Notes:
London publishing demo, from the "Before the fame" CD
[1] This verse will reappear 10 years later in The price you pay
Prodigal son - Longer version
In a place where outlaws abound from the range
???on a day mountains has fallen to falls???
In a land where boys are forbidden to grow
And Mell is the only master
Were the highway ends and the desert breaks[1]
and buildings are bent from great earthquakes
And statesmen crawl on their bellies like snakes
And feed of the public hunger
In a land were sky-scrapers scratch the sky
And delinquent daughters to their mothers still lie
Papa stands on the corner he ???waitin' to beat the drum???
Welcome Home My Prodigal Son
When Rivers run raging through city streets
And great eagles have fallen from their lofty peaks
And policemen moonlight the sideshow freaks
for the final crime is committed
When Presidents ride in Ford Mustangs
And the Black man releases his Cadillac ???fangs???
And your check died in bed as the landlord thanks the young girl next door for the rent
Where telegraph wires are attached to your mind
Delinquent daughters to their mothers still lie
Papa stands on the corner ???waitin to beat the drum???
Welcome Home My Prodigal Son
When the telephone rings and falls of the hook
And your legs have been stolen by some defence department crook
And you startin' to think about writing a book
But now you won't pledge allegiance to anything
And the maid comes in with coffee and cake
In a low-cut dress she wore just for your sake
You explain your not dead and she takes it as a compliment
and sticks out her tongue and asks for requests
In a land were skyscrapers scrapes the sky
and delinquent daughters to their mothers still lie
Papa stands on the corner ???waitin' to beat the drum???
Welcome Home My Prodigal Son Notes:
London publishing demo CD
[1] This verse will reappear 10 years later in The price you pay
This song has never been published on any official release.
Never played in regular set.
Data from the www.brucespringsteen.it database
Recorded for the Laurel Canyon / London Publishing demos
Data from the www.brucespringsteen.it database