Album: Nebraska (1982)

License This Song 

• Last night I dreamed that I was a child
  Out where the pines grow wild and tall
  I was trying to make it home through the forest
  Before the darkness falls
  
  I heard the wind rustling through the trees
  And ghostly voices rose from the fields
  I ran with my heart pounding down that broken path
  With the devil snapping at my heels
  
  I broke through the trees and there in the night
  My father's house stood shining hard and bright
  The branches and brambles tore my clothes and scratched my arms
  But I ran 'til I fell shaking in his arms
  
  I awoke and I imagined, the hard things that pulled us apart
  Will never again, sir, tear us from each other's hearts
  I got dressed and to that house, I did ride
  From out on the road I could see its windows shining in light
  
  I walked up the steps and stood on the porch
  A woman I didn't recognize came and spoke to me through a chained door
  I told her my story and who I'd come for
  She said "I'm sorry son but no one by that name lives here anymore"
  
  My father's house shines hard and bright
  It stands like a beacon calling me in the night
  Calling and calling, so cold and alone
  Shining 'cross this dark highway where our sins lie unatoned Writer/s: Bruce Springsteen
  Publisher: Audiam, Inc., Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
  Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind

Comments: 6

• Sf from New YorkLiz, it may have been Emmylou Harris.
• Martin from Chichester, United Kingdom'the line 'devil snapping at my heels' also used in wages of sin avaliable on tracks... bit like 'french kisses' line from shes the one used on santa ana, this also on tracks basically get tracks its amazing... lots of classics that never saw light of day till now
• Tim from Denver, CoI hadn't talked to my father for about five years when I heard this song. Its lyrics were so powerful (especially the end where he goes to his father's house and is told "I'm sorry, son, but no one by that name lives here anymore"), that I actually called my dad ans patched up the relationship. We now get along better than ever.
• Liz from San Mateo, CaI should add the npr show was called Dreamhouse and it was all about memories of houses we grew up in.
• Liz from San Mateo, CaI heard a version of this on This American Life on NPR that I want to find. It was an old country version with great guitar. The web side for TAF won't tell me, they say that have too many request of this kind. Could you help me find the artist?
• Larry from Bakersfield, CaThis may have something to do with his relation to his father, but it clearly also deals with the agony of losing one's faith. Note the biblical references "my father's house" and "our sins lie unatoned."

More Songfacts:

Black Hole SunSoundgarden

It has long been speculated that the Soundgarden song "Black Hole Sun" came from the name of a sculpture in Seattle, but according to their frontman Chris Cornell the title came from a phrase he misheard on the news. The band's name did come from a sculpture.

I Just Called To Say I Love YouStevie Wonder

"I Just Called To Say I Love You" is Stevie Wonder's best-selling single worldwide. It topped the Hot 100, AC, R&B and UK charts all in the same week.

Total Eclipse Of The HeartBonnie Tyler

"Total Eclipse Of The Heart" by Bonnie Tyler is a tribute to the vampire movie Nosferatu, depicting an immortal "love in the dark."

Peter Gunn ThemeHenry Mancini

"Peter Gunn" was the first TV theme to hit the Hot 100.

MusclesDiana Ross

Michael Jackson wrote the Diana Ross hit "Muscles," which he named after his pet boa constrictor.

NastyJanet Jackson

Janet Jackson wrote the lyric to "Nasty" in response to random guys calling her "baby."

Editor's Picks

WeezerFact or Fiction

Did Rivers Cuomo grow up on a commune? Why did they name their albums after colors? See how well you know your Weezer in this Fact or Fiction.

Lace the Music: How LSD Changed Popular MusicSong Writing

Starting in Virginia City, Nevada and rippling out to the Haight-Ashbury, LSD reshaped popular music.

George HarrisonFact or Fiction

Did Eric Clapton really steal George's wife? What's the George Harrison-Monty Python connection? Set the record straight with our Fact or Fiction quiz.

Kelly Keagy of Night RangerSongwriter Interviews

Kelly Keagy of Night Ranger tells the "Sister Christian" story and explains why he started sweating when he saw it in Boogie Nights.

Rock Stars of HorrorMusic Quiz

Rock Stars - especially those in the metal realm - are often enlisted for horror movies. See if you know can match the rocker to the role.

90s Music Quiz 1Music Quiz

First question: Michael Jordan and Magic Johnson appeared in videos for what artist?