BORN TO RUN 
Live 27 Apr 1988 version
[Spoken intro:] This is a song I've been singing for about 15 years I guess. And uh, you know when, when we decided to come out on the road this time, we knew we wanted to come out and sing, sing a new song, that's my job. And uh, I kind of sat around and thought of things that would work, and this is a song I guess, it's changed a lot over the years as I've sung it, it seemed to be able to open up and sort of let the time in. When I wrote it, I was 24 years old, and I was sitting in my bedroom in Long Branch, New Jersey. When I think back it surprises me about how, how much I knew about what I wanted because the questions that I asked myself in this song, it seems like I've been trying to find the answers to them ever since. And uh, I guess when I wrote this song and, I thought I was writing about a guy and a girl that wanted to run and keep on running. And that was a, that was a nice romantic idea. But uh, I realized that after I put all those people in all those cars, I was gonna have to figure out some place for them to go, you know. And I realized that uh, in the end, I guess, that individual freedom, when it's not connected to some sort of community or friends or the world outside, ends up feeling pretty meaningless. So, I guess that guy and that girl, they were out there looking for a connection. And I guess that's what I'm doing here tonight. So uh, this is a song about two people trying to find their way home. I'd like to do it for you and dedicate it to you, just saying the song's kept me good company on my search and I hope it's kept you good company on yours.
In the day we sweat it out on the streets of a runaway American dream
At night we ride through mansions of glory in suicide machines
Sprung from cages on highway 9
Chrome wheeled, fuel injected, and steppin' out over the line
Baby this town rips the bones from your back
It's a death trap, it's a suicide rap
I wanna get out while I'm still young
'Cause tramps like us, baby we were born to run
Well Wendy let me in, I wanna be your friend, I want to guard your dreams and visions
Just wrap your legs 'round these velvet rims, strap your hands across my engines
And together we could break this trap
We'll run till we drop and baby we'll never go back
Walk with me out on the wire
Girl, I'm just a scared and lonely rider
And I gotta know how it feels
I want to know if love is wild, I want to know if love is real
Beyond the Palace hemi-powered drones scream down the boulevard
The girls comb their hair in rear-view mirrors, the boys try to look so hard
The amusement park rises bold and stark, kids are huddled on the beach in the mist
Well I wanna die with you Wendy on the streets tonight in an everlasting kiss
Well the highway's jammed with broken heroes on a last chance power drive
Everybody's out on the run tonight but there ain't no place left to hide
And together we could live with the sadness
I'll love you with all the madness in my soul
Someday, baby, I don't know when, we're gonna get to that place
Where we really want to go and we'll walk in the sun
Till then tramps like us baby we were born to run
Oh oh oh oh oh oh
Whoa oh oh oh oh oh
Whoa oh oh oh oh oh
You do it!
Oh oh oh oh oh oh
Oh oh oh oh oh oh
Oh oh oh oh oh oh
Oh oh oh oh oh oh
Whoa oh oh oh oh ah
Whoa oh oh oh oh ah
Whoa oh oh oh oh ah
Whoa oh oh oh oh ah
PAGE UNDER CONSTRUCTION
Info
The above lyrics are for live 27 Apr 1988 performance of BORN TO RUN at Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena in Los Angeles, CA, during the Tunnel Of Love Express Tour. The song was played in a solo acoustic arrangement. The parts in bold are sung by the crowd.
Promotional poster the April 1988 five-night stand at Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena, Los Angeles, CA
Ticket stub for the 27 Apr 1988 show at Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena, Los Angeles, CA
Pass for the 27 Apr 1988 show at Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena, Los Angeles, CA
The live 27 Apr 1988 version of BORN TO RUN (minus the spoken intro) was officially released on the Tougher Than The Rest European EP in 1988 (see the "Official Releases" section below). It was also included on the Chimes Of Freedom EP in 1988 (see the "Chimes Of Freedom" section below). The song was recorded by Toby Scott and mixed by Bob Clearmountain.
Music Video
A straightforward video filming of the live 27 Apr 1988 version of BORN TO RUN, directed by Meiert Avis, was released as a promotional music video in 1988. The video was later released commercially on Springsteen's Video Anthology / 1978-88 home video in 1989. It was included on the Japanese Singles Collection -Greatest Hits- compilation album.
Official Releases
SECTION NOT YET COMPLETED
Bruce Springsteen -- Bruce Springsteen Sampler
CD - Columbia (CDNK 677) - Canada, 1992
Canada-only promotional CD sampler compiling 10 tracks from Springsteen's albums up to 1987, plus the 1988 acoustic live version of BORN TO RUN. Comes in a plain white die-cut cardboard sleeve.
Chimes Of Freedom
The Chimes Of Freedom EP was released worldwide in August 1988 to promote the upcoming Amnesty International Human Rights Now! Tour. Some proceeds from the EP sales went to Amnesty International. The EP was produced by Bruce Springsteen, Jon Landau, and Chuck Plotkin.
The EP was released on 12-inch vinyl, cassette tape, and compact disc. While the vinyl and cassette issues and international CD issues had the tracks at full length, the original U.S. CD issue, which was just titled "Live", was edited for length; TOUGHER THAN THE REST has the guitar solo and one verse edited out and CHIMES OF FREEDOM has the spoken intro completely edited out. The format used was the 3-inch MiniCD, which limited the length that could be used. Rolling Stone reported that these edits were done with Springsteen's approval with the purpose being to fit the release on an affordable MiniCD. The Chimes Of Freedom EP was digitally remastered and reissued in 1999 on full size 5-inch CD. These 1999 reissues had the edited versions of TOUGHER THAN THE REST and CHIMES OF FREEDOM but later CD re-issues restored the two songs to full length.
Bruce Springsteen -- Chimes Of Freedom
MiniCD EP - CBS (653192 3) - Austria, 1988
Pressed in Austria for the European market. Comes in a blister pack.
01-
TOUGHER THAN THE REST [Live 27 Apr 1988 version]
02-
CHIMES OF FREEDOM [Live 03 Jul 1988 version]
03-
BORN TO RUN [Live 27 Apr 1988 version]
Bruce Springsteen -- Chimes Of Freedom
CD EP - Columbia (667600 2) - Austria, 1999
Pressed in Austria for the European market.
01-
TOUGHER THAN THE REST [Live 27 Apr 1988 version]
02-
BE TRUE [Live 28 Mar 1988 version]
03-
CHIMES OF FREEDOM [Live 03 Jul 1988 version]
04-
BORN TO RUN [Live 27 Apr 1988 version]
Bruce Springsteen -- Chimes Of Freedom
CD EP - Columbia (CEPK-44445) - Canada, 1988
Three variants of this version were issued.
01-
TOUGHER THAN THE REST [Live 27 Apr 1988 version]
02-
BE TRUE [Live 28 Mar 1988 version]
03-
CHIMES OF FREEDOM [Live 03 Jul 1988 version]
04-
BORN TO RUN [Live 27 Apr 1988 version]
Bruce Springsteen -- Chimes Of Freedom
CD EP - Columbia (CK 63822) - Canada, 1999
Two variants of this version were issued.
01-
TOUGHER THAN THE REST [Live 27 Apr 1988 version]
02-
BE TRUE [Live 28 Mar 1988 version]
03-
CHIMES OF FREEDOM [Live 03 Jul 1988 version]
04-
BORN TO RUN [Live 27 Apr 1988 version]
Bruce Springsteen -- Chimes Of Freedom
12" EP - Columbia (4C 44445 / 88985484931) - Europe, 2018
Part of the
The Album Collection Vol. 2, 1987-1996 box set, but some copies were also sold separately in Europe.
A1-
TOUGHER THAN THE REST [Live 27 Apr 1988 version]
A2-
BE TRUE [Live 28 Mar 1988 version]
B1-
CHIMES OF FREEDOM [Live 03 Jul 1988 version]
B2-
BORN TO RUN [Live 27 Apr 1988 version]
Bruce Springsteen -- Chimes Of Freedom
12" EP - CBS (653192 6) - Holland, 1988
Pressed in Holland for the European market.
A1-
TOUGHER THAN THE REST [Live 27 Apr 1988 version]
A2-
BE TRUE [Live 28 Mar 1988 version]
B1-
CHIMES OF FREEDOM [Live 03 Jul 1988 version]
B2-
BORN TO RUN [Live 27 Apr 1988 version]
Bruce Springsteen -- Chimes Of Freedom
CD EP - Sony (SRCS 8989) - Japan, 1999
Cardboard packaging.
01-
TOUGHER THAN THE REST [Live 27 Apr 1988 version]
02-
BE TRUE [Live 28 Mar 1988 version]
03-
CHIMES OF FREEDOM [Live 03 Jul 1988 version]
04-
BORN TO RUN [Live 27 Apr 1988 version]
Bruce Springsteen -- Chimes Of Freedom
CD EP - Columbia (CK 69469) - Taiwan, 1999
This is a U.S. pressing exported to Taiwan. The only difference between this and the U.S. version is the addition of the Taiwanese obi strip. Contains edited versions of
TOUGHER THAN THE REST and
CHIMES OF FREEDOM.
01-
TOUGHER THAN THE REST [Live 27 Apr 1988 version]
02-
BE TRUE [Live 28 Mar 1988 version]
03-
CHIMES OF FREEDOM [Live 03 Jul 1988 version]
04-
BORN TO RUN [Live 27 Apr 1988 version]
Bruce Springsteen -- Chimes Of Freedom
CD EP - Columbia (CK 63822) - USA, 1999
Three variants of this version were issued.
01-
TOUGHER THAN THE REST [Live 27 Apr 1988 version]
02-
BE TRUE [Live 28 Mar 1988 version]
03-
CHIMES OF FREEDOM [Live 03 Jul 1988 version]
04-
BORN TO RUN [Live 27 Apr 1988 version]
Video Anthology Home Video
Video Anthology / 1978-88 is a collection of 18 Bruce Springsteen music videos and concert performances, released on VHS on 31 Jan 1989. The home video was also released on LaserDisc.
Bruce Springsteen -- Video Anthology / 1978-88 (USA VHS cover art)
Bruce Springsteen -- Video Anthology / 1978-88 (USA LaserDisc cover art)
Bruce Springsteen -- Video Anthology / 1978-88 (Japan LaserDisc cover art)
- ROSALITA (COME OUT TONIGHT) [Live 08 Jul 1978 version] — originally released in 1978, directed by Arnold Levine
- THE RIVER [Live 21 Sep 1979 version] — originally released in 1980, directed by Danny Goldberg, Julian Schlossberg, Anthony Potenza
- THUNDER ROAD [Mix of live 21 Sep 1979 version and live 22 Sep 1979 version] — originally released in 1980, directed by Danny Goldberg, Julian Schlossberg, Anthony Potenza
- ATLANTIC CITY — originally released in 1982, directed by Arnold Levine
- DANCING IN THE DARK — originally released in 1984, directed by Brian De Palma
- BORN IN THE U.S.A. — originally released in 1984, directed by John Sayles
- I'M ON FIRE — originally released in 1985, directed by John Sayles
- GLORY DAYS — originally released in 1985, directed by John Sayles
- MY HOMETOWN [Live 30 Sep 1985 version] — originally released in 1985, directed by Arthur Rosato
- WAR [Live 30 Sep 1985 version] — originally released in 1986, directed by Arthur Rosato
- FIRE [Live 13 Oct 1986 version] — originally released in 1986
- BORN TO RUN [Live 19 Aug 1985 version] — originally released in 1987, directed by Arthur Rosato
- BRILLIANT DISGUISE — originally released in 1987, directed by Meiert Avis
- TUNNEL OF LOVE — originally released in 1987, directed by Meiert Avis
- ONE STEP UP — originally released in 1988, directed by Meiert Avis
- TOUGHER THAN THE REST [Live 27 Apr 1988 version] — originally released in1988, directed by Meiert Avis
- SPARE PARTS [Live 10 Jul 1988 version] — originally released in 1988, directed by Carol Dodds
- BORN TO RUN [Live 27 Apr 1988 version] — originally released in 1988, directed by Meiert Avis
Sonny reissued the video on DVD on 16 Jan 2001. Titled The Complete Video Anthology / 1978-2000, the new expanded release added a second disc with 15 additional music video, concert performances, and television appearances.
Bruce Springsteen -- The Complete Video Anthology / 1978-2000 (DVD cover art)
Disc 1:
- ROSALITA (COME OUT TONIGHT) [Live 08 Jul 1978 version] — originally released in 1978, directed by Arnold Levine
- THE RIVER [Live 21 Sep 1979 version] — originally released in 1980, directed by Danny Goldberg, Julian Schlossberg, Anthony Potenza
- THUNDER ROAD [Mix of live 21 Sep 1979 version and live 22 Sep 1979 version] — originally released in 1980, directed by Danny Goldberg, Julian Schlossberg, Anthony Potenza
- ATLANTIC CITY — originally released in 1982, directed by Arnold Levine
- DANCING IN THE DARK — originally released in 1984, directed by Brian De Palma
- BORN IN THE U.S.A. — originally released in 1984, directed by John Sayles
- I'M ON FIRE — originally released in 1985, directed by John Sayles
- GLORY DAYS — originally released in 1985, directed by John Sayles
- MY HOMETOWN [Live 30 Sep 1985 version] — originally released in 1985, directed by Arthur Rosato
- WAR [Live 30 Sep 1985 version] — originally released in 1986, directed by Arthur Rosato
- FIRE [Live 13 Oct 1986 version] — originally released in 1986
- BORN TO RUN [Live 19 Aug 1985 version] — originally released in 1987, directed by Arthur Rosato
- BRILLIANT DISGUISE — originally released in 1987, directed by Meiert Avis
- TUNNEL OF LOVE — originally released in 1987, directed by Meiert Avis
- ONE STEP UP — originally released in 1988, directed by Meiert Avis
- TOUGHER THAN THE REST [Live 27 Apr 1988 version] — originally released in1988, directed by Meiert Avis
- SPARE PARTS [Live 10 Jul 1988 version] — originally released in 1988, directed by Carol Dodds
- BORN TO RUN [Live 27 Apr 1988 version] — originally released in 1988, directed by Meiert Avis
Disc 2:
- HUMAN TOUCH — originally released in 1992, directed by Meiert Avis
- BETTER DAYS — originally released in 1992, directed by Meiert Avis
- 57 CHANNELS (AND NOTHIN' ON) — originally released in 1992, directed by Adam Bernstein
- LEAP OF FAITH [Live 06 Aug 1992 version] — originally released in 1992, directed by Meiert Avis
- STREETS OF PHILADELPHIA — originally released in 1993, directed by Jonathan Demme and Ted Demme
- MURDER INCORPORATED — originally released in 1995, directed by Jonathan Demme
- SECRET GARDEN — originally released in 1995, directed by Peter Care
- HUNGRY HEART [Live 09 Jul 1995 version] — originally released in 1995, directed by Rudi Dolezal and Hannes Rossacher
- DEAD MAN WALKIN' — originally released in 1196, directed by Tim Robbins
- THE GHOST OF TOM JOAD — originally released in 1996, directed by Arnold Levine
- THE GHOST OF TOM JOAD [Live 27 Nov 1995 version] — from The Tonight Show With Jay Leno
- HIGHWAY PATROLMAN — previously unreleased, directed by Sean Penn
- IF I SHOULD FALL BEHIND [25 Sep 1999 sound-check version] — previously unreleased, directed by Jonathan Demme
- BORN IN THE U.S.A. [Live 20 Nov 1998 version] — from The Charlie Rose Show
- LIFT ME UP — audio only, plays over end credits
- SECRET GARDEN [with Strings] — previously unreleased, directed by Peter Care
Japanese Singles Collection -Greatest Hits-
Japanese Singles Collection -Greatest Hits- is a Bruce Springsteen compilation album released by Sony Music Japan in 2023. The compilation, which was exclusively released in Japan, consists of previously released 35 audio tracks and 62 video tracks. The collection is part of a 26-title reissue campaign to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Bruce Springsteen's debut album. The series, issued in three waves (25 Oct 2023, 22 Nov 2023, and 20 Dec 2023), includes 25 albums originally released between 1973 and 2014 plus a new compilation album that includes all of Springsteen's singles released in Japan from 1975 to 1999. All audio CD's were manufactured using Sony Japan's Blu-spec CD2 format.
Bruce Springsteen -- Japanese Singles Collection -Greatest Hits-
Credits
Thanks Jake (ol'catfishinthelake at BTX and Greasy Lake) for the lyrics help.
Available Versions
List of available versions of BORN TO RUN on this website:
BORN TO RUN [Album version]
BORN TO RUN [Early draft]
BORN TO RUN [Live 13 Jul 1974 version]
BORN TO RUN [Live 21 Sep 1979 version]
BORN TO RUN [Live 22 Sep 1979 version]
BORN TO RUN [Live 19 Aug 1985 version]
BORN TO RUN [Live 27 Apr 1988 version]
BORN TO RUN [Live 06 Aug 2015 version]
BORN TO RUN [Live July 2018 version]
Page last updated: 28 Nov 2013
