Lyrics

DEVIL'S ARCADE

Album version


Remember the morning we dug up your gun
The worms in the barrel, the hangin' sun
Those first nervous evenings of perfume and gin
The lost smell on your breath as I helped you get it in
The rush of your lips, the feel of your name
The beat of your heart, the devil's arcade

You said heroes are needed, so heroes get made
Somebody made a bet, somebody paid
The cool desert morning, then nothin' to save
Just metal and plastic where your body caved
The slow games of poker with Lieutenant Ray
In the ward with the blue walls, a sea with no name
Where you lie adrift with the heroes of the devil's arcade

You sleep and you dream of your buddies Charlie and Jim
And wake with a thick desert dust on your skin

[instrumental]

A voice says "don't worry, I'm here"
Just whisper the word "tomorrow" in my ear
A house on a quiet street, a home for the brave
The glorious kingdom of the sun on your face
Rising from a long night as dark as the grave
On a thin chain of next moments and something like faith
On a morning to order a breakfast to make
A bed draped in sunshine, a body that waits
For the touch of your fingers, the end of the day
The beat of your heart, the beat of your heart
The beat of your heart, the beat of your heart
The beat of your heart, the beat of her heart
The beat of your heart, the slow burning away
Of the bitter fires of the devil's arcade

Info

DEVIL'S ARCADE is a song written by Bruce Springsteen and released on his 2007 album Magic. The above lyrics are for Bruce Springsteen's album version of DEVIL'S ARCADE as released in 2007.


Writing and Recording

It's unknown when exactly DEVIL'S ARCADE was written, but the song was recorded during the Magic recording sessions which took place between March and May 2007 at Southern Tracks Studios in Atlanta, GA. The song features Patrick Warren on Chamberlin and/or tack piano, and Daniel Laufer on cello.

The story in DEVIL'S ARCADE is about an Iraq war casualty. It can be seen as a sequel to the story in DEVILS & DUST. Dan Cairns writes in The Sunday Times that Magic "is, whether he likes it or not, Springsteen's response to the current [war] being fought and lost in Iraq."

Magic

Magic is Bruce Springsteen's fifteenth studio album. It was released on 02 Oct 2007 on Columbia Records. The album was officially announced, along with its track listing, on 16 Aug 2007. It was produced by Brendan O'Brien and was recorded between March and May 2007 at Southern Tracks Studios in Atlanta, GA.

Bruce Springsteen -- Magic
Bruce Springsteen -- Magic

Magic was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Rock Album but failed to win. It debuted at number one on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart, becoming Springsteen's eighth number one album in the U.S. and selling about 335,000 copies in its first week. Magic also peaked at number one in several European countries including the UK.

The album features 12 tracks and clocks at 50:48. The twelfth track is bonus hidden track that was added to the album two weeks after the album was announced.

Other Official Releases

Other versions of M DEVIL'S ARCADE AGIC were also officially released.

Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band -- TD Banknorth Garden, Boston 11/19/07
The live 19 Nov 2007 version of DEVIL'S ARCADE was released on the TD Banknorth Garden, Boston 11/19/07 official live download in 2018.
Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band -- Greensboro, North Carolina April 28, 2008
The live 28 Apr 2008 version of DEVIL'S ARCADE was released on the Greensboro, North Carolina April 28, 2008 official live download in 2020.

Live History

In preparation for the Magic Tour, DEVIL'S ARCADE was performed during all of the tour's three public warm-up rehearsal shows that took place in September 2007 in Asbury Park and East Rutherford. The song is also known to have been practiced during at least two of the private rehearsals that took place in September 2007 in Asbury Park prior to the tour's first leg, and during at least one of the private rehearsals that took place in February 2008 in Asbury Park prior to the tour's second U.S. leg.

List of Magic Tour rehearsals performances

  1. 12 Sep 2007 at Convention Hall, Asbury Park, NJ (private rehearsal)
  2. 18 Sep 2007 at Convention Hall, Asbury Park, NJ (private rehearsal)
  3. 24 Sep 2007 at Convention Hall, Asbury Park, NJ (public rehearsal)
  4. 25 Sep 2007 at Convention Hall, Asbury Park, NJ (public rehearsal)
  5. 28 Sep 2007 at Continental Airlines Arena, East Rutherford, NJ (public rehearsal)
  6. 25 Feb 2008 at Convention Hall, Asbury Park, NJ (private rehearsal)

DEVIL'S ARCADE was performed 69 times during the Magic Tour (100 dates, October 2007 to August 2008), including the tour's first 55 consecutive dates. It was not performed on any of the tour's last 27 dates. The live 19 Nov 2007 version of DEVIL'S ARCADE was released on the TD Banknorth Garden, Boston 11/19/07 official live download in 2018. The live 28 Apr 2008 version of DEVIL'S ARCADE was released on the Greensboro, North Carolina April 28, 2008 official live download in 2020.

List of Magic Tour performances

  1. 02 Oct 2007 at Hartford Civic Center, Hartford, CT
  2. 05 Oct 2007 at Wachovia Center, Philadelphia, PA
  3. 06 Oct 2007 at Wachovia Center, Philadelphia, PA
  4. 09 Oct 2007 at Continental Airlines Arena, East Rutherford, NJ
  5. 10 Oct 2007 at Continental Airlines Arena, East Rutherford, NJ
  6. 14 Oct 2007 at Scotiabank Place, Ottawa, Canada
  7. 15 Oct 2007 at Air Canada Centre, Toronto, Canada
  8. 17 Oct 2007 at Madison Square Garden, New York City, NY
  9. 18 Oct 2007 at Madison Square Garden, New York City, NY
  10. 21 Oct 2007 at United Center, Chicago, IL
  11. 22 Oct 2007 at United Center, Chicago, IL
  12. 25 Oct 2007 at Oracle Arena, Oakland, CA
  13. 26 Oct 2007 at Oracle Arena, Oakland, CA
  14. 29 Oct 2007 at Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena, Los Angeles, CA
  15. 30 Oct 2007 at Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena, Los Angeles, CA
  16. 02 Nov 2007 at Xcel Energy Center, Saint Paul, MN
  17. 04 Nov 2007 at Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, OH
  18. 05 Nov 2007 at The Palace Of Auburn Hills, Auburn Hills, MI
  19. 11 Nov 2007 at Verizon Center, Washington, DC
  20. 12 Nov 2007 at Verizon Center, Washington, DC
  21. 14 Nov 2007 at Mellon Arena, Pittsburgh, PA
  22. 15 Nov 2007 at Times Union Center, Albany, NY
  23. 18 Nov 2007 at TD Banknorth Garden, Boston, MA
  24. 19 Nov 2007 at TD Banknorth Garden, Boston, MA
  25. 25 Nov 2007 at Palacio De Deportes De La Comunidad De Madrid, Madrid, Spain
  26. 26 Nov 2007 at Bizkaia Arena, Bilbao, Spain
  27. 28 Nov 2007 at Datch Forum, Milan, Italy
  28. 01 Dec 2007 at Gelredome, Arnhem, The Netherlands
  29. 02 Dec 2007 at Sap Arena, Mannheim, Germany
  30. 04 Dec 2007 at Oslo Spektrum, Oslo, Norway
  31. 08 Dec 2007 at Forum København, Copenhagen, Denmark
  32. 10 Dec 2007 at Globe Arena, Stockholm, Sweden
  33. 12 Dec 2007 at Sportpaleis, Antwerp, Belgium
  34. 13 Dec 2007 at Kölnarena, Cologne, Germany
  35. 15 Dec 2007 at Odyssey Arena, Belfast, Northern Ireland
  36. 17 Dec 2007 at Palais Omnisports De Paris-Bercy, Paris, France
  37. 19 Dec 2007 at The O2 Arena, London, England
  38. 28 Feb 2008 at Hartford Civic Center, Hartford, CT
  39. 02 Mar 2008 at Bell Centre, Montreal, Canada
  40. 03 Mar 2008 at Copps Coliseum, Hamilton, Canada
  41. 06 Mar 2008 at Blue Cross Arena At The War Memorial, Rochester, NY
  42. 07 Mar 2008 at HSBC Arena, Buffalo, NY
  43. 10 Mar 2008 at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Uniondale, NY
  44. 14 Mar 2008 at Qwest Center, Omaha, NE
  45. 16 Mar 2008 at Xcel Energy Center, Saint Paul, MN
  46. 17 Mar 2008 at Bradley Center, Milwaukee, WI
  47. 20 Mar 2008 at Conseco Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, IN
  48. 22 Mar 2008 at U.S. Bank Arena, Cincinnati, OH
  49. 24 Mar 2008 at Value City Arena, Columbus, OH
  50. 28 Mar 2008 at Rose Garden, Portland, OR
  51. 29 Mar 2008 at Keyarena At Seattle Center, Seattle, WA
  52. 31 Mar 2008 at GM Place, Vancouver, BC
  53. 04 Apr 2008 at Arco Arena, Sacramento, CA
  54. 05 Apr 2008 at HP Pavilion At San Jose, San Jose, CA
  55. 07 Apr 2008 at Honda Center, Anaheim, CA
  56. 13 Apr 2008 at American Airlines Center, Dallas, TX
  57. 14 Apr 2008 at Toyota Center, Houston, TX
  58. 23 Apr 2008 at Amway Arena, Orlando, FL
  59. 25 Apr 2008 at Philips Arena, Atlanta, GA
  60. 27 Apr 2008 at Charlotte Bobcats Arena, Charlotte, NC
  61. 28 Apr 2008 at Greensboro Coliseum, Greensboro, NC
  62. 30 Apr 2008 at John Paul Jones Arena, Charlottesville, VA
  63. 02 May 2008 at Bankatlantic Center, Sunrise, FL
  64. 22 May 2008 at RDS Arena, Dublin, Ireland
  65. 23 May 2008 at RDS Arena, Dublin, Ireland
  66. 28 May 2008 at Old Trafford, Manchester, England
  67. 30 May 2008 at Emirates Stadium, London, England
  68. 14 Jun 2008 at Millennium Stadium, Cardiff, Wales
  69. 16 Jun 2008 at LTU Arena, Düsseldorf, Germany

Bruce Springsteen has been performing on almost all the annual Stand Up for Heroes benefits since 2007. DEVIL'S ARCADE was performed during the first (2007) annual benefit. The song was played solo on acoustic guitar and harmonica.

List of Stand Up For Heroes benefit shows performances

  1. 07 Nov 2007 at Town Hall, New York City, NY (during the first annual Stand Up For Heroes benefit)

Covers

At least one artist has recorded and released Bruce Springsteen's DEVIL'S ARCADE.

Various artists -- Henry Poole Is Here: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
Various artists -- Henry Poole Is Here: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack

CD - Lakeshore Records (unknown catalog number) - USA, 2008

This is the soundtrack album for the Mark Pellington movie Henry Poole Is Here. DEVIL'S ARCADE is performed by Michael Dickes. The song does not appear in the movie.

Credits

Thanks Thanks Ugo C, Marjolein, Ekimklaw, and Mookdapimp for the lyrics help.

Available Versions

List of available versions of DEVIL'S ARCADE on this website:

DEVIL'S ARCADE [Album version]
Page last updated: 06 Oct 2013