SHACKLED AND DRAWN

Album version

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One
One
One, two, three, four

Gray morning light spits through the shade
Another day older, closer to the grave
Closer to the grave and come the dawn
I woke this morning shackled and drawn

Shackled and drawn, shackled and drawn
Pick up the rock, son, carry it on
I'm trudging through the dark in a world gone wrong
I woke up this morning shackled and drawn

Whoa!
Alright, yeah!

I always loved the feel of sweat on my shirt
Stand back, son, and let a man work
Let a man work, is that so wrong
I woke up this morning shackled and drawn

Shackled and drawn, shackled and drawn
Pick up the rock, son, carry it on
What's a poor boy to do in a world gone wrong
Woke up this morning shackled and drawn

Freedom, son, is a dirty shirt
The sun on my face and my shovel in the dirt
A shovel in the dirt keeps the devil gone
I woke up this morning shackled and drawn

Shackled and drawn, shackled and drawn
Pick up the rock, son, carry it on
What's a poor boy to do but keep singing his song
I woke up this morning shackled and drawn

Whoa whoa whoa!

Whoa whoa whoa!

Whoa whoa whoa!

Gambling man rolls the dice, working man pays the bill
It's still fat and easy up on banker's hill
Up on banker's hill the party's going strong
Down here below we're shackled and drawn

Shackled and drawn, shackled and drawn
Pick up the rock, son, carry it on
Trudging through the dark in a world gone wrong
I woke up this morning shackled and drawn

Shackled and drawn, shackled and drawn
Pick up the rock, son, carry it on
What's a poor boy to do but keep singing his song
I woke up this morning shackled and drawn
Whoa!

Whoa whoa-whoa!
Whoa whoa-whoa!

Whoa whoa-whoa!
Whoa whoa-whoa!
Whoa whoa-whoa!

I want everybody to stand up
I want everybody to stand up and be counted tonight
You know we got to pray together
I want you to stand up
I want everybody to stand up and be counted tonight

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Info

SHACKLED AND DRAWN is a song written by Bruce Springsteen and released on his 2012 album Wrecking Ball. The above lyrics are for Bruce Springsteen's album version of SHACKLED AND DRAWN as released in 2012. The lines in bold are sung by the Cindy Mizelle.

SHACKLED AND DRAWN debuted on 21 Feb 2012, streaming on Rollingstone.com.

Writing and Recording

It has not yet been revealed when SHACKLED AND DRAWN was written or recorded, but it's probably in 2010. The line-up on this track includes Bruce Springsteen, Ron Aniello (backing vocals and more), Matt Chamberlain (drums and percussion), Charles Giordano (B-3 organ), Soozie Tyrell (violin and backing vocals), Patti Scialfa (backing vocals), Lisa Lowell (backing vocals), Cindy Mizelle (background vocals), Ross Peterson (backing vocals), and Cliff Norrell (backing vocals), and a horn section consisting from Curt Ramm (trumpet and/or cornet), Clark Gayton (trombone), Stan Harrison (clarinet, alto sax, and/or tenor sax), Ed Manion (tenor sax and/or baritone sax), Dan Levine (alto horn and/or euphonium), and Art Baron (euphonium and/or tuba).

The line "Gray morning light spits through the shade" was also used in ANOTHER THIN LINE.

The studio version of SHACKLED AND DRAWN ends with a spoken part from Lyn Collins' ME AND MY BABY GOT OUR OWN THING GOING, courtesy Cindy Mizelle.

Wrecking Ball

Wrecking Ball is Bruce Springsteen's seventeenth studio album. It was produced by Ron Aniello with Bruce Springsteen and executive producer Jon Landau and features special guest appearances from Tom Morello and Matt Chamberlain. The album features 11 new Springsteen recordings and a special edition includes two bonus tracks. All 13 tracks are Springsteen compositions, three of which have previously been released as live versions.

In 2010-2011, before the album came together, Springsteen was originally working on another project. In a December 2013 interview for Rolling Stone, Ron Aniello told Andy Greene: "Those were about 30 or 40 songs. They were very unique for him, unlike anything I'd ever heard." It was on 09 Jan 2011 that Aniello first went to Colts Neck to help Springsteen finish arrangements for the project he was working on. Those songs would eventually become the core of Western Stars, which wasn't released until 2019.

After they had been working together for about a month, Springsteen wrote EASY MONEY which was a different style of song to what they've been working on before. He had also written JACK OF ALL TRADES, WE TAKE CARE OF OUR OWN, WRECKING BALL, SHACKLED AND DRAWN, and ROCKY GROUND. The latter two were originally written for a gospel film project he was working on and on which he spent on-and-off about a year. As Aniello told WCHR-FM's Tom Cunningham, "things just started steam rolling into this other record, you know, not sure what was going round in his mind." Springsteen was bringing in more songs, and it was evident that the direction of the music was changing. Jon Landau came in, listened to the music, and after a discussion with Springsteen they decided to do a new album. "Literally, this man bought in a new song every day. He just bulldozed us with these songs," Aniello explained.

Springsteen was coming in every morning with a new song and it would start with just him and his guitar. He would then sing a rhythm to Aniello or sit down at the drums and play a beat. Aniello was looping these drum beats – no drum machines were used on Wrecking Ball – and adding other layers, like loops of percussion, also played by Springsteen. According to Aniello, this was done just for convenience because they were alone in studio, songs were coming in quick, and there were no other musicians there. The loops stayed, and other instruments were added at later stages. "Ron brought a large library of sound that allowed me to explore – like maybe a hip-hop drum loop or country-blues stomp loop," Springsteen told Rolling Stone in 2012. "The actual drums came later. There was no preconceived set of instruments that needed to be used, I could go anywhere, do anything, use anything. It was very wide open." Everybody who was around was participating in the recording. They even jumped on pieces of plywood, built some risers to stomp on, and hit couches to makes noises.

Wrecking Ball was mainly recorded at Stone Hill Studio, Springsteen's home studio at his Colts Neck, NJ farmhouse. The album was released on Columbia Records on 05 Mar 2012 in the UK, 06 Mar 2012 in the United States, and 21 Mar 2012 in Japan.

Wrecking Ball was recorded with a large ensemble of musicians. There's a core of six musicians and the others were just guest artists. Some E Street Band members appear on a few of the tracks. According to Ron Aniello, the album credits are "a mess" and will be revised in future reissues.

• Bruce Springsteen (lead vocals, guitars, banjo, piano, organ, drums, percussion, and loops) appears on all of the album's tracks.
• Ron Aniello (guitar, bass, keyboards, drums, loops, percussion, hurdy gurdy, and backing vocals) appears on all of the album's tracks. He is also the album producer.
• Matt Chamberlain (drums and percussion) is an American musician, drummer, producer, songwriter, and session player. He appears on track 3, track 5, and track 8.
• Max Weinberg (drums) is a member of The E Street Band and appears on track 7, track 11, and track 13.
• Steve Jordan (percussion) has previously appeared on Springsteen's Devils & Dust, playing drums and percussion. He appears on track 2.
• Kevin Buell (drums and backing vocals) is Springsteen's guitar technician. He appears on track 5.
• Charles Giordano (accordion, piano, B-3 organ, and celeste) recorded and toured with The Seeger Sessions Band and became an unofficial member of The E Street Band in 2008. He appears on most of the album's tracks.
• Marc Muller (pedal steel guitar) is a multi-instrumentalist who mainly plays string instruments. He plays pedal steel guitar on track 3.
• Tom Morello (electric guitar) appears on track 4 and track 6.
• Greg Leisz (banjo, mandola, and lap steel) is a multi-instrumentalist, mainly playing lap and pedal steel guitars, guitar, mandolin, and bass. He appears on track 8 and track 11.
• Rob Lebert (electric guitar and backing vocals) appears on track 5, track 7, track 8, track 12, and track 13.
• Darrell Leonard (trumpet and bass trumpet) is a Los Angeles based trumpet player, composer and arranger. He appears on track 11.
• Curt Ramm (trumpet and cornet) toured with The Seeger Sessions Band. He appears on track 3, track 4, track 7, track 8, track 9, and track 10.
• Clark Gayton (trombone) toured with The Seeger Sessions Band. He appears on track 3, track 4, track 8, track 9, and track 10.
• Stan Harrison (clarinet, alto sax, and tenor sax) has previously appeared on Springsteen's The Promise, playing tenor saxophone. He appears on track 3, track 4, track 8, track 9, and track 10.
• Ed Manion (tenor sax and baritone sax) is a member of The Miami Horns and he toured with The E Street Band in 1988 and recorded and toured with The Seeger Sessions Band. He appears on track 3, track 4, track 8, track 9, and track 10.
• Dan Levine (alto horn and euphonium) is a New York City based musician who plays several horn instruments. He appears on track 3, track 4, track 9, and track 10.
• Art Baron (euphonium, tuba, sousaphone, and penny whistle) recorded and toured with The Seeger Sessions Band. He appears on track 3, track 4, track 5, track 9, and track 10.
• Clarence Clemons (saxophone) was a member of The E Street Band and appears on track 7 and track 10.
• Soozie Tyrell (violin and backing vocals) started touring with The E Street Band in 2002 and toured with The Seeger Sessions Band in 2006. She appears on most of the album's tracks.
• Patti Scialfa (backing vocals and vocal arrangements) is Springsteen's wife and a member of The E Street Band since 1984. She appears on most of the album's tracks.
• Lisa Lowell (backing vocals) has been singing backup vocals on several Springsteen albums since 1992 and recorded and toured with The Seeger Sessions Band. She appears on track 1, track 2, track 3, track 6, track 7, track 10, and track 12.
• Cindy Mizelle (background vocals) toured with The Seeger Sessions Band and The E Street Band in 2009. She appears on track 3.
• Ross Peterson (backing vocals) appears on track 3, track 5, track 7, track 8, track 12, and track 13.
• Cliff Norrell (tuba and backing vocals) is the album's recording engineer. He appears on track 3, track 5, track 7, track 8, track 12, and track 13.
• New York String Section (strings), also known as the New York Chamber Consort, consists of Rob Mathes (orchestration), Sandy Park (string contractor), Lisa Kim (concertmaster), Myumju Lee (violin), Ann Lehmaan (violin), Lizz Lim (violin), Johanna Marher (violin), Annaliesa Place (violin), Fiona Simon (violin), Sharon Yamada (violin), Jung Sun Yu (violin), Karen Dreyfus (viola), Daniel Panner (viola), Robert Rinehart (viola), Mina Smith (cello), and Alan Stepansky (cello). It appears on track 1, track 4, and track 7.
• Victorious Gospel Choir (backing vocals) has previously appeared on Springsteen's The Rising. On Wrecking Ball, the choir includes Michelle Moore, Antoinette Savage, Corinda Carford, Tiffeny Andrews, Soloman Cobbs, and Lillie Brown. It appears on track 2, track 9, and track 10. Michelle Moore is credited separately on the three tracks. The remaining singers are credited individually on track 2, and as the Victorious Gospel Choir on track 9 and track 10.
• Jeremy McCoy (bass violin) is an orchestral double bass player. He appears on track 12.
• Dan Shelly (bassoon) is an orchestral bassoon player. He appears on track 12.
• Mark Romatz (contrabassoon) is an orchestral bassoon player. He appears on track 12.
• Steven Van Zandt (mandolin and backing vocals) is a member of The E Street Band. He appears on track 7, track 10, and track 13.

Wrecking Ball is available in three configurations: standard CD edition, special CD edition, and double-disc LP. The special CD edition features two bonus tracks and exclusive packaging. The double-disc LP is pressed on 180-gram vinyl and includes the standard CD edition of the album.

The album topped the charts in 16 countries, including the United States and the UK.

Other Official Releases

Other versions of SHACKLED AND DRAWN were also officially released.

Live History: on-tour

In preparation for the Wrecking Ball Tour, SHACKLED AND DRAWN is known to have been practiced during the private rehearsal that took place on 12 May 2012 in Seville, Spain prior to the tour's European leg and during the private rehearsal that took place on 10 Sep 2013 in Santiago, Chile prior to the tour's South American leg.

SHACKLED AND DRAWN was performed 113 times during the Wrecking Ball Tour (133 dates, March 2012 to September 2013). The live 28 Jul 2012 version of SHACKLED AND DRAWN was released on the Gothenburg July 28, 2012 official live download in 2020. The live 31 Jul 2012 version of SHACKLED AND DRAWN was released on the Olympiastadion, Helsinki July 31, 2012 official live download in 2017. The live 22 Sep 2012 version of SHACKLED AND DRAWN was released on the East Rutherford, NJ 09.22.12 official live download in 2019. The live 12 Nov 2012 version of SHACKLED AND DRAWN was released on the St. Paul, MN Nov 12, 2012 official live download in 2020. The live 11 Jul 2013 version of SHACKLED AND DRAWN was released on the Ippodromo Delle Capannelle, Rome 2013 official live download in 2015. The live 24 Jul 2013 version of SHACKLED AND DRAWN was released on the Leeds July 24, 2013 official live download in 2018.

In preparation for the High Hopes Tour, SHACKLED AND DRAWN is known to have been practiced during at least one of the private rehearsals that took place in January 2014 in Cape Town prior to the tour's first leg.

SHACKLED AND DRAWN was performed 27 times during the High Hopes Tour (34 dates, January to May 2014). Audio recordings for most High Hopes Tour shows are officially available for purchase.

SHACKLED AND DRAWN was performed one time during The River Tour 2016 (75 dates, January to September 2016), on 25 Jun 2016 in Gothenburg, Sweden. Audio recordings for all The River Tour 2016 shows are officially available for purchase.

Live History: off-tour

SHACKLED AND DRAWN was performed off-tour on 09 Mar 2012 at Apollo Theater in New York City, NY, during the Sirius Satellite Radio 10-year anniversary celebration. The song was played with the E Street Band. The live 09 Mar 2012 version of SHACKLED AND DRAWN was released on the Apollo Theater 03/09/12 official live download in 2014.

SHACKLED AND DRAWN was performed off-tour on 15 Mar 2012 at Moody Theater in Austin, TX, during the South By Southwest music festival. The song was played with the E Street Band

Covers

As far as it's known, no artist has recorded and released Bruce Springsteen's SHACKLED AND DRAWN.

Credits

Thanks Sarah G Peck (windee75 at BTX) and Timmy Peterson (Terry at Greasy Lake).

Request

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Available Versions

List of available versions of SHACKLED AND DRAWN on this website:

SHACKLED AND DRAWN [Album version]
SHACKLED AND DRAWN [Live 09 Mar 2012 version]
SHACKLED AND DRAWN [Live 28 Jul 2012 version]

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Page last updated: 04 Apr 2020