ADAM RAISED A CAIN^©

Live 07 Jul 1978 version

One, two, three, four

The summer that I was baptized, my father held me to his side
As they put me to the water, he said how on that day I cried
We were prisoners of love, a love in chains
He was standin' in the door, I was standin' in the rain
With the same hot blood burning in our veins
Adam raised a Cain (yeah)
Raised a Cain (yeah)
Raised a Cain (yeah)
Raised a Cain (yeah)*

All of the old faces ask you why you're back
They fit you with position and the keys to your daddy's Cadillac
In the darkness of your room your mother calls you by your true name
You remember the faces, the places, the names
You know it's never over, it's relentless as the rain
Raised a Cain (yeah)
Raised a Cain (yeah)
Raised a Cain (yeah)
Raised a Cain (yeah) - Woah!

(Woahhhhhh...)
[music stops]**

In the Bible, mamma, Cain slew Abel, East of Eden, mamma, he was cast
You're born into this life paying for the sins of somebody else's past
Daddy worked his whole life for nothing but the pain
Now he haunts these empty rooms looking for something to blame***
You inherit the sins, you inherit the flame
Raised a Cain (yeah)
Raised a Cain (yeah)
Raised a Cain (yeah)
Raised a Cain (yeah)

Lost but not forgotten from the dark heart of a dream
Raised a Cain (yeah)
Raised a Cain (yeah)
Raised a Cain (yeah)
Raised a Cain (yeah)
Adam raised a Cain
Adam raised a Cain
Adam raised a Cain
Adam raised a Cain
(Whooaaaaaa) - Say!
(Whooaaaaaa)
(Whooaaaaaa)
(Whooaaaaaa) - Yeah!
(Whooaaaaaa)
(Whooaaaaaa) - Yeah!
(Whooaaaaaa) - Yeah!****
Woah ha ha (whooaaaaaa) - Alright!

Woahhh

The above lyrics refer to the live 07 Jul 1978 performance from The Roxy, Los Angeles, CA, during the Darkness On The Edge Of Town tour. It was later included on the Live/1975-85 box set.

This show was broadcast on KMET FM radio. At one point (right before the third verse where it's marked with **), Bruce and the band stop playing like if it's the end of the song. The crowd starts cheering and applauding, and the radio DJ, who thought that the song was over here, goes "94.7 KMET Los Angeles, Bruce Springsteen...", and here Bruce and the band suddenly resume playing and continue with the third verse "In the Bible father Cain slew Abel...", interrupting the DJ. Note that this "stop" is reduced in the mix that was released on Live/1975-85.

* In the original recording, this line was "Raised a Cain" before the song was mixed for the Live/1975-85 box set.
*** Lyrics slightly different from the album's version.
**** In the original recording, this line was "(Whooaaaaaa)" before the song was mixed for the Live/1975-85 box set.

Check also the album's version (more details) outtake version, live 28 Feb 1988 version, live 28 Jun 1988 version, live 01 Jun 1993 version, live 11 Feb 1997 version, live 01 Sep 1999 version, and live 19 Feb 2003 version.