RENO^©

Album's version

She took off her stockings, I held them to my face
She had your ankles, I felt filled with grace
"Two hundred dollars straight in,
Two-fifty up the ass," she smiled and said
She unbuckled my belt, pulled back her hair
And sat in front of me on the bed
She said, "Honey how's that feel, do you want me to go slow?"
My eyes drifted out the window, down to the road below

I felt my stomach tighten, the sun bloodied the sky
And sliced through the hotel blinds, I closed my eyes
Sunlight on the Amatitlan*, sunlight streaming thru your hair
In the Valle de dos Rios*, smell of mock orange filled the air
We rode with the vaqueros*, down into cool rivers of green
I was sure the work and that smile coming out 'neath your hat
Was all I'd ever need
Somehow all you ever need's, never really quite enough you know
You and I, Maria, we learned it's so

She slipped me out of her mouth, "You're ready," she said
She took off her bra and panties, wet her finger, slipped it inside her
And crawled over me on the bed,
She poured me another whisky,
Said, "Here's to the best you ever had."
We laughed and made a toast
It wasn't the best I ever had
Not even close

Released in 2005 on Devils & Dust. For the first time in Bruce's career, a "Parental Advisory" sticker was placed on the album cover, mainly because of some explicit lyrics in RENO. Bruce has described it as a love song, and that can be clearly seen in the second verse when he talks a bout a lost love, even though the conversation and the description gets too frank and outspoken on some lines.

An acoustic rendition of the song was included on the DVD side of the album. Check out the filmed acoustic performance for more details.

Played during the second warm-up show for the Devils & Dust tour on 22 Apr 2005 at the Paramount Theatre, Asbury Park, NJ. Played during each of the first 50 shows of the tour till now (the last update of this page).

Reno is a city in western Nevada, located on the Truckee River, near Lake Tahoe in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. It is a resort and commercial center, and is home to the University of Nevada-Reno. Reno is noted as one of the gambling and prostitution centers of the US. It is much like Las Vegas in reputation - just not as glitzy. Which is NOT to say it is considered sordid. It is Vegas, but just not quite Vegas. Tourists go to Las Vegas, but true gamblers and residents of the South West (USA) are just as likely to go to Reno. Thanks Wanda for that info.

The above lyrics refer to the Devils & Dust album's version. Check also the filmed acoustic performance and the live 28 Apr 2005 version.

Track credits:
Vocals, guitar, keyboards, tambourine - Bruce Springsteen
Strings - Nashville String Machine
Horns - Brice Andrus, Donald Strand, Susan Welty, Thomas Witte

* Amatitlan: Central Mexican river
* Valle de doe Rios: Valley of Two Rivers
* Vaqueros: Cowboys

From RollingStone.com:

Among the standout tracks is "Reno," a disquieting ballad about a man's visit to a prostitute -- with an explicit reference to anal sex that won the album an "adult imagery" warning on its back cover. ("It's just what felt right for the song," Springsteen says.)