The Havalinas' version
High hopes
Well, Monday mornin' runs to Sunday night
Screamin' slow me down before the new year dies
It won't take much to kill a lovin' smile
And every mother with a baby cryin' in her arms, singin'
Give me help, yeah, give me strength
Ah, give a soul a night of fearless sleep, yeah
Give me love, give me peace
Well, don't you know these days you pay for everything
Got high hopes
Yeah
Got high hopes
Comin' from the cities, comin' from the wild
I see a breathless army breakin' like a cloud
It's gonna smother love, it's gonna shoot your hopes
Before the meek inherit they'll learn to hate themselves
Singin', give me help, yeah, give me strength
Ah, give a soul a night of fearless sleep, yeah
Give me love, give me peace
Well, don't you know these days you pay for everything
Got high hopes
Got high hopes
Whoa!
High hopes
Got high hopes
High hopes
High hopes
So tell me someone, now, what's the price
I wanna buy some time and maybe live my life
I wanna have a wife, I wanna have some kids
I wanna look in their eyes and know they're gonna stand a chance
Singin', give me help, give me strength
Ah, give a soul a night of fearless sleep, yeah
Give me love, give me peace
Well, don't you know these days you pay for everything
Got high hopes
Got high hopes
Yeah, high hopes
Got high hopes
Got high hopes
High hopes
Got high hopes
High hopes
High hopes
High hopes
HIGH HOPES is a song written by Tim Scott McConnell who originally released it in 1987. See the original Tim Scott McConnell version for more details. The song was also recorded and released by Tim Scott's band on their 1990 self-titled album, The Havalinas (Elektra Records). The above lyrics are transcribed from The Havalinas' version, as sung on their self-titled album.
Bruce Springsteen recorded HIGH HOPES in 1995 and released it in 1996 on the Blood Brothers promo EP (see the 1995 studio version). He recorded it again in 2013 and released it on his 2014 album High Hopes (See the album version for more details). Springsteen's cover version of HIGH HOPES is based on The Havalinas' version, and not the original Tim Scott McConnell version.
Thanks Jake (ol'catfishinthelake at BTX and Greasy Lake) for the lyrics help. Additional thanks to Thomas and Joe Rock.
List of available versions of HIGH HOPES on this website:
HIGH HOPES [Album version]