Lyrics

MAGIC

Album version


I got a coin in my palm
I can make it disappear
I got a card up my sleeve
Name it and I'll pull it out your ear
I got a rabbit in my hat
If you wanna come and see
This is what will be
This is what will be

I got shackles on my wrists
Soon I'll slip 'em and be gone (slip 'em and be gone)
Chain me in a box in your river
And I'll rise singing this song
Trust none of what you hear (trust none of what you hear)
And less of what you see
This is what will be (this is what will be)
This is what will be

[Instrumental]

(I'll cut you in half)

I got a shiny saw blade (a shiny saw blade)
All I need's a volunteer
I'll cut you in half
While you're smiling ear to ear
And the freedom that you sought's
Driftin' like a ghost amongst the trees
This is what will be
This is what will be (this is what will be)

Now there's a fire down below
But it's coming up here
So leave everything you know
Carry only what you fear
On the road the sun is sinking low
There's bodies hanging in the trees
This is what will be (this is what will be)
This is what will be

Info

MAGIC 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 MAGIC as released in 2007.


Writing and Recording

It's unknown when exactly MAGIC 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. Soozie Tyrell contributes violin, Jeremy Chatzky contributes
upright piano, and Patrick Warren contributes Chamberlin and/or tack piano on this track.

In an interview dated 17 Oct 2007 and published in Rolling Stone magazine issue # 1038 (01 Nov 2007), Bruce Springsteen told Joe Levy: "The song 'Magic' is about living in a time when anything that is true can be made to seem like a lie, and anything that is a lie can be made to seem true. There are people that have taken that as their credo. The classic quote was from one of the Bushies in The New York Times: 'We make our own reality. You guys report it, we make it.' I may loathe that statement — the unbelievable stupidity and arrogance of it — more than I loathe 'Bring it on' and 'Mission accomplished.' That song, it's all about illusion: 'Trust none of what you hear / And less of what you'll see / This is what will be' — we make it. Until you get to the last verse: 'There's a fire down below / It's coming up here... There's bodies hanging in the trees / This is what will be.' That's the heart of my record right there."

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 MAGIC were also officially released.

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

Live History

In preparation for the Magic Tour, MAGIC was performed during two 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 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. 25 Sep 2007 at Convention Hall, Asbury Park, NJ (public rehearsal)
  2. 28 Sep 2007 at Continental Airlines Arena, East Rutherford, NJ (public rehearsal)
  3. 25 Feb 2008 at Convention Hall, Asbury Park, NJ (private rehearsal)

MAGIC was performed 66 times during the Magic Tour (100 dates, October 2007 to August 2008), including the tour's first 48 consecutive dates. The live 19 Nov 2007 version of MAGIC was released on the TD Banknorth Garden, Boston 11/19/07 official live download in 2018. The live 28 Apr 2008 version of MAGIC 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. 28 Mar 2008 at Rose Garden, Portland, OR
  50. 29 Mar 2008 at Keyarena At Seattle Center, Seattle, WA
  51. 31 Mar 2008 at GM Place, Vancouver, BC
  52. 04 Apr 2008 at Arco Arena, Sacramento, CA
  53. 05 Apr 2008 at HP Pavilion At San Jose, San Jose, CA
  54. 07 Apr 2008 at Honda Center, Anaheim, CA
  55. 08 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. 28 Apr 2008 at Greensboro Coliseum, Greensboro, NC
  59. 30 Apr 2008 at John Paul Jones Arena, Charlottesville, VA
  60. 22 May 2008 at RDS Arena, Dublin, Ireland
  61. 23 May 2008 at RDS Arena, Dublin, Ireland
  62. 28 May 2008 at Old Trafford, Manchester, England
  63. 30 May 2008 at Emirates Stadium, London, England
  64. 14 Jun 2008 at Millennium Stadium, Cardiff, Wales
  65. 16 Jun 2008 at LTU Arena, Düsseldorf, Germany
  66. 23 Jun 2008 at Sportpaleis, Antwerp, Belgium

Covers

At least 4 artists have recorded and released Bruce Springsteen's MAGIC.

Various artists -- Play Some Pool, Skip Some School, Act Real Cool: A Global Pop Tribute To Bruce Springsteen
Various artists -- Play Some Pool, Skip Some School, Act Real Cool: A Global Pop Tribute To Bruce Springsteen

2xCD - Where It's At Is Where You Are (WIACD20) - UK, 2009

This is a Bruce Springsteen tribute album. MAGIC is performed by The Gresham Flyers.
Das Traumstern-Orchester -- Spielt Hits Von Bruce Springsteen
Das Traumstern-Orchester -- Spielt Hits Von Bruce Springsteen

CD - Europa Family Music / Sony Music (88765 47379 2) - Germany, 2013

This is a Bruce Springsteen tribute album.
Judson Mancebo -- Babies Love Bruce Springsteen
Judson Mancebo -- Babies Love Bruce Springsteen

CD - Sony Music (88765482692) - Brazil, 2013
CD - DIVUCSA (38-534) - Spain, 2015

This is a Bruce Springsteen tribute album.
A Voice In The World -- We Sing For Our Blood
A Voice In The World -- We Sing For Our Blood

Digital album - no label (no catalog number) - Portugal, 2022

This is a free download-only digital Bruce Springsteen tribute album.

Credits

Thanks DJ, Marc The Great, yanksb4life, Mookdapimp, Silvio for the lyrics help.

Available Versions

List of available versions of MAGIC on this website:

MAGIC [Album version]
Page last updated: 27 Feb 2014