‘Highway Patrolman’ – Bruce Springsteen, 1982
This bittersweet song clocks in at no. 5 on Bruce Springsteen’s seminal acoustic album from 1982 Nebraska which apparently was all done at home on a four track recorder. It tells the story of two brothers from the American Mid-West growing up “laughing and drinking, nothing feels better than blood on blood” as brothers do and eventually becoming men with one brother, Johnny, working for the law while the other, Frankie, a protagonist of the law. The standoff of doing what’s right in the eye’s of the law versus a family bond permeate’s the poignant, vivid and sometimes sad lyrics of this song. Finally Frankie tears across the Canadian Border after commiting another crime as Johnny gives chase – “I pulled over the side of the highway and watched his taillights disappear” . You can find a streaming version of the song here Unusual not find any youtube reference to Bruce Springsteen performing this song. Blood is thicker than water…
note: If you like live music then do yourself a favour and check this guy out. It’s almost a rite of passage for live music lovers…
