Issue 147 – May 2025
5 ways to use the power of words
Whatever your opinions about Bruce Springsteen, his talent and his use of words to make a political statement, his music speaks to many.
The power of musicians and their words made headlines this month. Maybe you heard? Speaking from the stage at a concert in England, Bruce Springsteen called out U.S. President Donald Trump’s “corrupt, incompetent and treasonous administration.”
The president’s quick response on social media: “Never liked him, never liked his music, or his Radical Left Politics and, importantly, he’s not a talented guy.”
It’s not a widely held opinion.
Rolling Stone called Bruce Springsteen “the embodiment of rock & roll.” He’s sold more than 150 million records. He’s won 20 Grammy awards and been inducted into both the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Songwriters Hall of Fame. The only performer I’ve heard of who gives as much passion and energy to a live performance is Taylor Swift. I haven’t seen her live but can definitely vouch for The Boss!
Whatever your opinions about Bruce Springsteen, his talent and his use of words to make a political statement, his music speaks to many.
American Songwriter described his songs as “working class anthems, sock-hop-ready rave-ups, emotionally devastating ballads, blood-on-sleeve rockers and soul-bearing love songs.”
My friend Dave says, “Bruce is the most important American-born songwriter since Dylan. ‘Born to Run’ is likely the greatest rock song ever written.”
We don’t have to be songwriters to follow The Boss’s lead. Here’s how we can weave the songwriter’s art into regular writing.
1. Turn description into an action-packed movie, like ‘Born to Run’:
Sprung from cages on Highway 9 / Chrome wheeled, fuel injected, and steppin’ out over the line / Oh, baby this town rips the bones from your back / It’s a death trap, it’s a suicide rap / We gotta get out while we’re young / ’Cause tramps like us, baby, we were born to run
2. Show, don’t tell, someone’s state of mind.
The title song from Born in the U.S.A., an album that resulted in seven top 10 hits, describes a Vietnam War veteran who returns home to desperate circumstances:
Down in the shadow of the penitentiary / Out by the gas fires of the refinery / I’m ten years burning down the road / Nowhere to run ain’t got nowhere to go
3. Put readers in the middle of the scene, with words that light up the senses.
In “Thunder Road,” you can feel the wind on a hot summer night:
Hey, what else can we do now? / Except roll down the window / And let the wind blow back your hair / Well, the night’s busting open / These two lanes will take us anywhere
4. Capture feelings.
Who hasn’t sometimes felt the way he describes in “Dancing in the Dark”?
I get up in the evenin’ / And I ain’t got nothin' to say / I come home in the mornin’ / I go to bed feelin’ the same way / I ain’t nothin’ but tired / Man, I’m just tired and bored with myself
5. Convey emotion.
You don’t hear as much about “If I Should Fall Behind,” which Bruce wrote as a wedding song and also performed in memory of saxophonist Clarence Clemons. As my friend Sue said, “That is one of my absolute favourites and I hope they will use it at my going away party.”
We said we’d walk together, baby, come what may / That come the twilight, should we lose our way / If as we’re walking a hand should slip free / I’ll wait for you, and should I fall behind, wait for me.
Which songs or lyrics speak to you?
Related reading:
Bruce Springsteen’s 50 greatest songs, ranked by Mojo Magazine, “The home of great music”
5 ways to touch hearts by following the songwriter’s lead
In the Red Jacket Diaries:
“Rainbow hushing” and other DEI news you might have missed
Assignment: Learn about regrets and do-overs
© Copyright 2025 Get It Write. All rights reserved. She/her. Find me online at GetItWrite.ca, connect with me on LinkedIn or follow me on X (I’m still there; are you?). And why not subscribe to Wordnerdery?