Lyrics

BRILLIANT DISGUISE

Live July 2018 version


Yeah, trust uh... trust in a relationship's a fragile thing. Uh... always been a little complicated for me because trust requires allowing others to see as much of our real selves as we have the courage to reveal. But I mean, uh, I don't wanna see my real self. Why would... why would others want to? You know? But... But it means allowing others to see behind our many masks, the masks we wear, overcoming that fear. Or rather, learning how to love and how to trust in spite of it. That takes a little courage and a very strong partner. 'Cause in this life, you make your choices, you take your stand, and you awaken from that youthful spell of immortality where it feels like the road's gonna go on forever. And you walk alongside your chosen partner with the clock ticking. And you recognize that life is finite, that you've got just so much time. And so together, you name the things that will give your life in that time its meaning, its purpose, its fullness, its, its very reality. And this is what you build together. This is what your love consists of. This is what you... this is your life, you know? And these are things that you can hold onto when the storms come, as they will.

I hold you in my arms as the band plays
What are those words whispered baby as you turn away
I saw you last night out on the edge of town
I wanna read your mind to know just what I got in this new thing I've found

So tell me what I see when I look in your eyes
Is that you baby or just a brilliant disguise
Ah-ah, ah-ah-ise

I heard somebody call your name from underneath our willow
I saw something tucked in shame underneath your pillow
Well I've tried so hard baby but I just can't see
What a woman like you, hmm, is doing with me

So tell me who I see when I look in your eyes
Is that you baby or just a brilliant disguise
Ah-ah, ah-ah-ise

Now look at me baby, I'm struggling to do everything right
And then it all falls apart oh when out go the lights
I'm just a lonely pilgrim, I walk this world in wealth
I wanna to know if it's you I don't trust 'cause I damn sure don't trust myself

Now you play the loving woman, I'll play the faithful man
But just don't look too close into the palm of my hand
Yeah we stood at the alter, the gypsy swore our future was right
But come the wee wee hours maybe baby the gypsy lied

So when you look at me you better look hard and look twice
Is that me baby or just a brilliant disguise
Ah-ah, ah-ah-ise

Tonight our bed is cold, I'm lost in the darkness of our love
God have mercy on the man who doubts what he's sure of
Hmm-hmm, hmm-hmm
Ooh-ooh

Patti Scialfa! She's a badass!

Info

The above lyrics are for the live July 2018 performance of BRILLIANT DISGUISE at Walter Kerr Theatre in New York City, NY, during Springsteen On Broadway. The song was played on guitar with special guest Patti Scialfa on backing vocals (the parts above in bold) and acoustic guitar.

This performance of BRILLIANT DISGUISE was recorded on 17 or 18 July 2018 during the taping of the Springsteen On Broadway Netflix special. It was released on the Springsteen On Broadway album in 2018.



Springsteen On Broadway

Springsteen On Broadway was a Bruce Springsteen concert residency held at Walter Kerr Theatre (in 2017-2018) and St. James Theatre (in 2021) in New York City, NY. The show consisted of Springsteen performing five shows a week, Tuesday through Saturday, at the Broadway theatres. The sold-out series of performances began with seven previews starting on 03 Oct 2017 and officially opened on 12 Oct 2017. It was extended three times after its initial eight-week run, running through 15 Dec 2018 and bringing the total number of performances at Walter Kerr Theatre to 238. On 10 Jun 2018, Springsteen received a special Tony Award for his Broadway show. In 2021, an additional limited run was announced, this time held at St. James Theatre instead of Walter Kerr Theatre. This new series of performances opened on 26 Jun 2021 and ran through 04 Sep 2021, bringing the total number of performances at both theatres to 268.

The show featured Springsteen, solo, playing guitar, piano, and harmonica, performing his music, restating incidents from his 2016 autobiography Born To Run, and performing other spoken reminiscences written for the show. His wife, Patti Scialfa, has also appeared at most shows, singing backing vocals on a total of three different songs.

Springsteen On Broadway, a Netflix special directed by Grammy- and Emmy-winning filmmaker Thom Zimny, was filmed during two special invitation-only shows on 17 and 18 Jul 2018. The film launched globally on Netflix on 16 Dec 2018 at 12:01 a.m. Pacific Time, just hours after the final Broadway performance at Walter Kerr Theatre closed. Two days prior, on 14 Dec 2018, Columbia Records released Springsteen On Broadway, an audio album encompassing the full film soundtrack. The audio was mixed by Bob Clearmountain and mastered by Bob Ludwig. The album is available physically as a 2-disc CD set or a 4-disc LP set, as well as digitally.


Bruce Springsteen -- Springsteen On Broadway
Bruce Springsteen -- Springsteen On Broadway

Springsteen On Broadway track list (vinyl edition)

Side 1:

  1. GROWIN' UP (introduction)
  2. GROWIN' UP (song)
  3. MY HOMETOWN (introduction)
  4. MY HOMETOWN (song)

Side 2:

  1. MY FATHER'S HOUSE (introduction)
  2. MY FATHER'S HOUSE (song)
  3. THE WISH (introduction)
  4. THE WISH (song)

Side 3:

  1. THUNDER ROAD (introduction)
  2. THUNDER ROAD (song)
  3. THE PROMISED LAND (introduction)
  4. THE PROMISED LAND (song)

Side 4:

  1. BORN IN THE U.S.A. (introduction)
  2. BORN IN THE U.S.A. (song)
  3. TENTH AVENUE FREEZE-OUT (introduction)
  4. TENTH AVENUE FREEZE-OUT (song)

Side 5:

  1. TOUGHER THAN THE REST (introduction)
  2. TOUGHER THAN THE REST (song)
  3. BRILLIANT DISGUISE (introduction)
  4. BRILLIANT DISGUISE (song)
  5. LONG TIME COMIN' (introduction)
  6. LONG TIME COMIN' (song)

Side 6:

  1. THE GHOST OF TOM JOAD (introduction)
  2. THE GHOST OF TOM JOAD (song)
  3. THE RISING (song)

Side 7:

  1. DANCING IN THE DARK (introduction)
  2. DANCING IN THE DARK (song)
  3. LAND OF HOPE AND DREAMS (song)

Side 8:

  1. BORN TO RUN (introduction)
  2. BORN TO RUN (song)

Springsteen On Broadway track list (CD edition)

Disc 1:

  1. GROWIN' UP (introduction)
  2. GROWIN' UP (song)
  3. MY HOMETOWN (introduction part 1)
  4. MY HOMETOWN (introduction part 2)
  5. MY HOMETOWN (song)
  6. MY FATHER'S HOUSE (introduction)
  7. MY FATHER'S HOUSE (song)
  8. THE WISH (introduction)
  9. THE WISH (song)
  10. THUNDER ROAD (introduction)
  11. THUNDER ROAD (song)
  12. THE PROMISED LAND (introduction part 1)
  13. THE PROMISED LAND (introduction part 2)
  14. THE PROMISED LAND (introduction part 3)
  15. THE PROMISED LAND (song)

Disc 2:

  1. BORN IN THE U.S.A. (introduction part 1)
  2. BORN IN THE U.S.A. (introduction part 2)
  3. BORN IN THE U.S.A. (song)
  4. TENTH AVENUE FREEZE-OUT (introduction)
  5. TENTH AVENUE FREEZE-OUT (song)
  6. TOUGHER THAN THE REST (introduction)
  7. TOUGHER THAN THE REST (song)
  8. BRILLIANT DISGUISE (introduction)
  9. BRILLIANT DISGUISE (song)
  10. LONG TIME COMIN' (introduction)
  11. LONG TIME COMIN' (song)
  12. THE GHOST OF TOM JOAD (introduction)
  13. THE GHOST OF TOM JOAD (song)
  14. THE RISING (song)
  15. DANCING IN THE DARK (introduction)
  16. DANCING IN THE DARK (song)
  17. LAND OF HOPE AND DREAMS (song)
  18. BORN TO RUN (introduction part 1)
  19. BORN TO RUN (introduction part 2)
  20. BORN TO RUN (song)

Available Versions

List of available versions of BRILLIANT DISGUISE on this website:

BRILLIANT DISGUISE [Album version]
BRILLIANT DISGUISE [Live July 2018 version]
Page last updated: 30 Dec 2019