Joe Grushecky's album version
| Joe Grushecky: | There's a code of silence that we don't dare speak |
| There's a wall between us and a river's deep | |
| And we keep pretending that there ain't nothing wrong | |
| Man, there's a code of silence that can't go on | |
| Bruce Springsteen: | Well is the truth so elusive, so elusive you see |
| That it ain't enough baby, to bridge the distance between you and me | |
| Now there's a list of grievance 100 miles long | |
| And there's a code of silence and it can't go on | |
| Both: | Well you walk with your eyes open |
| But your lips they remain sealed | |
| Beneath the promises we made are broken | |
| Someday the truth well be revealed | |
| Well I came to know now darlin' | |
| I need to know what's going on | |
| So come on, come on, come on, come on | |
| Come on, come on, come on | |
| Both: | Well you walk with your eyes open |
| But your lips they remain sealed | |
| Beneath the promises we made are broken | |
| And all the truth's gonna be revealed | |
| Well, I need to know now baby | |
| Need to know what's going on | |
| So come on, come on, come on, come on | |
| Come on, come on, come on, come on | |
| Come on, come on, come on, come on | |
| Come on, come on, come on | |
| Joe Grushecky: | There's a code of silence we don't dare speak |
| There's a wall between us and the river's deep | |
| Both: | And we keep pretending that there's nothing wrong |
| Baby, there's a code of silence | |
| Joe Grushecky: | And it can't go on |
| Bruce Springsteen: | Can't go on |
| Joe Grushecky: | Can't go on |
| Can't go on | |
| Bruce Springsteen: | Can't go on |
| Joe Grushecky: | Can't go on |
| Bruce Springsteen: | Can't go on |
| Joe Grushecky: | Ah, it can't go on |
| Bruce Springsteen: | Can't go on |
| Joe Grushecky: | Can't go on |
| Bruce Springsteen: | Can't go on |
| Joe Grushecky: | Can't go on |
| Bruce Springsteen: | Can't go on |
| Joe Grushecky: | Can't go on |
| Bruce Springsteen: | Can't go on |
| Both: | Aha, aha |
| Aha, aha | |
| Aha, aha | |
| Aha, aha |
CODE OF SILENCE is a song written by Bruce Springsteen and Joe Grushecky and released on Grushecky's 2006 album A Good Life. Bruce Springsteen participated in the recording of this track, sharing lead vocals and playing guitar. The above lyrics are for Joe Grushecky's album version of CODE SILENCE as released in 2006.
Bruce Springsteen released a live version on his 2003 compilation album The Essential Bruce Springsteen and the track won a Grammy Award in 2005. See Springsteen's live 29 Jun 2000 version for more details.
CODE OF SILENCE was co-written by Bruce Springsteen and Joe Grushecky between December 1997 and January 1998. Springsteen wrote in the liner notes of his 2003 compilation album The Essential Bruce Springsteen that the song was "written with Joe Grushecky in the winter of '97". In a Spring 2007 interview for Backstreets magazine, Grushecky explained that Springsteen asked him if he had any stuff he thought he could use for rock songs for the E Street Band. This lead to some writing sessions and CODE OF SILENCE was something that Grushecky had written and sent to Springsteen long-distance by fax. Using Grushecky's chorus, Springsteen took the lyrics, wrote new chords, and tweaked his verses here and there. "It was something I wouldn't have put together on my own, and he wouldn't have on his own," Grushecky explained. "It was a real collaboration."
After writing the material for A Good Life, Grushecky was preparing to start recording the album when he thought that he didn't have any big rock songs at that time. "'Code Of Silence,' Bruce does the live version, and I thought we could do a studio version that, to me, was a bit different," he told Backstreets magazine. "I asked Bruce if he would mind if I recorded that song... he though it was a good idea. Once he gave me his blessing to record it, I said, 'Well, do you want to sing on it?'"
Springsteen accepted the offer to record some guitar and vocals on Grushecky's CODE SILENCE, and he also joined him on three other tracks on the album. See the "A Good Life" section below for more details.
Springsteen possibly recorded the song with the E Street Band in studio prior to the release of the live 29 Jun 2000 version on The Essential Bruce Springsteen.
A Good Life is a studio album by Joe Grushecky released on 15 Aug 2006 on Schoolhouse Records. It features Bruce Springsteen on four tracks. He shares vocals and plays guitar with Grushecky on CODE OF SILENCE, IS SHE THE ONE, and A GOOD LIFE, and only plays guitar on SEARCHING FOR MY SOUL. The primary recording sessions for the album took place at studios in West Virginia. However Springsteen, with Toby Scott engineering, worked only from his New Jersey home studio and overdubbed onto Gruschecky's already completed basic tracks.
Other versions of CODE OF SILENCE were also officially released.
CODE OF SILENCE was performed 8 times during what is known as The Reunion Tour (132 dates, April 1999 to July 2000). All of these eight outings were during the ten-night stand at Madison Square Garden that concluded the tour. The song was the opener of those shows, except on the second night (15 Jun 2000). The live 27 Jun 2000 version of CODE OF SILENCE was released on the Madison Square Garden, New York 06/27/2000 official live download in 2021. The live 29 Jun 2000 version of CODE OF SILENCE was released on The Essential Bruce Springsteen compilation album in 2003.
CODE OF SILENCE times during The Rising Tour (120 dates, August 2002 to October 2003). Springsteen played the song with Joe Grushecky for the first time on 04 Dec 2002 in Pittsburgh, PA. That performance features different lyrics not found in any other versions. See the live 04 Dec 2002 version for more details. Note that the song was sound-checked earlier in the tour, on 20 Aug 2002 in Portland, OR.
CODE OF SILENCE was performed once during the Magic Tour (100 dates, October 2007 to August 2008), on 14 Nov 2007 in Pittsburgh, PA.
CODE OF SILENCE was performed during the fourth (2003), fifth (2004), seventh (2006), and tenth (2010) annual Light Of Day benefits. The song was played with Joe Grushecky & The Houserockers.
Bruce Springsteen appeared at a total of six Joe Grushecky & The Houserockers concerts at Soldiers & Sailors Memorial Hall & Museum in Pittsburgh, PA, in 2010, 2011, and 2014. CODE OF SILENCE was performed on 04 Nov 2010, 05 Nov 2010, 03 Nov 2011, 04 Nov 2011, and 22 May 2014.
CODE OF SILENCE was performed off-tour on 17 Jul 2004 at The Stone Pony in Asbury Park, NJ, during a guest appearance with Joe Grushecky & The Houserockers.
CODE OF SILENCE was performed off-tour on 02 Dec 2004 at Heinz Hall in Pittsburgh, PA, during the "Flood Aid '04" benefit concert.
CODE OF SILENCE was performed off-tour on 18 Jul 2015 at Wonder Bar in Asbury Park, NJ, during a guest appearance with Joe Grushecky & The Houserockers.
Thanks Jake (ol'catfishinthelake at BTX and Greasy Lake) for the lyrics.
List of available versions of CODE OF SILENCE on this website:
CODE OF SILENCE [Joe Grushecky's album version]
