DEVILS & DUST

Album version



I got my finger on the trigger
But I don't know who to trust
When I look into your eyes
There's just devils and dust
We're a long, long way from home, Bobbie
Home's a long, long way from us
I feel a dirty wind blowing
Devils and dust

I got God on my side
And I'm just trying to survive
What if what you do to survive
Kills the things you love
Fear's a powerful thing, baby
It can turn your heart black you can trust
It'll take your God filled soul
And fill it with devils and dust

Well I dreamed of you last night
In a field of blood and stone
The blood began to dry
The smell began to rise
Well I dreamed of you last night, Bobbie
In a field of mud and bone
Your blood began to dry
And the smell began to rise

We've got God on our side
We're just trying to survive
What if what you do to survive
Kills the things you love
Fear's a powerful thing, baby
It'll turn your heart black you can trust
It'll take your God filled soul
Fill it with devils and dust
It'll take your God filled soul
Fill it with devils and dust

Now every woman and every man
They wanna take a righteous stand
Find the love that God wills
And the faith that He commands
I've got my finger on the trigger
And tonight faith just ain't enough
When I look inside my heart
There's just devils and dust

Well I've got God on my side
And I'm just trying to survive
What if what you do to survive
Kills the things you love
Fear's a dangerous thing
It can turn your heart black you can trust
It'll take your God filled soul
Fill it with devils and dust
Yeah it'll take your God filled soul
Fill it with devils and dust


PAGE UNDER CONSTRUCTION

Info

DEVILS & DUST is a song written by Bruce Springsteen and released on his 2005 album Devils & Dust. The above lyrics are for Bruce Springsteen's album version of DEVILS & DUST as released in 2005.


The album version of DEVIL & DUST was included on The Essential Bruce Springsteen (2015 edition) compilation album.

Writing and Recording

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On this track, Bruce Springsteen sings vocals and plays guitar and keyboards, and is accompanied by Brendan O'Brien on bass, Steve Jordan on drums, Nashville String Machine on strings, and Susan Welty and Thomas Witte on horns.

Devils & Dust

Devils & Dust is Bruce Springsteen's thirteenth studio album. It was released on 26 Apr 2005 on Columbia Records. The album was recorded between 1996 and 2004 at Thrill Hill East (Springsteen's home studio in Rumson, NJ) and Thrill Hill West (Springsteen's home studio in Los Angeles, CA). Horns and some instrument overdubbing were recorded in 2004 at Southern Tracks in Atlanta, GA. Strings were recorded in 2004 at Masterfonics in Nashville, TN.

In an April 2005 New York Time article, Jon Pareles wrote that "Springsteen recorded nearly all of the [album's] songs in a few days, nearly a decade ago, sitting with his guitar in the living room of his farmhouse in New Jersey, doing just a take or two." This probably took place sometime in 1996 or 1997. It's very possible that many of the songs on the album are none other than the solo recordings from 1996 or 1997, with some additional instruments overdubbed in 2004.

ALL THE WAY HOME and LONG TIME COMIN' were produced by Brendan O'Brien, Bruce Springsteen, and Chuck Plotkin. The rest of the album was produced by Brendan O'Brien. All horn and string arrangements were done by Eddie Horst. BLACK COWBOYS, JESUS WAS AN ONLY SON, LEAH, and MATAMOROS BANKS were mixed by Toby Scott. The rest of the album was mixed by Brendan O'Brien. Toby Scott was the recording engineer at Thrill Hill East, Thrill Hill West, and Southern Tracks, and Nick Didia was the recording engineer at Southern Tracks and Masterphonics.

The album includes a bonus DVD featuring filmed acoustic performances of DEVILS & DUST, LONG TIME COMIN', RENO, ALL I'M THINKIN' ABOUT, and MATAMOROS BANKS, with spoken commentary on their writing and creation. They were filmed live by director Danny Clinch in February 2005 in New Jersey. The DVD also includes the full album in 5.1 surround sound and in 2-channel stereo, with lyrics to the songs accompanying the audio in a karaoke style.

Bruce Springsteen -- Devils & Dust
Bruce Springsteen -- Devils & Dust

Devils & Dust debuted at number one on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart, becoming Springsteen's seventh number one album in the U.S. It also peaked at number one in several European countries including the UK. The album was nominated for two 2006 Grammy Awards, Best Contemporary Folk Album and Best Long Form Music Video, but failed to win.

The album features 12 tracks and clocks at 50:55. It was issued on DualDisc, CD + DVD, and LP.

Music Video

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The music video for DEVILS & DUST was included on the Japanese Singles Collection -Greatest Hits- compilation album. It was posted on Bruce Springsteen's VEVO YouTube channel in October 2009.


Single Release

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Bruce Springsteen -- Devils & Dust
Bruce Springsteen -- Devils & Dust

CD-R single - Columbia (no catalog number) - Australia, 2005

1-track promotional single.

01- DEVILS & DUST
Bruce Springsteen -- Devils & Dust
Bruce Springsteen -- Devils & Dust

CD single - Columbia (SAMPCS 14884 1) - Austria, 2005

1-track promotional single pressed in Austria for the European market. Copies exported to the UK have a promotional info sticker.

01- DEVILS & DUST

The Essential Bruce Springsteen

The Essential Bruce Springsteen is a compilation album released as part of Sony BMG'S (previously Sony Music Entertainment) series of "Essential" sets. According to Springsteen's liner notes comments, the collection was intended as an introduction to his music for new fans who attended shows on The Rising Tour.

The collection is fundamentally a 2-disc set (clocking at 153:37) compiling songs from all of Springsteen's studio albums to date plus his Live In New York City release. A 3-disc limited edition (clocking at 201:04) was also released. It includes a bonus third disc comprising of a selection of rarities and previously unreleased recordings.

The Essential Bruce Springsteen was released on 11 Nov 2003 on Columbia Records. It debuted and peaked at #14 on the U.S. Billboard 200 album chart where it spent 13 weeks. It also reached #28 on the UK Albums Chart. The album was awarded certified gold and platinum records by the RIAA on 16 Dec 2003.

Bruce Springsteen -- The Essential Bruce Springsteen (2003 edition)
Bruce Springsteen -- The Essential Bruce Springsteen (2003 edition)

The Essential Bruce Springsteen was reissued on 16 Oct 2015, this time as a 2-disc set (clocking at 156:25) with an updated track list, compiling songs from all of Springsteen's studio albums to date plus his Greatest Hits (1995 edition) collection. This 2015 reissue features remastered tracks not found in that form on other Springsteen releases.

Bruce Springsteen -- The Essential Bruce Springsteen (2015 edition)
Bruce Springsteen -- The Essential Bruce Springsteen (2015 edition)

Japanese Singles Collection -Greatest Hits-

Japanese Singles Collection -Greatest Hits- is a Bruce Springsteen compilation album released by Sony Music Japan in 2023. The compilation, which was exclusively released in Japan, consists of previously released 35 audio tracks and 62 video tracks. The collection is part of a 26-title reissue campaign to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Bruce Springsteen's debut album. The series, issued in three waves (25 Oct 2023, 22 Nov 2023, and 20 Dec 2023), includes 25 albums originally released between 1973 and 2014 plus a new compilation album that includes all of Springsteen's singles released in Japan from 1975 to 1999. All audio CD's were manufactured using Sony Japan's Blu-spec CD2 format.

Bruce Springsteen -- Japanese Singles Collection -Greatest Hits-
Bruce Springsteen -- Japanese Singles Collection -Greatest Hits-

Disc 1: (audio CD)

  1. BORN TO RUN
  2. TENTH AVENUE FREEZE-OUT
  3. PROVE IT ALL NIGHT
  4. BADLANDS
  5. HUNGRY HEART
  6. I WANNA MARRY YOU
  7. SANTA CLAUSE IS COMIN' TO TOWN [Live 12 Dec 1975 version]
  8. ATLANTIC CITY
  9. DANCING IN THE DARK
  10. COVER ME
  11. BORN IN THE U.S.A.
  12. I'M ON FIRE
  13. GLORY DAYS
  14. I'M GOIN' DOWN
  15. MY HOMETOWN
  16. WAR [Live 30 Sep 1985 version]
  17. FIRE [Live 16 Dec 1978 version]

Disc 2: (audio CD)

  1. BRILLIANT DISGUISE
  2. TUNNEL OF LOVE
  3. ONE STEP UP
  4. TOUGHER THAN THE REST
  5. SPARE PARTS
  6. HUMAN TOUCH
  7. BETTER DAYS
  8. 57 CHANNELS (AND NOTHIN' ON)
  9. ROLL OF THE DICE
  10. STREETS OF PHILADELPHIA
  11. SECRET GARDEN
  12. THE GHOST OF TOM JOAD
  13. DEAD MAN WALKIN'
  14. BLOOD BROTHERS [Alternate studio version]
  15. I WANNA BE WITH YOU
  16. CHIMES OF FREEDOM [Live 03 Jul 1988 version]
  17. AMERICAN BEAUTY
  18. I'LL STAND BY YOU

Disc 3: (DVD)

  1. ROSALITA (COME OUT TONIGHT) [Live 08 Jul 1978 version]
  2. BORN TO RUN [Live 19 Aug 1985 version]
  3. TENTH AVENUE FREEZE-OUT [Live 05 Nov 1980 version]
  4. THUNDER ROAD [Live 05 Nov 1980 version]
  5. PROVE IT ALL NIGHT [Live 08 Jul 1978 version]
  6. BADLANDS [Live 05 Nov 1980 version]
  7. HUNGRY HEART [Live 09 Jul 1995 version]
  8. I WANNY MARRY YOU [Live 05 Nov 1980 version]
  9. THE RIVER [Live 21 Sep 1979 version]
  10. ATLANTIC CITY
  11. HIGHWAY PATROLMAN
  12. DANCING IN THE DARK
  13. COVER ME [Live 30 Jun 2013 version]
  14. BORN IN THE U.S.A.
  15. I'M ON FIRE
  16. GLORY DAYS
  17. I'M GOIN' DOWN [Live 30 Jun 2013 version]
  18. MY HOMETOWN [Live 30 Sep 1985 version]
  19. WAR [Live 30 Sep 1985 version]
  20. FIRE [Live 13 Oct 1986 version]
  21. BRILLIANT DISGUISE
  22. TUNNEL OF LOVE
  23. ONE STEP UP
  24. TOUGHER THAN THE REST [Live 27 Apr 1988 version]
  25. SPARE PARTS [Live 10 Jul 1988 version]
  26. VIGILANTE MAN [Live Feb 1988 version]
  27. HUMAN TOUCH
  28. BETTER DAYS
  29. 57 CHANNELS (AND NOTHIN' ON)
  30. ROLL OF THE DICE [Live 22 Sep 1992 version]
  31. LEAP OF FAITH [Live 06 Aug 1992 version]
  32. IF I SHOULD FALL BEHIND [25 Sep 1999 sound-check version]

Disc 4: (DVD)

  1. STREETS OF PHILADELPHIA [1993 music video version]
  2. MURDER INCORPORATED
  3. SECRET GARDEN
  4. THE GHOST OF TOM JOAD [Live 27 Nov 1995 (NBC Studios) version]
  5. DEAD MAN WALKIN'
  6. LONESOME DAY
  7. WAITIN' ON A SUNNY DAY [Live 16 Oct 2002 version]
  8. DEVILS & DUST
  9. RADIO NOWHERE
  10. LONG WALK HOME
  11. WORKING ON A DREAM
  12. THE LAST CARNIVAL
  13. A NIGHT WITH THE JERSEY DEVIL
  14. SAVE MY LOVE
  15. WE TAKE CARE OF OUR OWN
  16. ROCKY GROUND
  17. HIGH HOPES
  18. JUST LIKE FIRE WOULD
  19. HELLO SUNSHINE
  20. TUCSON TRAIN
  21. WESTERN STARS
  22. I'LL STAND BY YOU
  23. LETTER TO YOU
  24. GHOSTS
  25. THE POWER OF PRAYER
  26. I'LL SEE YOU IN MY DREAMS
  27. DO I LOVE YOU (INDEED I DO)
  28. NIGHTSHIFT
  29. DON'T PLAY THAT SONG
  30. TURN BACK THE HANDS OF TIME

Other Official Releases

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The album version of DEVILS & DUST appears on some various artists albums.

Various artists -- The Cornerstone Player 060
Various artists -- The Cornerstone Player 060

2xCD + DVD - Cornerstone Promotion (CSP060) - USA, 2005

Promotional compilation.
Various artists -- Summer 2005 International Radio Sampler
Various artists -- Summer 2005 International Radio Sampler

2xCD - Sony BMG Music Entertainment (SAMPCD 14958) - Greece, 2005

Sony BMG promotional compilation.
Various artists -- Mayo 2005
Various artists -- Mayo 2005

CD - Columbia / Sony BMG Music Entertainment (82876701502) - Spain, 2005

Promotional compilation.
Various artists -- Dep Abril 2005
Various artists -- Dep Abril 2005

CD - Columbia / Epic / Sony BMG Music Entertainment (DEP 846) - Argentina, 2005

Sony Music promotional compilation.
Various artists -- Dep Mayo 2005
Various artists -- Dep Mayo 2005

CD - Columbia / Epic / Sony BMG Music Entertainment (DEP 848) - Argentina, 2005

Sony Music promotional compilation.
Various artists -- 2006 Grammy Nominees
Various artists -- 2006 Grammy Nominees

CD - Grammy Recordings / Sony BMG Music Entertainment (82876 74277-2) - USA, 2006
Various artists -- Body Of War - Songs That Inspired An Iraq War Veteran
Various artists -- Body Of War - Songs That Inspired An Iraq War Veteran

3xLP - Sire / Warner Bros. Records (435772-1) - USA, 2008
2xCD - Sire / Warner Bros. Records (435772-2) - USA, 2008

The above artwork is for the vinyl release. The artwork for the CD release is different.

Other versions of DEVILS & DUST were also officially released.

Bruce Springsteen -- Stockholm 2005
The live 25 Jun 2005 version of DEVILS & DUST was released on the Stockholm 2005 official live download in 2020.
Bruce Springsteen -- Schottenstein Center, Ohio 2005
The live 31 Jul 2005 version of DEVILS & DUST was released on the Schottenstein Center, Ohio 2005 official live download in 2015.
Bruce Springsteen -- Van Andel Arena, Michigan 2005
The live 03 Aug 2005 version of DEVILS & DUST was released on the Van Andel Arena, Michigan 2005 official live download in 2018.
Bruce Springsteen -- Sovereign Bank Arena, Trenton, NJ 2005
The live 22 Nov 2005 version of DEVILS & DUST was released on the Sovereign Bank Arena, Trenton, NJ 2005 official live download in 2019.
Bruce Springsteen -- Wembley Arena, November 11, 2006
The live 11 Nov 2006 version of DEVILS & DUST was released on the Wembley Arena, November 11, 2006 official live download in 2020.
Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band -- St. Paul, MN Nov 12, 2012
The live 12 Nov 2012 version of DEVILS & DUST was released on the St. Paul, MN Nov 12, 2012 official live download in 2020.

Live History: on-tour

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DEVILS & DUST was sound-checked prior to the 09 Apr 2003 show in Sacramento, CA, and the 11 Apr 2003 show in Vancouver, Canada, (as far as it's known) but it was not performed on any of The Rising Tour's regular shows. This was a very a very early version featuring many different lyrics from the album version, which was released two years later. See the 11 Apr 2003 sound-check version for more details.

Live History: off-tour

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Appearance in Movies

Bruce Springsteen's album version of DEVILS & DUST appears in two movies.

Promotional poster for the film "Badlands"
Badlands

It was used in the 2007 film Badlands, directed by Francesco Lucente and starring Jamie Draven. No soundtrack album was released for this film.
Promotional poster for the film "Money Monster"
Money Monster

It was used in the official trailer of the 2016 film Money Monster, directed by Jodie Foster and starring George Clooney, Julia Roberts, and Jack O'Connell, but was not used in the film itself. It was not included on the film's soundtrack album.

Covers

At least 11 artists have recorded and released Bruce Springsteen's DEVILS & DUST.

Celeb -- Celeb Trance-Hit Best
Celeb -- Celeb Trance-Hit Best

CD - Get Over The Records (GYCP-10066) - Japan, 2006
Matt Tyler -- Brilliant Disguise
Matt Tyler -- Brilliant Disguise

CD-R - Dannyboy Records (DBM003) - UK, 2006

This is a Bruce Springsteen tribute album.
Luca Hawk -- Bruce Springsteen Tribute: Acoustic Solo Project
Luca Hawk -- Bruce Springsteen Tribute: Acoustic Solo Project

CD EP - no label (no catalog number) - Italy, 2007

This is a promotional Bruce Springsteen tribute EP.
Andrew Nicholson -- Driving All Night: A Tribute To Bruce Springsteen Volume II
Andrew Nicholson -- Driving All Night: A Tribute To Bruce Springsteen Volume II

CD - no label (no catalog number) - UK, 2009

This is a Bruce Springsteen tribute album.
Jessie Kennedy -- Field Of The Wicked
Jessie Kennedy -- Field Of The Wicked

CD - Wicked Records (unknown catalog number) - Ireland, 2009
Doc Bones & The Rattlesnakes -- Outlaws & Lovers
Doc Bones & The Rattlesnakes -- Outlaws & Lovers

CD - no label (unknown catalog number) - USA, 2010
George Mileson -- Leap of Faith: A Tribute To Bruce Springsteen
George Mileson -- Leap of Faith: A Tribute To Bruce Springsteen

CD - Growin' Up Records (8471812289631) - Spain, 2012

This is a Bruce Springsteen tribute album.
Clint McCune -- Brother - Music From The Motion Picture
Clint McCune -- Brother - Music From The Motion Picture

Digital album - no label (no catalog number) - USA, 2013

This is a download-only digital album. Includes two Bruce Springsteen covers: DEVILS & DUST and BLOOD BROTHERS.
Pam Millar -- Echoes
Pam Millar -- Echoes

CD EP - Tree Ring Records (no catalog number) - Canada, 2015

This is a Bruce Springsteen tribute EP.
Various artists -- The Boss Project: The Songs Of Bruce Springsteen
Various artists -- The Boss Project: The Songs Of Bruce Springsteen

Digital album - no label (no catalog number) - Canada, 2016

This is a free download-only digital Bruce Springsteen tribute album. DEVILS & DUST is performed by Leigh Denholm.
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.

Available Versions

List of available versions of DEVILS & DUST on this website:

DEVILS & DUST [Album version]
DEVILS & DUST [11 Apr 2003 sound-check version]
DEVILS & DUST [Live 31 May 2005 version]
DEVILS & DUST [Live 12 Nov 2012 version]

Page last updated: 10 Feb 2017