Cover art for Song for Orphans by Bruce Springsteen

Song for Orphans

Oct. 23, 20201 viewer21K views

Song for Orphans Lyrics

[Chorus]
So break me now big Mama as Old Faithful breaks the day
Believe me my good Linda, the aurora will shine the way
The confederacy's in my name now, the hounds are held at bay
The axis needs a stronger arm, do you feel your muscles play?
(Yeah!)

[Verse 5]
Well, the missions are filled with hermits, they're looking for a friend
The terraces are filled with cat-men just looking for a way in
Those orphans jumped on silver mountains lost in celestial alleyways
They wait for that old tramp Dog Man Moses, he takes in all the strays


[Verse 6]
Now, don't you grow on empty legends or lonely cradle songs?
Billy the Kid was just a bowery boy who made a living twirling his guns
The night she's long and lanky and she speaks in a mother tongue
She lullabies the refugees with amplifier's hum


[Chorus]
So break me now, big Mama, as Old Faithful breaks the day
Believe me, my good Linda, the aurora will shine the way
The confederacy's in my name now, the hounds are held at bay
The axis needs a stronger arm, do you feel your muscles play?

[Outro]
The confederacy's in my name now, the hounds are held at bay
The axis needs a stronger arm, do you feel your muscles play?

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About

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Genius Annotation

Song For Orphans was written sometime in 1971. Prior to its official release in 2020, one studio version of the song was in circulation among collectors. It’s a studio take likely recorded around May-Jun 1972 at Pocketful Of Tunes Studios in New York City, NY.

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