Born in the U.S.A. is the seventh studio album by American rock singer-songwriter Bruce Springsteen, released June 4, 1984. Born in the U.S.A proved to be one of the best-selling albums of all time. It was certified three times platinum by the BPI on July 25, 1985, denoting shipments of 900,000 units in the UK. After the advent of the North American Nielsen SoundScan tracking system in 1991, the album sold an additional 1,463,000 copies, and on April 19, 1995, it was certified fifteen times platinum by the RIAA for shipments of 15,000,000 copies in the US. By 2012, it had sold 30 million copies worldwide.
“Darlington County” has remained a popular concert song for Springsteen and the E Street Band.
Driving in to Darlington County
Me and Wayne on the Fourth of July
Driving in to Darlington County
Looking for some work on the county line
We drove down from New York City
Where the girls are pretty but they just want to know your name
Driving in to Darlington City
Got a union connection with an uncle of Wayne’s
We drove eight hundred miles without seeing a cop
We got rock and roll music blasting off the T-top, singing
Sha la la
Sha la la la la
Sha la la la la la la, hey eh
Sha la la
Sha la la la la
Sha la la la la la la
Hey little girl standing on the corner
Today’s your lucky day for sure all right
Me and my buddy we’re from New York City
We got two hundred dollars we want to rock all night
Girl you’re looking at two big spenders
Why the world don’t know what me and Wayne might do
Our pa’s each own one of the World Trade Centers
For a kiss and a smile I’ll give mine all to you
Come on baby take a seat on my fender
It’s a long night and tell me what else were you gonna do
Just me and you, we could
Sha la la
Sha la la la la
Sha la la la la la la
Sha la la
Sha la la la la
Sha la la la la la la
Little girl sitting in the window
Ain’t seen my buddy in seven days, play it boys
County man tells me the same thing
He don’t work and he don’t get paid
Little girl you’re so young and pretty
Walk with me and you can have your way
And we’ll leave this Darlington City
For a ride down that Dixie Highway
Driving out of Darlington County
Eyes seen the glory of the coming of the Lord
Driving out of Darlington County
Seen Wayne handcuffed to the bumper of a state trooper’s Ford
Sha la la
Sha la la la la
Sha la la la la la la
Sha la la
Sha la la la la
Sha la la la la la la
Sha la la
Sha la la la la
Sha la la la la la la
Sha la la
Sha la la la la
Sha la la la la la la
Sha la la
Sha la la la la
Sha la la la la la la
Sha la la
Sha la la la la
Sha la la la la la la
Sha la la
Sha la la la la
Sha la la la la la la
Sha la la
Sha la la la la
Sha la la la la la la
Songwriters: Bruce Springsteen
Tao Talk 
I never saw Bruce becoming that big- I always wondered if in some ways he regretted it. He’s never done anything before or since that was as popular. Darlington County- not one of the slew of singles from the album- so it wasn’t played to death!
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You’re right, it was a challenge to pick one from this album that hadn’t been played to death!
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That is a good one- I like Bobby Jean and No Surrender also
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a great album, and like you suggest “Darlington County” is one of the better tracks heard infrequently. really wasn’t a bad song on whole album. Funny coincidence, I lived for a couple of years in an area of Ontario that was once Darlington Co., although the government had amalgamated it with another county to make a larger Regional municipality by that time.
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Did you see Bruce and Wayne out there cruisin for girls? :)
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This was the song my buddy and I would crank to 11 riding around in our cars together cruising. It’s made for turning up loud on a spring day.
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I remember it was on the radio when my cousin and I drove down to Texas to see her mom and brother (my aunt and cousin).
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I never once remember it on the radio but our cassettes were worn out. Funny how songs brings things back…I can still smell the spring air and feel it.
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This looks more like a Coloring Club post than a Song Lyric Sunday one. Anyway it is a lovely song.
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lol Embarassing error on my part. Thank you, Jim, for noticing. I got careless last night. Now corrected.
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Because it was so popular, I think a lot of the depth of these songs has been ignored. If anything, the sorrow Bruce captured in these lives has intensified as the years have passed. Have you heard Jason Isbell’s version of “Born in the USA”? It’s on “Dead Man’s Town” a good tribute album. It makes you see the songs all over again. (K)
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No, I haven’t but will check youtube of the library to see if I can find it.
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