CODE OF SILENCE

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

Page last updated: 13 Jan 2012

Intro

CODE OF SILENCE is a song co-written by Bruce Springsteen and Joe Grushecky. Springsteen released a live version on his 2003 compilation album The Essential Bruce Springsteen, and the track won a 2004 Grammy Award. See Springsteen's live 29 Jun 2000 version for more details. Grushecky later released a studio version of CODE OF SILENCE on his 2006 album A Good Life.

The above lyrics are transcribed from the studio version of CODE SILENCE that was released on Joe Grushecky's album A Good Life. Springsteen shares vocals and plays guitar on this track.

Composition

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."

Studio Recording

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 version on The Essential Bruce Springsteen.

A Good Life

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.

[Click thumbnail to enlarge/reduce artwork]

A Good Life track list:

CODE OF SILENCE
IS SHE THE ONE
DON'T FORGET WHERE YOU'RE COMING FROM
A GOOD LIFE
BEAUTY FADES
NOTHING WITHOUT YOU
TOO HOT TO THINK
THE OTHER SHOE
PARTY TONIGHT
SEARCHING FOR MY SOUL
FATHER AND SON
SAFE AT HOME
LAKE PONTCHARTRAIN [bonus track]

Live History

CODE OF SILENCE appeared live for the first time towards the end of The Reunion Tour, played on eight of the ten shows at Madison Square Garden in New York City, NY. The song was the opener of those shows, except on the second night (15 Jun 2000). The 29 Jun 2000 performance was officially released in 2003 on a bonus disc on The Essential Bruce Springsteen compilation album. See the Live 29 Jun 2000 version for more details.

[Click here to display/hide detailed performances list]

CODE OF SILENCE was played only twice during The Rising Tour. 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.

[Click here to display/hide detailed performances list]

CODE OF SILENCE reappeared only once during the Magic Tour, on 14 Nov 2007 in Pittsburgh, PA.

[Click here to display/hide detailed performances list]

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 and The Houserockers.

[Click here to display/hide detailed Light Of Day benefits shows performances list]

Springsteen also performed CODE OF SILENCE on a few more occasions, in 2004, 2010, and 2011.

[Click here to display/hide detailed remaining performances list]

Available Versions

List of available versions of CODE OF SILENCE on this website:

Credits

Thanks Jake (ol'catfishinthelake at BTX and Greasy Lake) for the lyrics.