FADE TO BLACK^©

Fall 1981 version

Sunday matinée in a one-dog town
You're two seats away, I move two seats down
Wipe the tears from your eyes, the first kiss I stole
I walk you home, the credits roll

Fade to black
Fade to black
Fade to black
Fade to black

I hear my voice on the telephone
But I'm just runnin' the same old business
I feel like I'm off somewhere so alone
Just watchin' us both runin' the distance
Watchin' us both slowly pull back

Fade to black
Fade to black
Fade to black

I come home, clothes all over the place
You're cryin' in the corner, makeup runnin' down your face*
Your case is packed with the fight, the fight starts, I end up cursin'
Baby is this the scene which we been rehearsin'
Is this the one or have I lost track
Waitin' for us to fade to black

Fade to black
Fade to black
Fade to black

A face written with shame, eyes filled with hurt
I scream out your name, you rip my shirt

In a small bungalow, a late afternoon
The sunlight falls like a bright veil
A camera pans an empty room
The picture dissolves and slowly pulls back

Fade to black
Fade to black
Fade to black

This home demo was recorded during the Nebraska sessions in fall 1981 in Colts Neck, NJ. It is available on The Genuine Tracks, Fist Full Of Dollars, and How Nebraska Was Born bootlegs.

Note that on the Fist Full Of Dollars bootleg, FADE TO BALCK is repeated twice on the 17th track of the CD, different remixes but same take.

Check also 08 Jul 1981 version, 08 Jul 1981 harmonies version, and early 1983 version.

* This line appears in WAGES OF SIN

Thanks Timmy Petersson (Terry at Greasy Lake).

Liner notes on The Genuine Tracks bootleg booklet:

Following the release of The River in Oct 1980, Bruce set out on the tour that would definitely confirm his reputation as a live performer without equal, but his muse was already leading him in anotherdirection. During a break between the legs of the tour, he returned home to Colt's Neck, New Jersey, where he started recording the demos that would eventually lead him stylistically to Nebraska and thematically to Born In The USA...
The third song from this era, FADE TO BLACK, is an underdeveloped but poignant example of Bruce's continued fascination with romantic cinematic metaphors, which had recently received fuller treatment in the B-side BE TRUE.

Liner notes on How Nebraska Was Born bootleg booklet:

A complete take of this sad and charming ballad remained unreleased. Same resignation of "Fade Away" character. Recalled later in a song like "Downbound Train".