FOR YOU^©

Album version

Princess cards she sends me with her regards
Whoa, barroom eyes shine vacancy, to see her you gotta look hard
Wounded deep in battle, I stand stuffed like some soldier undaunted
To her Cheshire smile, I'll stand on file, she's all I ever wanted
Oh, but you let your blue walls get in the way of these facts
Honey, get your carpetbaggers off my back
You wouldn't even give me time to cover my tracks
You said "Here's your mirror and your ball and jacks"
But they're not what I came for, and I'm sure you see that too

I came for you, for you, I came for you, but you did not need my urgency
I came for you, for you, I came for you, but your life was one long emergency
And your cloud line urges me, oh and my electric surges free

Whoa, crawl into my ambulance, your pulse is getting weak
Oh, reveal yourself all now to me girl while you've got the strength to speak
Cause they're waiting for you at Bellevue with their oxygen masks
But I could give it all to you now if only you could ask
Whoa, and don't call for your surgeon, even he says it's too late
It's not your lungs this time, it's your heart that holds your fate
Don't give me my money, honey, I don't want it back
You and your pony face and your union jack
Well take your local joker and teach him how to act
I swear I was never that way even when I really cracked
Didn't you think I knew that you were born with the power of a locomotive
Able to leap tall buildings in a single bound?
And your Chelsea suicide with no apparent motive
You could laugh and cry in a single sound
Alright

And your strength is devastating in the face of all these odds
Remember how I kept you waiting when it was my turn to be the god

You were not quite half so proud when I found you broken on the beach
Remember how I poured salt on your tongue and hung just out of reach
And the band they played the homecoming theme as I caressed your cheek
Yeah, that ragged, jagged melody she still clings to me like a leach
But that medal you wore on your chest always got in the way
Like a little girl with a trophy so soft to buy her way
We were both hitchhikers but you had your ear tuned to the roar
Of some metal-tempered engine on an alien, distant shore
So you, left to find a better reason than the one we were living for
And it's not that nursery mouth I came back for
It's not the way you're stretched out on the floor
Cause I've broken all your windows and I've rammed through all your doors
And who am I to ask you to lick my sores? And you should know that's true

I came for you, for you, I came for you, but you did not need my urgency
I came for you, for you, I came for you, but your life was one long emergency
And your cloud line urges me, oh and my electric surges free
Oooh
Ooh ooh

Released on Greetings From Asbury Park, NJ in 1973, and later included on The Essential Bruce Springsteen in 2003.

The song was recorded with the Bruce Springsteen Band between early Jul and early Aug 1972 at 914 Sound Studios, Blauvelt, NY. The version released on the album appeared also on The Early Years and Prodigal Son bootlegs in a different remix.

Released in 1973 on the US-only release "SPIRIT IN THE NIGHT / FOR YOU" 7" single. It is one of the rarest Springsteen 45s ever due to its virtually non-existent original sales. Catalogue # COL 4-45864; no picture sleeve.

The 07 Jul 1978 performance of FOR YOU at The Roxy, Los Angeles, CA, was considered to be included on the Live 1975-85 box set, but didn't make the final cut. It was then included on several singles worldwide in 1987:

"FIRE (live 16 Dec 1978) / FOR YOU (live 07 Jul 1978)"
7" vinyl single
- Released in Australia, catalogue # CBS 650381 7. Also circulating with a gold "promo" stamp on regular labels and sleeves.
- Released in UK, catalogue # CBS 650381 7.
- Released in Holland, catalogue # CBS 650381 7. The countries that did not press the vinyl by themselves imported it from Holland in most cases.
- Released Portugal, catalogue # CBS 650381 7.
- Released in Spain, catalogue # CBS 650381 7. On rear, FIRE lyrics and the complete song list for Live 1975-85, with the "Hungry HeartS" error. Also released in Spain under the catalogue # CBS 450227.
- A two-sided white label promotional issue containing versions both with and without Bruce's short spoken intro was released in the US; catalogue # COL CS7-2639.
- Released in Japan; catalogue # CBS/Sony 07SP 1013.  Also circulating with "promo" sticker on sleeve and plastic shrink, and "promo" Japanese writing on label.

"FIRE (live 16 Dec 1978) / FOR YOU (live 07 Jul 1978) / BORN TO RUN (live 19 Aug 1985) / NO SURRENDER (live 06 Aug 1984) / TENTH AVENUE FREEZE-OUT (live 20 Aug 1984)"
12" vinyl single released in the UK, Holland, and Australia; same catalogue #CBS 650381 6

"Live Collection I -- FOR YOU (live 07 Jul 1978) / ROSALITA (COME OUT TONIGHT) (live 07 Jul 1978) / FIRE (live 16 Dec 1978) / INCIDENT ON 57TH STREET (live 29 Dec 1980)"
Japan-only EP released in both 12" vinyl and CD formats.
- The 12" vinyl format (catalogue # CBS/SONY 20AP 3326) has a full-colour picture sleeve and contained a fold-out colour live poster as well as a lyric sheet featuring the words to all four tracks in English and Japanese. Red labels on disc. Originally came with a white/gold title sticker on the shrink, while some copies additionally carried a sticker reading, "The Legend Comes Alive" on the permanent front cover (note that there never was an obi strip for this EP). Promotional copies do also exist with a large white "Sample" sticker on lower left-hand corner of rear sleeve.
- The CD format which marks the only official CD appearances of FOR YOU and INCIDENT ON 57TH STREET live versions. Initial pressings (with red obi strip - catalogue # CBS/SONY 28DP 777) contained a bilingual lyric booklet plus a sticker of the cover artwork and carried a "Live Colection" misprint on the spine, while later reissues (with black obi strip - catalogue # CBS/SONY 23DP 5248) featured a 4-page inlay only and had the spelling error corrected. Overall packaging design for either variant is widely identical to the appropriate 12-inch vinyl EP sleeve.

FOR YOU also appeared on The Future Of Rock 'N' Roll / 70's To 80's, an impossibly rare promotional 2-CD set released in Japan in 1988; catalogue # CBS/SONY XADP 90009-10. It is a compilation of 28 tracks from Bruce's first nine albums plus two 1988 live B-sides.

Also appeared on Tougher Than The Rest, a 1992 promotional CD released in the UK only, pressed in a limited run of reportedly less than 1,500 copies to tie in with the 1992 Wembley shows; catalogue # COL XPCD 192. The release includes 16 tracks from all albums up to Lucky Town.

Appeared on a 6" square - 45 rpm Russian "Budkon" unofficial flexidisc, catalogue # BUDKON 2155, that comes in clear, red, yellow, or green colors. For more information, check out the Lost In The Flood website.

Appeared on two South Korean sampler LPs: The World Of Bruce Springsteen ("Shilla" label) and Bruce Springsteen And Bob Dylan ("Seagull" label). These samplers are unofficial since South Korea is one of the countries operating outside the international copyright law system.

The first know performance of this song was on 14 Feb 1972 in Mike Appel's office at Wes Farrel's publishing company (Pocketful Of Tunes Inc.) in New York City, NY, to an audience of three: Mike Appel, Jim Cretecos, and Bob Spitz. All songs were played on acoustic guitar during this performance. FOR YOU was apparently a shorter, not fully realized version of a song that Bruce seems not to have gotten around to finishing until the sessions for the first album were underway. Unfortunately, this performance was not recorded, and therefore, the lyrics for this short version are not available.

The song was first played live on 01 Dec 1972 at Kenny's Castaways, New York City, NY. The next known performances were on 14 Feb 1973 at Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA and on 18 Mar 1973 in University of Rhode Island, Kingston, RI, with Bruce on piano. Later that year, FOR YOU was played on 26 Oct 1973 at Hobart & Williams Smith College, Geneva, NY, and on 30 and 31 Oct 1973 at The Main Point, Bryn Mawr, PA. Also played on 17 Nov 1973 at the Roxy Theater, Manayunk, PA, a slow version with Bruce on piano, and on 06 Dec 1973 at the Childe Harold, Washington, DC.

14 known performances were in 1974. Played through 1975 for the Born To Run tour, and the 05 Feb 1975 performance at The Main Point, Bryn Mawr, PA, is considered to be the greatest ever performance of the song. Two known performances in 1976: 02 Apr at the Macauley Theater, and on 15 Apr at the Syria Mosque, Pittsburgh, PA.

Played Frequently during Darkness On The Edge Of Town tour in 1978, 40 times, and during The River tour in 1980 and 1981, 42 times. Rehearsed for the Tunnel Of Love Express tour but not played during the tour shows.

Appeared only once during the Human Touch tour on 07 Aug 1992, at the Meadowlands Arena, East Rutherford, NJ. 4 acoustic performances during The Ghost Of Tom Joad tour on 25 and 26 Nov 1996 at the Paramount Theater in Asbury Park, NJ, and on 16 May 1997 at Le Corum, Montpellier, France, and on the last show of the tour, 26 May 1997 at the Palais Des Congres, Paris, France.

The next performance was on 19 Mar 1999 at the Convention Hall, Asbury Park, NJ, during the warm up rehearsals for the Reunion tour, and performed 5 times during the tour, in a full band version. Played, Bruce solo on piano, at the Holiday shows on 17 and 18 Dec 2000 at the Convention Hall, Asbury Park, NJ.

Sound-checked, solo, on 30 Jul 2002 at the Convention Hall, Asbury Park, NJ, for The Rising tour rehearsals. Played for the first time during the tour on 25 Sep 2002 at the United Center, Chicago, IL, and a dozen more times during that same tour.

Performed solo acoustic on 02 Dec 2004 at Heinz Hall, Pittsburgh, PA, during the Flood Aid '04 benefit concert for Pennsylvanians who suffered damage from Hurricane Ivan in Sep 2004. Also performed solo acoustic during the late show of the holiday jam held on 19 Dec 2004 at Harry's Roadhouse, Asbury Park, NJ.

Rehearsed for the Devils & Dust tour on 14 and 20 Apr 2005 at the Paramount Theatre, Asbury Park, NJ. Played solo piano during the warm-up shows for the Devils & Dust tour on 21 and 22 Apr 2005 at the Paramount Theatre, Asbury Park, NJ. Played 14 times during the shows of the tour (till the last update of this page, 15 Oct 2005).

These lyrics refer to the album's version. Check also the live versions: 05 Feb 1975, 21 Dec 1975, 28 Dec 1975, 05 Jul 1978, and 01 Jan 1979. All of them are very similar.

Scans and info for some of the FOR YOU releases taken from the Lost In The Flood website.

Spoken intro on 18 Jul 1978 at Civic Center, Jackson, MS:

I was in the bathroom one night. I'm standing in the john and in comes this guy and he stands next to me and he says... "You guys are pretty good, where youse from?" I said "Well we're from New Jersey" (audience cheers). At that time it got no such response... He says: "Uh well, what's that?" "You know, that's a state, that's a state you know. Suppose you fly to New York", I said, "Rent a car, roll down the window and drive south till you got to roll 'em up" (applause). Naw, no not that bad see only, see, people mistake, they think that north Jersey, which is, which... has a resemblance to the moon, you know. Ever drove through north Jersey all you see are these big industrial things and like craters, you know, for about twenty miles. Well you get down around Asbury Park and it's all right.
Anyway this was all leading up to this...