THE PROMISE

a.k.a. THE LOSER

Alternative version 1

Johnny works in a factory
Oh and Billy works downtown
Terry works in a rock and roll band
Searching for that million dollar sound
And me, I don't do nothing much
I spend a lot of time alone
Some nights I go to the movies
And some nights I stay home
I followed that dream
Just like those guys do
Way up on the screen
Drove a cut down Challenger on Saturday night
Through the dead ends and all the bad scenes
But when the promise was broken
I cashed in a few of those dreams
Whoaaaa

Well now, I built that Challenger by myself
But I needed money, and so I sold it
I lived a secret I should've kept to myself
But I got drunk one night and I told it
And once I had a girl who loved me so
I guess I'd loved her too if I had the sense
But somehow, I can never let myself go
My love is no good in the end

'Cause it's a loser *
I'm gonna sit by this window 'til things work out all right
'Cause it's a loser *
There's something burning down on the highway tonight

Well now I won big once and I hit the coast
But I paid a big cost
Inside, I felt like I was carrying the broken spirits
Of all the other ones who'd lost
When the promise was broken, I went on living
But man, it takes something from down in your soul
When the truth is spoken
And it don't make no difference
Something in your heart turns cold

Because I followed that dream
Through the dusty towns and all the two-bit bars
And when the promise was broken
I was drunk and far away from home
Sleeping with a stranger
In the back seat of a borrowed car

For it's a loser *
Here's one for the lost lovers and all the fixed games
It's a loser *
Here's one for the tires rushing by in the rain
It's a loser *
And the way me and Billy, we'd always say
It's a loser *
We was going to take it all and throw it all away

One of the 3 bonus tracks in 18 Tracks that don't appear on Tracks. Was nominated for the 2000 Grammy Awards for Best Male Rock Vocal Performance and Best Rock Song. Recorded first during the Darkness On The Edge Of Town sessions, and was slated to appear on that album until RACING IN THE STREET took its place. Played spotty from 1976 (premiered on 03 Aug 1976, Red Bank, NJ) to 15 Jul 1978 with some variations on lyrics. Never performed since then, until the Reunion tour when it appeared few times with Bruce on piano.

Bruce has publicly denied that THE PROMISE was written about the Laurel Canyon debacle, but everyone believes that this whole "debacle" influenced the feel and lyrics of the song. Bruce also has said he doesn't write about lawsuits, but he never said he didn't write about the emotions derived from a painful legal wrangle, after all, his music was on the line.

To make a long story short (by TRBrucefan form BTX):
Bruce signed an exclusive production/management deal sometime in late 1972 with Laurel Canyon, a company owned by Mike Appell and Jim Cretecos. This deal was pretty bad by most accounts, and by the time Born To Run came out, Bruce started to see the light (some argue he was "shown" the light by Jon Landau) and made legal maneuvers to divest himself of that management deal that had Mike Appell owning the rights to Bruce's music and giving Bruce royalties only a small fraction of what they were actually earning.
Bruce finally bought his way out of the deal and became very jaded toward the industry and he swore from then on he himself would control his musical destiny and would be the one to guide and decide the direction his career would go in.
Many fans have argued that this was a shrouded slap at Appell for what he's to Bruce. Bruce has denied as such but still the timing and some of the topics discussed in the song make the connection an easy one to make.

These lyrics refer to the early version that was performed on 03 Aug 1976 at Monmouth Arts Centre, Redbank, New Jersey. Check also the 18 Tracks version, alternative version 2, alternative version 3, alternative version 4, alternative version 5, and alternative version 6.

* Lyrics only in this version: "It's a loser" made this version to be also known as THE LOSER.

Available on:

1. 18 Tracks (track 18)