Official studio version
In the High Sierras camped were the soldiers
And a young soldada who valiantly fought
Side by side with Francisco Villa
Adelita
I'm far from my home now, a Texacan soldier
It's not for fortune or risk to the battlefield I fight
I fell in love with Adelita with my very soul
We'll stand in arms this night
She said, "Johnny, if I should die in battle
And my body be left in the Sierranea
My love, my love, in God's name
Fight on and remember me that my blood will not have been spilled in vain"
On horseback a carbine full and at her side
Over her blouse cartridges filled her bandoleras
Side by side into battle we rode, Villistas
With my Adelita
We met the enemy in the Zamoran mountains
From their bullets many of our soldiers died
And wounded I lay fallen with my comrades
As Adelita stood above us firing her rifle till the gunpowder turned her hand black
Well the sky was blue, 'neath the cannon the earth trembled
Watched as a bullet pierced my love's side
She fell amidst the brothers and sisters
Smoke and empty sky in her eyes
Adelita my love, Adelita my wife
Adelita my comrade, my life
They'll remember your name when freedom fills the Sierranea
I'll remember the warmth of your skin against mine
Tonight I lay in the mountains with the campesinos
My mind at peace from the vows I've made
I know l'll never see Texas again
Your portrait I carry deep in my breast pocket
My rifle firing into the campaña, I ride with you 'round my heart
Protected from this death by beauty
ADELITA is a song written by Bruce Springsteen, with "non lyric author" credits to Maria Herrea-Sobek, and first released on the Tracks II: The Lost Albums box set in 2025. The above lyrics are for Bruce Springsteen's official studio version of ADELITA as released in 2025.
The official studio version of ADELITA was included on the Lost And Found: Selections From The Lost Albums compilation in 2025.
The song first appeared in a 2022 filing at the United States Copyright Office. See the "Copyright Filings" section below form more details.
ADELITA is the fifth single from Tracks II: The Lost Albums, released on 29 May 2025 at 9:00 a.m. Eastern Time (1:00 p.m. GMT).
A video for ADELITA was later released on Bruce Springsteen's YouTube channel, on 02 Jun 2025 at 3:00 a.m. Eastern Time (7:00 a.m. GMT). The video consists of a moving shot of a desert with the song playing over.
According to a press release, ADELITA is "an ode to Mexico's female 'soldaderas' — who played a major role in the country's fight for independence." The song was likely written sometime in the mid-nineties. See the "Inyo" section below for more details.
Track credits:
Bruce Springsteen: vocals, guitar, percussion, keyboards, synthesizer
Ron Aniello: guitar, accordion
Barry Danielian: trumpet
Luis Villalobos: violin
Alberto Villalobos: violin
Angel Ramos: lute
Humberto Manuel Flores Gutierrez: bass
David Glukh: trumpet
Jorge Espinosa: vocals, harp
Miguel Ponce: bass, vocals
Bruce Springsteen: producer
Ron Aniello: producer
Toby Scott: recording engineer
Rob Lebret: recording engineer, mixing engineer
Ted Jensen: mastering engineer
Ross Petersen: additional engineer
In 2022, a "Recorded Document" consisting of 539 Bruce Springsteen "musical works" was filed at the United States Copyright Office. The two filings are related to Springsteen's late 2021 deal with Sony Music in which he sold the masters of his entire catalog and the coinciding music publishing rights. They show the transfer of the songs from Bruce Springsteen to Thrill Hill Music LLC and then from Thrill Hill Music LLC to Sony Music Publishing (US) LLC and Asbury Boss LLC. Thrill Hill Music LLC and Asbury Boss LLC are limited liability companies incorporated in September 2021 and October 2021 respectively and likely created for the deal.
Copyright entry #1:
Type of Work: Recorded Document
Document Number: V15007D317
Date of Recordation: 2022-05-13
Entire Copyright Document: V15007 D317 P1-13
Date of Execution: 01Nov21; 01Mar22
Title: 100 Miles From Jackson & 538 other titles; Musical Work.
Notes: Assignment.
Party 1: Bruce Springsteen
Party 2: Thrill Hill Music LLC
Links: List of titles
Names: Springsteen, Bruce | Thrill Hill Music LLC
Copyright entry #2:
Type of Work: Recorded Document
Document Number: V15007D318
Date of Recordation: 2022-05-13
Entire Copyright Document: V15007 D318 P1-14
Date of Execution: 22Nov21; 22Nov21
Title: 100 Miles From Jackson & 538 other titles; Musical Work.
Notes: Exhibit 10.1 Assignment
Party 1: Thrill Hill Music LLC
Party 2: Sony Music Publishing (US) LLC; Asbury Boss, LLC
Links: List of titles
Names: Thrill Hill Music LLC | Sony Music Publishing (US) LLC | Asbury Boss, LLC
Tracks II: The Lost Albums is Bruce Springsteen's follow-up to his 1998 box set Tracks, released on 27 Jun 2025. The box set consists of seven "lost albums" recoded between 1983 and 2018, totaling 83 songs, of which 74 have never been officially released in any form. The seven albums are: L.A. Garage Sessions '83, Streets Of Philadelphia Sessions, Faithless, Somewhere North Of Nashville, Inyo, Twilight Hours, and Perfect World.
Tracks II: The Lost Albums, along with its companion Lost And Found: Selections From The Lost Albums, was officially announced on 03 Apr 2025 at 9:00 a.m. Eastern Time (1:00 p.m. GMT). The announcement was accompanied by a "trailer" for the upcoming set, posted on Bruce Springsteen's YouTube channel and other online services. The previous day, Springsteen released a teaser on his social media accounts, linking to a new website, lostalbums.net, created for the two upcoming releases.
The box set is available in limited edition as a seven-disc CD set and a nine-disc LP set, as well as digital download and streaming. The physical releases will include original packaging for each of the previously unreleased records, with a 100-page cloth-bound, hardcover book featuring rare archival photos, liner notes on each lost album from essayist Erik Flannigan and a personal introduction on the project from Springsteen himself.
Disc 1: (LA Garage Sessions '83)
Disc 2: (Streets Of Philadelphia Sessions)
Disc 3: (Faithless)
Disc 4: (Somewhere North Of Nashville)
Disc 5: (Inyo)
Disc 6: (Twilight Hours)
Disc 7: (Perfect World)
Side 1: (LA Garage Sessions '83)
Side 2: (LA Garage Sessions '83)
Side 3: (LA Garage Sessions '83)
Side 4: (LA Garage Sessions '83)
Side 5: (Streets Of Philadelphia Sessions)
Side 6: (Streets Of Philadelphia Sessions)
Side 7: (Faithless)
Side 8: (Faithless)
Side 9: (Somewhere North Of Nashville)
Side 10: (Somewhere North Of Nashville)
Side 11: (Inyo)
Side 12: (Inyo)
Side 13: (Twilight Hours)
Side 14: (Twilight Hours)
Side 15: (Twilight Hours)
Side 16: (Twilight Hours)
Side 17: (Perfect World)
Side 18: (Perfect World)
Lost And Found: Selections From The Lost Albums is a curated collection of 20 previously unreleased songs from the Tracks II: The Lost Albums box set, released on 27 Jun 2025.
Lost And Found: Selections From The Lost Albums, along with the Tracks II: The Lost Albums box set, was officially announced on 03 Apr 2025 at 9:00 a.m. Eastern Time (1:00 p.m. GMT).
The album is available as a one-disc CD album or two-disc LP set, as well as digital download and streaming. The physical releases will include a personal introduction from Springsteen himself.
Side 1:
Side 2:
Side 3:
Side 4:
Inyo is an album that Springsteen wrote in the 1990s during a series of motorcycle trips across the Southwest. The 10-track album was eventually released in 2025 as one of the of the seven "lost albums" included on the Tracks II: The Lost Albums box set.
The collection is set throughout the border states of California and Texas, plus one detour to New Jersey. According to a press release, Springsteen's years in California saw him diving into both the history of the region and its contemporary events. "There was constant border reporting in the Los Angeles Times, so it was a big part of your life," Springsteen said.
While primarily tracked as a solo record, Inyo does notably find Springsteen collaborating with mariachi musicians throughout.
In an online statement that accompanied the release of the ADELITA single, Springsteen wrote in a statement:
"'Inyo' was a record I wrote in California during long drives along the California aqueduct, up through Inyo County on my way to Yosemite or Death Valley. I was enjoying that kind of writing so much. [On 'The Ghost Of Tom Joad' tour] I would go home to the hotel room at night and continue to write in that style because I thought I was going to follow up 'The Ghost of Tom Joad' with a similar record, but I didn't. That's where 'Inyo' came from. It's one of my favorites."
Bruce Springsteen has never performed ADELITA live.
As far as it's known, no artist has recorded and released Bruce Springsteen's ADELITA.
If you have any corrections or additions, please contact me via the below form or by email: .
List of available versions of ADELITA on this website:
ADELITA [Official studio version]
