Lyrics

JESUS WAS AN ONLY SON

Album version


Well Jesus was an only son
As he walked up Calvary Hill
His mother Mary walking beside him
In the path where his blood spilled

Jesus was an only son
In the hills of Nazareth
As he lay reading the Psalms of David
At his mother's feet

A mother prays, "Sleep tight, my child, sleep well
For I'll be at your side
That no shadow, no darkness, no tolling bell
Shall pierce your dreams this night"

In the garden at Gethsemane
He prayed for the life he'd never live
He beseeched his Heavenly Father to remove
The cup of death from his lips

Now there's a loss that can never be replaced
A destination that can never be reached
A light you'll never find in another's face
A sea whose distance cannot be breached

Well Jesus kissed his mother's hands
Whispered, "Mother, still your tears
For remember the soul of the universe
Willed a world and it appeared"

Info

JESUS WAS AN ONLY SON is a song written by Bruce Springsteen and released on his 2005 album Devils & Dust. The above lyrics are for Bruce Springsteen's album version of JESUS WAS AN ONLY SON as released in 2005.


Studio Recording

On this track, Bruce Springsteen sings vocals and plays guitar, keyboards, bass, and drums, and is accompanied by Patti Scialfa, Soozie Tyrell, and Lisa Lowell on background vocals.

The song seems to have been recorded solo around 1997, with additional instruments and background vocals overdubbed in 2004.

Devils & Dust

Devils & Dust is Bruce Springsteen's thirteenth studio album. It was released on 26 Apr 2005 on Columbia Records. The album was recorded between 1996 and 2004 at Thrill Hill East (Springsteen's home studio in Rumson, NJ) and Thrill Hill West (Springsteen's home studio in Los Angeles, CA). Horns and some instrument overdubbing were recorded in 2004 at Southern Tracks in Atlanta, GA. Strings were recorded in 2004 at Masterfonics in Nashville, TN.

In an April 2005 New York Time article, Jon Pareles wrote that "Springsteen recorded nearly all of the [album's] songs in a few days, nearly a decade ago, sitting with his guitar in the living room of his farmhouse in New Jersey, doing just a take or two." This probably took place sometime in 1996 or 1997. It's very possible that many of the songs on the album are none other than the solo recordings from 1996 or 1997, with some additional instruments overdubbed in 2004.

ALL THE WAY HOME and LONG TIME COMIN' were produced by Brendan O'Brien, Bruce Springsteen, and Chuck Plotkin. The rest of the album was produced by Brendan O'Brien. All horn and string arrangements were done by Eddie Horst. BLACK COWBOYS, JESUS WAS AN ONLY SON, LEAH, and MATAMOROS BANKS were mixed by Toby Scott. The rest of the album was mixed by Brendan O'Brien. Toby Scott was the recording engineer at Thrill Hill East, Thrill Hill West, and Southern Tracks, and Nick Didia was the recording engineer at Southern Tracks and Masterphonics.

The album includes a bonus DVD featuring filmed acoustic performances of DEVILS & DUST, LONG TIME COMIN', RENO, ALL I'M THINKIN' ABOUT, and MATAMOROS BANKS, with spoken commentary on their writing and creation. They were filmed live by director Danny Clinch in February 2005 in New Jersey. The DVD also includes the full album in 5.1 surround sound and in 2-channel stereo, with lyrics to the songs accompanying the audio in a karaoke style.

Bruce Springsteen -- Devils & Dust
Bruce Springsteen -- Devils & Dust

Devils & Dust debuted at number one on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart, becoming Springsteen's seventh number one album in the U.S. It also peaked at number one in several European countries including the UK. The album was nominated for two 2006 Grammy Awards, Best Contemporary Folk Album and Best Long Form Music Video, but failed to win.

The album features 12 tracks and clocks at 50:55. It was issued on DualDisc, CD + DVD, and LP.

Other Official Releases

Other versions of JESUS WAS AN ONLY SON were also officially released.

Bruce Springsteen -- VH1 Storytellers
The live 04 Apr 2005 version of JESUS WAS AN ONLY SON was released on the VH1 Storytellers home video in 2005.
Bruce Springsteen -- Stockholm 2005
The live 25 Jun 2005 version of JESUS WAS AN ONLY SON was released on the Stockholm 2005 official live download in 2020.
Bruce Springsteen -- Schottenstein Center, Ohio 2005
The live 31 Jul 2005 version of JESUS WAS AN ONLY SON was released on the Schottenstein Center, Ohio 2005 official live download in 2015.
Bruce Springsteen -- Van Andel Arena, Michigan 2005
The live 03 Aug 2005 version of JESUS WAS AN ONLY SON was released on the Van Andel Arena, Michigan 2005 official live download in 2018.
Bruce Springsteen -- Sovereign Bank Arena, Trenton, NJ 2005
The live 22 Nov 2005 version of JESUS WAS AN ONLY SON was released on the Sovereign Bank Arena, Trenton, NJ 2005 official live download in 2019.
Bruce Springsteen -- Wembley Arena, November 11, 2006
The live 11 Nov 2006 version of JESUS WAS AN ONLY SON was released on the Wembley Arena, November 11, 2006 official live download in 2020.

Live History: on-tour

In preparation for the Devils & Dust Solo Acoustic Tour, JESUS WAS AN ONLY SON was performed during both of the tour's two public warm-up rehearsal shows that took place in April 2005 in Asbury Park. The song was played in a solo piano arrangement. The song is also known to have been practiced during at least 3 of the private rehearsals that took place in March and April 2005 in Asbury Park prior to the tour's first leg.

List of Devils & Dust Solo Acoustic Tour rehearsals performances

  1. 09 Mar 2005 at Paramount Theatre, Asbury Park, NJ (private rehearsal)
  2. 15 Apr 2005 at Paramount Theatre, Asbury Park, NJ (private rehearsal)
  3. 20 Apr 2005 at Paramount Theatre, Asbury Park, NJ (private rehearsal)
  4. 21 Apr 2005 at Paramount Theatre, Asbury Park, NJ (public rehearsal)
  5. 22 Apr 2005 at Paramount Theatre, Asbury Park, NJ (public rehearsal)

JESUS WAS AN ONLY SON was performed 72 times during the Devils & Dust Solo Acoustic Tour (72 dates, April to November 2005) ? that is each and every one of the tour's dates. On this tour, the song was played in a solo piano arrangement. The live 25 Jun 2005 version of JESUS WAS AN ONLY SON was released on the Stockholm 2005 official live download in 2020. The live 31 Jul 2005 version of JESUS WAS AN ONLY SON was released on the Schottenstein Center, Ohio 2005 official live download in 2015. The live 03 Aug 2005 version of JESUS WAS AN ONLY SON was released on the Van Andel Arena, Michigan 2005 official live download in 2018. The live 22 Nov 2005 version of JESUS WAS AN ONLY SON was released on the Sovereign Bank Arena, Trenton, NJ 2005 official live download in 2019.

List of Devils & Dust Solo Acoustic Tour performances

  1. 25 Apr 2005 at Fox Theatre, Detroit, MI
  2. 28 Apr 2005 at Nokia Live At Grand Prairie, Grand Prairie, TX
  3. 30 Apr 2005 at Glendale Arena, Glendale, AZ
  4. 02 May 2005 at Pantages Theatre, Hollywood, CA
  5. 03 May 2005 at Pantages Theatre, Hollywood, CA
  6. 05 May 2005 at Oakland Paramount Theatre, Oakland, CA
  7. 07 May 2005 at Colorado Convention Center Lecture Hall, Denver, CO
  8. 10 May 2005 at Xcel Energy Center, Saint Paul, MN
  9. 11 May 2005 at Rosemont Theatre, Rosemont, IL
  10. 14 May 2005 at Patriot Center, Fairfax, VA
  11. 15 May 2005 at Wolstein Center At Cleveland State University, Cleveland, OH
  12. 17 May 2005 at Tower Theater, Upper Darby, PA
  13. 19 May 2005 at The Theater At Continental Airlines Arena, East Rutherford, NJ
  14. 20 May 2005 at Orpheum Theatre, Boston, MA
  15. 24 May 2005 at Point Theatre, Dublin, Ireland
  16. 27 May 2005 at Royal Albert Hall, London, England
  17. 28 May 2005 at Royal Albert Hall, London, England
  18. 30 May 2005 at Forest National, Brussels, Belgium
  19. 01 Jun 2005 at Pavelló Olímpic De Badalona, Barcelona, Spain
  20. 02 Jun 2005 at Palacio De Deportes De La Comunidad De Madrid, Madrid, Spain
  21. 04 Jun 2005 at Palamalaguti, Bologna, Italy
  22. 06 Jun 2005 at Palalottomatica, Rome, Italy
  23. 07 Jun 2005 at Datch Forum, Milan, Italy
  24. 13 Jun 2005 at Olympiahalle, Munich, Germany
  25. 15 Jun 2005 at Festhalle, Frankfurt, Germany
  26. 16 Jun 2005 at Philipshalle, Dusseldorf, Germany
  27. 19 Jun 2005 at Sportpaleis Ahoy, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
  28. 20 Jun 2005 at Palais Omnisports De Paris-Bercy, Paris, France
  29. 22 Jun 2005 at Forum København, Copenhagen, Denmark
  30. 23 Jun 2005 at Scandinavium, Gothenburg, Sweden
  31. 25 Jun 2005 at Hovet, Stockholm, Sweden
  32. 27 Jun 2005 at Color Line Arena, Hamburg, Germany
  33. 28 Jun 2005 at ICC Berlin, Berlin, Germany
  34. 13 Jul 2005 at Corel Centre, Ottawa, Canada
  35. 14 Jul 2005 at Air Canada Centre, Toronto, Canada
  36. 16 Jul 2005 at Pepsi Arena, Albany, NY
  37. 18 Jul 2005 at HSBC Arena, Buffalo, NY
  38. 20 Jul 2005 at Arena At Harbor Yard, Bridgeport, CT
  39. 23 Jul 2005 at Philips Arena, Atlanta, GA
  40. 24 Jul 2005 at Charlotte Coliseum, Charlotte, NC
  41. 26 Jul 2005 at Greensboro Coliseum, Greensboro, NC
  42. 28 Jul 2005 at Petersen Events Center, Pittsburgh, PA
  43. 31 Jul 2005 at Value City Theatre, Columbus, OH
  44. 01 Aug 2005 at U.S. Bank Arena, Cincinnati, OH
  45. 03 Aug 2005 at Van Andel Arena, Grand Rapids, MI
  46. 06 Aug 2005 at Fox Theatre, St. Louis, MO
  47. 07 Aug 2005 at Bradley Center, Milwaukee, WI
  48. 10 Aug 2005 at Rose Garden Theater Of The Clouds, Portland, OR
  49. 11 Aug 2005 at Keyarena At Seattle Center, Seattle, WA
  50. 13 Aug 2005 at Pontiac Theatre At GM Place, Vancouver, Canada
  51. 04 Oct 2005 at Paramount Theatre, Asbury Park, NJ
  52. 06 Oct 2005 at Blue Cross Arena At The War Memorial, Rochester, NY
  53. 07 Oct 2005 at Hartford Civic Center, Hartford, CT
  54. 09 Oct 2005 at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Uniondale, NY
  55. 12 Oct 2005 at Northrop Auditorium, Minneapolis, MN
  56. 13 Oct 2005 at United Center, Chicago, IL
  57. 15 Oct 2005 at Dane County Arena At Alliant Center, Madison, WI
  58. 20 Oct 2005 at DCU Center, Worcester, MA
  59. 21 Oct 2005 at Dunkin' Donuts Center, Providence, RI
  60. 24 Oct 2005 at Richmond Coliseum, Richmond, VA
  61. 28 Oct 2005 at TD Banknorth Garden, Boston, MA
  62. 30 Oct 2005 at TD Banknorth Garden, Boston, MA
  63. 04 Nov 2005 at St. Pete Times Forum, Tampa, FL
  64. 08 Nov 2005 at Wachovia Spectrum, Philadelphia, PA
  65. 09 Nov 2005 at Wachovia Spectrum, Philadelphia, PA
  66. 11 Nov 2005 at Ted Constant Convocation Center At Old Dominion University, Norfolk, VA
  67. 13 Nov 2005 at Boardwalk Hall, Atlantic City, NJ
  68. 16 Nov 2005 at Continental Airlines Arena, East Rutherford, NJ
  69. 17 Nov 2005 at Continental Airlines Arena, East Rutherford, NJ
  70. 19 Nov 2005 at Hard Rock Live Arena, Hollywood, FL
  71. 21 Nov 2005 at Sovereign Bank Arena, Trenton, NJ
  72. 22 Nov 2005 at Sovereign Bank Arena, Trenton, NJ

In preparation for The Seeger Sessions Tour, JESUS WAS AN ONLY SON is also known to have been practiced during at least one of the private rehearsals that took place in Mar-Apr 2006 in Asbury Park prior to the tour's first leg. As a fan who listened to the 13 Mar 2006 private rehearsal reported, the song "starts off sort of the same as we've heard it [during the Devils & Dust Solo Acoustic Tour] then the band kicks in."

List of The Seeger Sessions Tour rehearsals performances

  1. 13 Mar 2006 at Paramount Theatre, Asbury Park, NJ (private rehearsal)

JESUS WAS AN ONLY SON was performed 5 times during The Seeger Sessions Tour (56 dates, April to November 2006), all in Europe towards the end of the tour. On this tour, the song was played in a full-band arrangement. The live 11 Nov 2006 version of JESUS WAS AN ONLY SON was released on the Wembley Arena, November 11, 2006 official live download in 2020.

List of The Seeger Sessions Tour performances

  1. 30 Oct 2006 at Globe Arena, Stockholm, Sweden
  2. 07 Nov 2006 at Sportpaleis, Antwerp, Belgium
  3. 09 Nov 2006 at The NEC Arena, Birmingham, England
  4. 11 Nov 2006 at Wembley Arena, London, England
  5. 19 Nov 2006 at Point Theatre, Dublin, Ireland

Live History: off-tour

JESUS WAS AN ONLY SON was performed off-tour on 04 Apr 2005 at Rechnitz Theater in Red Bank, NJ, during the taping of Bruce Springsteen's episode of VH1's Storytellers television series. The song was played solo on piano and harmonica. An edited version of the concert was released on the VH1 Storytellers home video in 2005. See the live 04 Apr 2005 version for more details.

Covers

At least 3 artists have recorded and released Bruce Springsteen's JESUS WAS AN ONLY SON.

Various artists -- For You 2: A Tribute To Bruce Springsteen
Various artists -- For You 2: A Tribute To Bruce Springsteen

2xCD - Route 66 Music (DTCDA005-2) - Italy, 2010

This is a Bruce Springsteen tribute album. JESUS WAS AN ONLY SON is performed by Joe Slomp.
Various artists -- I Hear You're From Australia - My Name's Bruce Too
Various artists -- I Hear You're From Australia - My Name's Bruce Too

2xCD - Laughing Outlaw (LOR160CD) - Australia, 2013

This is a Bruce Springsteen tribute album. JESUS WAS AN ONLY SON is performed by Mark Moldre.
Kevin Heider -- Ohio: A Tribute To Springsteen
Kevin Heider -- Ohio: A Tribute To Springsteen

Digital album - no label (no catalog number) - USA, 2019

This is a download-only digital Bruce Springsteen tribute album.

Available Versions

List of available versions of JESUS WAS AN ONLY SON on this website:

JESUS WAS AN ONLY SON [Album version]
JESUS WAS AN ONLY SON [Live 04 Apr 2005 version]
JESUS WAS AN ONLY SON [Live 31 Jul 2005 version]
JESUS WAS AN ONLY SON [Live 03 Aug 2005 version]
JESUS WAS AN ONLY SON [Live 30 Oct 2006 version]
Page last updated: 17 Feb 2018