Official studio version
I had a wife, I had a child
I had a home upon a hill
Had a good life for seven years
Now all I've got is seven tears
Went down to see my gypsy man
He said, "Now son, I understand"
When I said, "I want one for every year"
He tattooed on my face these seven tears
Oh seven tears, oh seven tears
I want one for every happy year
My baby's gone, she's gone, gone, gone
And I'll cry forever ever on
Woo!
Oh yeah
When I walk out into the lights of town
People see me coming and they gather 'round
They wanna know how I ended up here
With this tattoo on my face of seven tears
Well seven tears, oh seven tears
I want one for every happy year
My baby's gone, she's gone, gone, gone
And I'll cry forever ever on
Mmm-mmm-mmm ooh ooh ooh ooh-ooh
Ooh-ooh-ooh ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh
Ooh-ooh-ooh ooh ooh ooh ooh-ooh
Ooh-ooh-ooh ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh
Ooh-ooh-ooh ooh ooh ooh ooh-ooh...
[Fades out]
SEVEN TEARS is a song written by Bruce Springsteen and released on the Tracks II: The Lost Albums box set in 2025. The above lyrics are for Bruce Springsteen's official studio version of SEVEN TEARS as released in 2025.
The official studio version of SEVEN TEARS was included on the Lost And Found: Selections From The Lost Albums compilation in 2025.
The song appeared in a 2022 filing at the United States Copyright Office. See the "Copyright Filings" section below for more details.
It's unknown when SEVEN TEARS was written. According to Sony's logs of Bruce Springsteen's studio sessions, the song was recorded on 15 Feb 1983 at Thrill Hill West, Springsteen's home studio in Los Angeles, CA. The studio take in circulation was most probably cut on 15 Feb 1983.
Springsteen recorded more than an album's worth of songs by himself during this period. He played all the instruments himself, with the help of a drum machine only, and overdubbing was used to create the final product.
Track credits:
Bruce Springsteen: vocals, drum programming, all instruments
Mike Batlan: drum programming
Bruce Springsteen: producer
Ron Aniello: producer
Mike Batlan: recording engineer, mixing engineer
Bob Ludwig: mastering engineer
Rob Lebret: mastering engineer, additional engineering
Prior to its official release on Tracks II: The Lost Albums, this version of SEVEN TEARS (same take) has been circulating on bootlegs since 1996. See the unofficial studio version. The officially released version, however, does not include the count-in. Moreover, the mix may be slightly different, but the apparent difference in the mix is more likely due to the lower quality of the tape bootleggers used for the unofficially released version.
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:
As far as it's known, Bruce Springsteen has never performed SEVEN TEARS live.
As far as it's known, no artist has recorded and released Bruce Springsteen's SEVEN TEARS.
If you have any corrections or additions, please contact me via the below form or by email: .
List of available versions of SEVEN TEARS on this website:
SEVEN TEARS [Official studio version]
