Story Behind The Song
Around that time, the owners of the Stone Pony were backing a band called Cold, Blast & Steel. This group was the house band of a bar that Bruce Springsteen had been known to frequent and the owners supplied C, B, & S with everything they needed to get o
Song Description
A vision of what it was like for people in the music scene at the Stone Pony in Asbury Park, NJ around 1977.
Song Length |
3:47 |
Genre |
Folk - Rock |
Tempo |
Slow (71 - 90) |
Lead Vocal |
Male Vocal |
Similar Artists |
Bruce Springsteen, Tom Waits |
Language |
English |
Lyrics
THANK THE MAN
lyrics and music by Sam Cooper
The lights go out and the key turns in the door,
The streets are clearin' and there ain't a car in sight, must be way after four,
And every rock & roll band that ever started out here, started out poor,
And you'd think they would thank the man, but the boss and Johnny don't even play here very much anymore.
The lights on Kingsley are all timed just right,
And it's great for cruisin' in a Chevy searchin' for a honey to heal your wounds in the dark of the night,
And they tell me you can see it all here, but it's them that's losin' sight,
'Cause they don't give a damn for the man, and they don't know wrong from right.
There's a local band playin' here on the stage all the time,
And they're causin' legends to rise, and poets to rhyme.
People travel far to get a piece of this place,
And it's a whole new future and it's gettin' harder to face.
With guitars in their hands and dollar signs in their eyes,
Well, they play every night before a crazy crowd of street people livin' out their lies.
And it's not too much to brag about livin' for, but the memories, they just won't die.
So they reach out for the dream with the help from the man, so they might make it up to the sky,
With their rock & roll plans, they're sure as hell gonna try,
You'd think they would thank the man.
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