2020-09-10 Springsteen Residence, Colts Neck, NJ

Scheduled: 19:00 Local Start Time 19:28 / End Time 19:52

Info & Setlist | Venue

Bruce addresses the Class of 2024 at Boston College's First Year Academic Convocation, followed by a Q&A with incoming BC students. In preparation for the event, all first-year students received an e-copy of Springsteen's autobiography Born To Run and a reflection guide (available on our Media tab) that helps them to examine the themes raised in the book. Originally scheduled to take place at the Silvio O. Conte Forum, and then rescheduled for Alumni Stadium, the event is ultimately moved to a virtual format due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Boston College makes a public stream available of Springsteen's address, via bc.edu.

Boston College Academic Convocation

Bruce Springsteen

Boston College Academic Convocation Speech

Bruce Springsteen:
“Hello! Greetings, Boston College incoming class of 2024. If you completed your assignment and read my book, you will know I got into rock ‘n’ roll for the sex, the drugs, and the sex. Uh, wait a minute, that’s the wrong speech. Only joking. Let’s start again. All right.

“Hi. I wish we could have all been together tonight, but as you know, circumstances don’t allow. Now I, like you, have a high school diploma. But I am 70 years old. And I do not, and will never have, a college degree. I’ve grown up in the music business, which is filled with many odd and unusual creatures, and one learns experientially, not from the book. In my business, you graduate, as the cliché has it, from the school of hard knocks. That’s your degree. I lived that. It has its merits. But overall, I regret missing out on college. It’s going to be unforgettable and the ride of your life. My son, who graduated from this very institution, told me so.

“You will spend your next four years living in a place where the life of the mind is paramount. The life of the mind is a beautiful thing. Along with your spiritual life, it’s the apotheosis of human experience. Take pleasure in your body, and your physical life, and your youth. Don’t waste it, because aches and pains are coming. But here in this place, you will not neglect the life of your mind.

“I missed that my first time around, and I had to do my best to make it up on my own. I had to seek my teachers, and my mentors, in libraries, and on the street. It worked, but I was not able to immerse myself in a place entirely dedicated to learning, and I wish that I had.

“What you’re about to embark upon will be the greatest adventure of your young life. You can waste it, you can half-ass your way through it, or you can absorb every minute of what you’re experiencing and come out on the other end an individual of expanded vision, of intellectual vigor, of spiritual character and grace, fully prepared to meet the world on its own terms. To be young in this beautiful and accommodating city, and to be engaged in the life of this school, is a great privilege.

“Now, we are currently in the midst of an historic experience. On our watch, they shut down the United States of America, and the world, for the past half year. You are the first coron-ial generation. You are already wizened by this experience, so appreciate the underappreciated. Sporting events. Getting together with your friends. Concerts — remember those? Well, we will soon look to you for answers, for a safer and better world.

“So where do you start?

“Satisfying work. Spend your energy doing and studying something that inspires you and that you love. You will never regret it. At your age, I was making 15 bucks a night playing in a little bar in Asbury Park, and I loved every minute of it, because I loved what I was doing. Work that satisfies, and inspires. It’s one of the most important aspects of a fulfilling life. Money, it’s great. But alone, it ain’t gonna do it. Everybody wants to do well. But don’t just do well, as they say, do good. Choose something that makes you happy. That makes you want to get up and go to work in the morning, and allows you to rest easy at night. Then find out where and how you can give back, because you’re gonna always get more than you give.

“2) Relationships. You’ve got to learn how to love and how to let yourself be loved. This is essential to the health of your soul. That is how you will prove yourself of value to your community, your family, your partner. Find your place in their lives, and find out how to thrive there. Find out who you are. As Socrates supposedly said, ‘The unexamined life is not worth living.’ Express your emotions, share your inner life, and be emotionally generous with your friends and your partner. All of these things will make you a stronger presence in your community, and will allow you to give more of yourself freely and lovingly. This will make you happy.

“Learn how to be an informed, active and engaged citizen. Your country needs you. Your vision, your energy and your love. Yes, your love. Love your country, but never fail to be critical when it comes to your country’s living up to your and its ideals. Listen to the voices calling you from our founding documents and keep faith with them. And vote. Vote, vote, vote. Only half of all Americans vote. It’s a sin. Voting is an enormous privilege, and one of our most sacred rights as citizens. You can change the course of history. The 2000 election was decided by 500 votes or less.

“We’ve recently seen how fragile our democracy can be. You stand sentry at the door of a free nation. We need your judgment, we need your vigilance and your commitment to a greater America, the America that we carry in our hearts.

“Now the American experiment, just as you are today, is an unfulfilled promise. The distance between the American dream and our American reality remains greater than ever. It will soon be in the hands of your generation, to do your damnedest to make up and heal that divide. That’s a lot to ask. But that’s what it means, if you’ll excuse me, to be born in the U.S.A.

“Last but not least, heal thyself. We all come into this world in trauma. The first thing that happens is we’re thrown out of our motherly home. And the first thing we do is cry. We don’t come out laughing.

“There will be plenty of laughter to come. And love. Love is all there is. Love your neighbors, love your friends, love your family, love your partner. And love yourself. Good luck. Enjoy the ride.”

^{Compiled by: Jay Lustig via NJArts.}