Jackson Cage

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Disc 1 track 3 of The River, 1980.

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Credits

• The River (1980)
  • Bruce Springsteen: vocals, guitar, harmonica
  • Roy Bittan: piano
  • Danny Federici: organ
  • Garry Tallent: bass
  • Steven Van Zandt: guitar, backing vocals
  • Max Weinberg: drums

Performances

Performed live 122 times (not including snippet performances). 2016-07-28 Frognerparken, Oslo, Norway 2016-07-23 Ullevi, Gothenburg, Sweden 2016-07-16 Circus Maximus, Rome, Italy 2016-07-13 AccorHotels Arena, Paris, France 2016-07-11 AccorHotels Arena, Paris, France 2016-07-03 Stadio Giuseppe Meazza, Milan, Italy 2016-06-29 Ullevaal Stadion, Oslo, Norway 2016-05-14 Camp Nou, Barcelona, Spain 2016-04-25 Barclays Center, Brooklyn, NY 2016-04-23 Barclays Center, Brooklyn, NY 2016-04-20 Royal Farms Arena, Baltimore, MD 2016-04-18 Bryce Jordan Center, Penn State University, University Park, PA 2016-04-14 Palace Of Auburn Hills (The), Auburn Hills, MI 2016-04-12 Schottenstein Center, Columbus, OH 2016-04-07 Sprint Center, Kansas City, MO 2016-04-05 American Airlines Center, Dallas, TX 2016-04-03 Chesapeake Energy Arena, Oklahoma City, OK 2016-03-31 Pepsi Center, Denver, CO 2016-03-28 Madison Square Garden, New York City, NY 2016-03-24 KeyArena At Seattle Center, Seattle, WA 2016-03-22 Moda Center, Portland, OR 2016-03-19 Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena, Los Angeles, CA 2016-03-17 Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena, Los Angeles, CA 2016-03-15 Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena, Los Angeles, CA 2016-03-13 Oracle Arena, Oakland, CA 2016-03-10 Talking Stick Resort Arena, Phoenix, AZ 2016-03-06 Chaifetz Arena, St. Louis, MO 2016-03-03 BMO Harris Bradley Center, Milwaukee, WI 2016-02-29 Xcel Energy Center, Saint Paul, MN 2016-02-27 Blue Cross Arena At The War Memorial, Rochester, NY 2016-02-25 First Niagara Center, Buffalo, NY 2016-02-23 Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, OH 2016-02-21 KFC Yum! Center, Louisville, KY 2016-02-18 Philips Arena, Atlanta, GA 2016-02-16 BB&T Center, Sunrise, FL 2016-02-12 Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia, PA 2016-02-10 XL Center, Hartford, CT 2016-02-08 Times Union Center, Albany, NY 2016-02-04 TD Garden, Boston, MA 2016-02-02 Air Canada Centre, Toronto, ON 2016-01-31 Prudential Center, Newark, NJ 2016-01-29 Verizon Center, Washington, DC 2016-01-27 Madison Square Garden, New York City, NY 2016-01-19 United Center, Chicago, IL 2016-01-16 Consol Energy Center, Pittsburgh, PA 2014-04-26 Aaron's Amphitheatre At Lakewood, Atlanta, GA 2014-02-12 Adelaide Entertainment Centre, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia 2013-07-20 King's Hall, Belfast, Northern Ireland 2013-07-05 Borussia-Park, Mönchengladbach, Germany 2013-06-15 Wembley Stadium, London, England 2013-03-31 Hanging Rock, Mt. Macedon, Victoria, Australia 2012-10-31 Blue Cross Arena At The War Memorial, Rochester, NY 2012-10-25 XL Center, Hartford, CT 2012-09-14 Nationals Park, Washington, DC 2012-07-18 RDS Arena, Dublin, Ireland 2012-04-04 Izod Center, East Rutherford, NJ 2012-03-26 TD Garden, Boston, MA 2009-11-08 Madison Square Garden, New York City, NY 2009-08-22 Comcast Center, Mansfield, MA 2009-07-05 Ernst-Happel-Stadion, Vienna, Austria 2009-05-19 Mellon Arena, Pittsburgh, PA 2009-04-24 XL Center, Hartford, CT 2008-06-16 LTU Arena, Düsseldorf, Germany 2008-03-06 Blue Cross Arena At The War Memorial, Rochester, NY 2007-12-04 Oslo Spektrum, Oslo, Norway 2007-12-02 SAP Arena, Mannheim, Germany 2007-11-26 Bizkaia Arena, Bilbao, Spain 2007-11-18 TD Banknorth Garden, Boston, MA 2007-11-12 Verizon Center, Washington, DC 2007-11-05 Palace Of Auburn Hills (The), Auburn Hills, MI 2003-08-06 PNC Park, Pittsburgh, PA 2003-07-21 Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, NJ 2003-06-22 Ullevi, Gothenburg, Sweden 2003-06-10 Olympiastadion, Munich, Germany 2002-10-27 Wembley Arena, London, England 2002-10-24 Globen, Stockholm, Sweden 2002-09-25 United Center, Chicago, IL 2002-08-02 Convention Hall, Asbury Park, NJ 1981-09-02 San Diego Sports Arena, San Diego, CA 1981-08-24 Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena, Los Angeles, CA 1981-08-11 Joe Louis Arena, Detroit, MI 1981-08-05 Capital Centre, Largo, MD 1981-06-08 Birmingham International Arena, Birmingham, England 1981-06-04 Wembley Arena, London, England 1981-05-30 Wembley Arena, London, England 1981-02-16 Lakeland Civic Center, Lakeland, FL 1981-02-01 St. Paul Civic Center, Saint Paul, MN 1981-01-29 Hilton Coliseum, Iowa State University, Ames, IA 1980-12-12 Hartford Civic Center, Hartford, CT 1980-12-08 Spectrum, Philadelphia, PA 1980-11-30 Civic Arena, Pittsburgh, PA 1980-11-28 Madison Square Garden, New York City, NY 1980-11-27 Madison Square Garden, New York City, NY 1980-11-24 Capital Centre, Largo, MD 1980-11-23 Capital Centre, Largo, MD 1980-11-20 Rosemont Horizon, Rosemont, IL 1980-11-15 Summit (The), Houston, TX 1980-11-14 Summit (The), Houston, TX 1980-11-11 LSU Assembly Center, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA 1980-11-09 Special Events Center, University Of Texas, Austin, TX 1980-11-08 Reunion Arena, Dallas, TX 1980-11-05 ASU Activity Center, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 1980-11-03 Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena, Los Angeles, CA 1980-11-01 Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena, Los Angeles, CA 1980-10-31 Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena, Los Angeles, CA 1980-10-30 Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena, Los Angeles, CA 1980-10-28 Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum Arena, Oakland, CA 1980-10-27 Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum Arena, Oakland, CA 1980-10-25 Memorial Coliseum, Portland, OR 1980-10-24 Seattle Center Coliseum, Seattle, WA 1980-10-20 McNichols Sports Arena, Denver, CO 1980-10-18 Kiel Opera House, St. Louis, MO 1980-10-17 Kiel Opera House, St. Louis, MO 1980-10-14 MECCA Arena, Milwaukee, WI 1980-10-13 St. Paul Civic Center, Saint Paul, MN 1980-10-11 Uptown Theatre, Chicago, IL 1980-10-10 Uptown Theatre, Chicago, IL 1980-10-09 Cobo Arena, Detroit, MI 1980-10-07 Richfield Coliseum, Richfield, OH 1980-10-06 Richfield Coliseum, Richfield, OH 1980-10-04 Riverfront Coliseum, Cincinnati, OH 1980-10-03 Crisler Arena, University Of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI

Performances broken down by tour (not including rehearsals and snippet performances) Performed at 0 show(s) of 130 on the 2023-25 International Tour. Performed at 0 show(s) of 266 on the Springsteen On Broadway run. Performed at 0 show(s) of 14 on the Summer '17 Tour. Performed at 45 show(s) of 75 on the The River Tour 2016. Performed at 2 show(s) of 33 on the High Hopes Tour. Performed at 10 show(s) of 133 on the Wrecking Ball Tour. Performed at 5 show(s) of 83 on the Working On A Dream Tour. Performed at 8 show(s) of 99 on the Magic Tour. Performed at 0 show(s) of 56 on The Seeger Sessions Tour. Performed at 0 show(s) of 72 on the Devils & Dust Tour. Performed at 0 show(s) of 7 on the Vote For Change Tour. Performed at 7 show(s) of 120 on The Rising Tour. Performed at 0 show(s) of 132 on The Reunion Tour. Performed at 0 show(s) of 127 on The Ghost Of Tom Joad Tour. Performed at 0 show(s) of 102 on the World Tour 1992-93. Performed at 0 show(s) of 20 on the Human Rights Now! Tour. Performed at 0 show(s) of 67 on the Tunnel Of Love Express Tour. Performed at 0 show(s) of 156 on the Born In The U.S.A. Tour. Performed at 44 show(s) of 138 on The River Tour. Performed at 0 known other show(s), plus 1 public tour rehearsal(s).

Released on Album

Released on The River (1980) and The Ties That Bind: The River Collection (2015).

Released as Live Download

Live versions are available on the following 49 official live downloads:

• 2016-07-28 Frognerparken, Oslo, Norway
• 2016-07-23 Ullevi, Gothenburg, Sweden
• 2016-07-16 Circus Maximus, Rome, Italy
• 2016-07-13 AccorHotels Arena, Paris, France
• 2016-07-11 AccorHotels Arena, Paris, France
• 2016-07-03 Stadio Giuseppe Meazza, Milan, Italy
• 2016-06-29 Ullevaal Stadion, Oslo, Norway
• 2016-05-14 Camp Nou, Barcelona, Spain
• 2016-04-25 Barclays Center, Brooklyn, NY
• 2016-04-23 Barclays Center, Brooklyn, NY
• 2016-04-20 Royal Farms Arena, Baltimore, MD
• 2016-04-18 Bryce Jordan Center, Penn State University, University Park, PA
• 2016-04-14 Palace Of Auburn Hills (The), Auburn Hills, MI
• 2016-04-12 Schottenstein Center, Columbus, OH
• 2016-04-07 Sprint Center, Kansas City, MO
• 2016-04-05 American Airlines Center, Dallas, TX
• 2016-04-03 Chesapeake Energy Arena, Oklahoma City, OK
• 2016-03-31 Pepsi Center, Denver, CO
• 2016-03-28 Madison Square Garden, New York City, NY
• 2016-03-24 KeyArena At Seattle Center, Seattle, WA
• 2016-03-22 Moda Center, Portland, OR
• 2016-03-19 Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena, Los Angeles, CA
• 2016-03-17 Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena, Los Angeles, CA
• 2016-03-15 Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena, Los Angeles, CA
• 2016-03-13 Oracle Arena, Oakland, CA
• 2016-03-10 Talking Stick Resort Arena, Phoenix, AZ
• 2016-03-06 Chaifetz Arena, St. Louis, MO
• 2016-03-03 BMO Harris Bradley Center, Milwaukee, WI
• 2016-02-29 Xcel Energy Center, Saint Paul, MN
• 2016-02-27 Blue Cross Arena At The War Memorial, Rochester, NY
• 2016-02-25 First Niagara Center, Buffalo, NY
• 2016-02-23 Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, OH
• 2016-02-21 KFC Yum! Center, Louisville, KY
• 2016-02-18 Philips Arena, Atlanta, GA
• 2016-02-16 BB&T Center, Sunrise, FL
• 2016-02-12 Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia, PA
• 2016-02-10 XL Center, Hartford, CT
• 2016-02-08 Times Union Center, Albany, NY
• 2016-02-04 TD Garden, Boston, MA
• 2016-02-02 Air Canada Centre, Toronto, ON
• 2016-01-31 Prudential Center, Newark, NJ
• 2016-01-29 Verizon Center, Washington, DC
• 2016-01-27 Madison Square Garden, New York City, NY
• 2016-01-19 United Center, Chicago, IL
• 2016-01-16 Consol Energy Center, Pittsburgh, PA
• 2014-04-26 Aaron's Amphitheatre At Lakewood, Atlanta, GA
• 2014-02-12 Adelaide Entertainment Centre, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
• 2009-11-08 Madison Square Garden, New York City, NY
• 1981-06-04 Wembley Arena, London, England

One of these recordings is also available on the playlist The Live Series: Songs Of Introspection (2023).

On The Tracks

JACKSON CAGE - V1	0:20	LM-7 / DROC2
JACKSON CAGE - V2	0:59	LM-7 / DROC2
JACKSON CAGE - V3	1:49	LMEC2
JACKSON CAGE - V4	2:52	LM-15
JACKSON CAGE - V5	2:57	LM-15 / LMEC2
JACKSON CAGE - V6	3:02	RIVER

Note: V1 and V2 of "Jackson Cage" can be heard on 'Lost Masters VII', a disc of 1979 home demos. V2 is an undated demo, generally credited to the fall of the year, but more likely from May 1979 before the resumption of studio work on May 22, when the whole session was devoted to "Jackson Cage". Springsteen did not work on the song again until V3 on January 1980, when he sang the lyrics over a playback of a January 11 Telegraph Hill band rehearsal of "Restless Nights". V4 and V5 are rehearsal workouts of an alternative arrangement from Telegraph Hill on February 5, 1980. The album track (V6) was recorded at Power Station on February 17, 1980, with overdubbing and mixing on April 10, 1980.

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^{Studio Sessions: The River}

Lyrics

Jackson Cage

Oh, oh
Oh, yeah!
Whoa, yeah

Driving home she grabs something to eat
Turns a corner and drives down her street
Into a row of houses she just melts away
Like the scenery in another man's play
Into a house where the blinds are closed
To keep from seeing things she don't wanna know
She pulls the blinds and looks out on the street
Where the cool of the night takes the edge off the heat

In the Jackson Cage
Down in the Jackson Cage
And you can try with all your might
But you're reminded every night
That you been judged and handed life
Down in the Jackson Cage

Every day ends in wasted motion
Just crossed swords on the killing floor
To settle back is to settle without knowing
The hard edge that you're settling for
Because there's always just one more day
And it's always gonna be that way
Little girl, you've been down here so long
I can tell by the way that you move you belong

To the Jackson Cage
Down in Jackson Cage
And it don't matter just what you say
Are you tough enough to play the game they play?
Or will you just do your time and fade away
Down into the Jackson Cage?

(Yeah!)
Let's go!

Baby, there's nights when I dream of a better world
But I wake up so downhearted, girl
I see you feeling so tired and confused
I wonder what it's worth to me or you
Just waiting to see some sun
Never knowing if that day will ever come
Left alone standing out on the street
Till you become the hand that turns the key

Down in Jackson Cage
Down in Jackson Cage
Well, darlin', can you understand
The way that they will turn a man
Into a stranger to waste away
Down in the Jackson Cage

Visit SpringsteenLyrics.com for other versions of this song.

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