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Stolen Car

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Disc 2 track 5 of The River, 1980. See also: "Stolen Car (Vs.1)".

The River (1980)
- Bruce Springsteen: vocals, guitar
- Roy Bittan: piano, backing vocals
- Clarence Clemons: percussion, backing vocals
- Danny Federici: organ, glockenspiel
- Garry Tallent: bass
- Steven Van Zandt: guitar, backing vocals
- Max Weinberg: drums, percussion

STOLEN CAR - V1 take 1	4:34	LM-6 / ATMF
STOLEN CAR - V2 take 2	4:08	LM-6
STOLEN CAR - V3	4:14	DBTR / SYMKB
STOLEN CAR (Vs.1) - V4 take 3	4:18	TRACKS / RIVER: SINGLE / TTTBR / DROC2
STOLEN CAR - V5	0:56	LM-7
STOLEN CAR - V6	3:21	LMEC2
STOLEN CAR - V7	2:10	LM-13
STOLEN CAR - V8	3:39	LM-13
STOLEN CAR - V9	2:40	LM-13
STOLEN CAR - V10	2:55	LM-13
STOLEN CAR - V11	7:42	LM-15
STOLEN CAR - V12	6:14	LM-15
STOLEN CAR - V13	7:31	LM-15
STOLEN CAR - V14	7:58	LM-15
STOLEN CAR - V15	3:50	RIVER

Note: "Stolen Car" is actually the tale of two songs. The first "Stolen Car" was written, recorded and sequenced for release on the aborted album, The Ties That Bind, between June and September 1979. Springsteen later re-wrote and re-recorded the song and released it on The River in October 1980. "Stolen Car" was first recorded at Power Station on June 20–21, 1979, with takes attributed to the latter date. V1, the first take, contains different lyrics and is longer. V2 is referred to as "The Stanton Lake" version, because it started with that line. Take 3 (V4) was selected for The Ties That Bind, with final dubbing and mixing (by Bob Clearmountain) on September 24, 1979. It was later officially released on Tracks in 1998, and on The River Single Album in 2015, now dubbed "Stolen Car Vs. 1". V3 is the fourth and last distinct take of this arrangement. It was this take that was on a tape that fell into the hands of bootleggers, subsequently dubbed "Son You May Kiss the Bride", and pressed into a vinyl LP of the same name. It contained four unreleased River tracks, the title track, "Loose Ends", "Where The Bands Are", and "Don't Do It To Me" (aka "Little White Lies").

Despite the song being completed, Bruce was dissatisfied and decided months later to radically alter the musical arrangement. V5 is less than a minute of a solo take, and in V6, Springsteen sings over a tape of a band rehearsal of "Restless Nights", both recorded in January 1980. V7–V14 were recorded on January 16, 1980 at Telegraph Hill, and feature revised arrangements. The end result was V15, which was recorded at Power Station on January 21 and February 20, with overdubs and mixing undertaken on April 1 and 9, and May 9, 1980. The final mix for The River was by Toby Scott, at Clover Recorders, Los Angeles, CA in May–July 1980, with Springsteen watching over his shoulder.

^{Studio Sessions: The River}

Stolen Car ^{(The River)}

I met a little girl and I settled down
In a little house out on the edge of town
We got married and swore we'd never part
Then little by little we drifted from each other's heart

At first I thought it was just restlessness
That would fade as time went by and our love grew deep
In the end it was something more I guess
That tore us apart and made us weep

And I'm driving a stolen car down on Eldridge Avenue
Each night I wait to get caught but I never do

She asked if I remembered the letters I wrote
When our love was young and bold
She said last night she read those letters
And they made her feel one hundred years old

I'm driving a stolen car on a pitch-black night
And I'm telling myself I'm gonna be alright
But I ride by night and I travel in fear
That in this darkness I will disappear

^{Visit SpringsteenLyrics.com for other versions of this song.}

Stolen Car ^{(The River Collection)}

Well I found me a little girl and I settled down
In a pretty little house in a pretty little town
We got married and promised never to part
Then little by little we drifted from each other's hearts

Now I'm driving a stolen car on a pitch-black night
And I'm doing my best to make it through
Well I'm just sitting down here at the Stanton light
I wanna get caught but I never do

At first I thought it was just restlessness
That would fade as time went by and our love grew deep
But in the end it was something more, I guess
That tore us apart and made us weep

And I'm driving a stolen car waiting on that little red light
I keep telling myself everything's gonna be alright
But I ride by night and I travel in fear
That in this darkness I might just disappear

She asked if I remembered the letters I wrote
When our love was young and we were bold
She said last night she read those letters
And they made her feel a hundred years old

There's a river that runs by that little town
Down into the sea
It was there in the shade I laid my body down
As she flowed on so effortlessly

Now there's a party tonight out at County Line
There'll be dancing down at Seven Trees
From these banks I can see those party lights shine
Maybe she's there, maybe she's looking for me

Last night I dreamed I made the call
I swore to return and stay forevermore
Once again we stood on the wedding steps at Victory Hall
And walked arm in arm through the chapel door

I can remember how good I felt inside
When the preacher said "Son, you may kiss the bride"
But as I leaned over to touch her pretty lips
I felt it all slip away through my fingertips

And I'm driving a stolen car through a pitch-black night
I keep telling myself everything's gonna be alright
But I ride by night and I travel in fear
No matter what I do or where I drive
Nobody ever sees me when I ride by

^{Visit SpringsteenLyrics.com for other versions of this song.}