Devils & Dust (2005) – Bruce Springsteen

Devils & Dust is a latter day Springsteen acoustic number I’ve always been fond of and draws upon similar themes of lost hope and despair as his solo 1996 acoustic number Dead Man Walkin’ from the movie soundtrack of the same name. Faith isn’t even enough to confront the evil which wells inside and the impending harm it will cause. Devils & Dust is the title track on Bruce Springsteen’s thirteenth studio album and concerns the Iraq War.
According to Wiki, ‘the song tells the story of a troubled American soldier who is presumably serving in the 2003 invasion of Iraq and questions his role and struggles to find guidance in his mission all the while wary of the changes he is undergoing‘.

The protagonist is accompanied by fellow soldier ‘Bobby’ and they are a long, long way from home. There is no turning back from the road which they have gone down. And the narrator’s reliance upon God is tested when he sees Bobbie, dying in “a field of blood and stone.” The line “I got God on my side” which begins each each chorus might be a reference to Bob Dylan’s classic anti-war song With God on Our Side.

[Verse 1]
I got my finger on the trigger
But I don’t know who to trust
When I look into your eyes
There’s just devils and dust

[Verse 2]
We’re a long, long way from home, Bobbie
Home’s a long, long way from us
I feel a dirty wind blowing
Devils and dust

[Chorus]
I got God on my side
And I’m just trying to survive
What if what you do to survive
Kills the things you love
Fear’s a powerful thing, baby
It can turn your heart black, you can trust
It’ll take your God-filled soul
And fill it with devils and dust

[Verse 3]
Well, I dreamed of you last night
In a field of blood and stone
The blood began to dry
The smell began to rise

[Verse 4]
Well, I dreamed of you last night, Bobbie
In a field of mud and bone
Your blood began to dry
And the smell began to rise

[Chorus]

[Verse 5]
Now every woman and every man
They want to take a righteous stand
Find the love that God wills
And the faith that He commands

[Verse 6]
I’ve got my finger on the trigger
And tonight faith just ain’t enough
When I look inside my heart
There’s just devils and dust

[Chorus]

Springsteen originally soundchecked the song with the E Street Band during The Rising Tour on April 11, 2003, at Pacific Coliseum in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
As recorded for the Devils & Dust album, the song has a dynamic arrangement, belying the common image of the album being “acoustic” or “folk” in the sense that each successive verse is augmented by new instrumentation as follows:

• the ominous synthesizer-and-horns in the 2nd
• cyclical strings half way through that,
• harmonica solo
• drums and bass from kick in after second chorus
• third verse quiet again before drums and percussion return
• a reprise of the harmonica line carries the outro.

Devils & Dust saw scant radio airplay and peaked at No 72 on the Billboard Hot 100. The song gained critical praise as well as a Song of the Year nomination at the Grammys and took home the prize for Best Solo Rock Vocal Performance. His other two nominations lost to U2 songs. Springsteen also gave a solo performance which was preceded by a glowing introduction from actor Tom Hanks and immediately followed by a brief editorial exclamation from Springsteen, “Bring ’em home!” making reference to his desire for withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq.

The music video below of Devils & Dust was filmed at an empty Paramount Theatre in Asbury Park, New Jersey. 

References:
1. Devils & Dust (song) – Wikipedia