Bruce Springsteen – Darlington County

I’ve posted this song before, but I had to again. A friend of mine who got me into Springsteen and was like a brother to me just passed away. Paul was in this personal story below with me going to Florida.  We played this song at 11, going down the street in our small town, and on our way to Florida in 1985. Since I’ve been blogging, he would read some of my posts and text me when I mentioned a story he was involved in. This one made him laugh, but he said next time mention him by name…well, here you go, Paul. 

A lot of memories are connected with this song. Summer of 1985. I never got into much trouble in high school…never got caught making mischief anyway… but I did have this adventure after graduation.  I was driving to Florida with 3 other guys (Paul, Charles, and John) with this song blasting out with 140 bucks in my pocket…to Cocoa Beach, Florida…15 hours away. I was the rich one on this trip.

A bunch of guys who just graduated and were acting stupid. We learned that if you tilted a Coke machine (those back then), Cokes would stream out. Funny how you try things out when you are 18 and stupid. We filled a couple of coolers with them. It’s a wonder we weren’t caught or crushed by all of those machines. We also halfway wrecked a hotel room (TV was bolted down, thank goodness) and dreaded getting back home, where we would have to begin…gulp…life. No, I never tilted another coke machine, wrecked a hotel room, or anything like it again. 4 guys in a Toyota Celica for 15 hours…not comfortable but when you are 18…fun all the same…now I’d be in traction after such a trip.

Certain songs take you back to a time. Walking On Sunshine, Glory Days, and Darlington County all connect me with that trip. Back to the song! This is one of the very few on the album that wasn’t a hit…but it’s just as good as many of the others.

Bruce originally wrote this for his 1978 album Darkness On The Edge Of Town, but it didn’t make the cut. The riff in the song reminds me of Cadillac Ranch that was on The River album.

The song resolves itself in the end with the narrater’s buddy in trouble.

Driving out of Darlington County
My eyes seen the glory of the coming of the Lord
Driving out of Darlington County
Seen Wayne handcuffed to the bumper of a state trooper’s Ford

Darlington County

Driving in to Darlington County
Me and Wayne on the Fourth of July
Driving in to Darlington County
Looking for some work on the county line
We drove down from New York City
Where the girls are pretty but they just want to know your name
Driving in to Darlington City
Got a union connection with an uncle of Wayne’s
We drove eight hundred miles without seeing a cop
We got rock and roll music blasting off the T-top, singing

Sha la la, sha la la la la
Sha la la la, la la la
Sha la la, sha la la la la
Sha la la la, la la la

Hey little girl, standing on the corner
Today’s your lucky day for sure, all right
Me and my buddy, we’re from New York City
We got two hundred dollars, we want to rock all night
Well girl, you’re looking at two big spenders
Why, the world don’t know what me and Wayne might do
Our pa’s each own one of the World Trade Centers
For a kiss and a smile, I’ll give mine all to you
Come on baby, take a seat on my fender
It’s a long night, and tell me, what else were you gonna do?
Just me and you, we could

Sha la la, sha la la la la
Sha la la la, la la la
Sha la la, sha la la la la
Sha la la la, la la la

Little girl, sitting in the window
Ain’t seen my buddy in seven days, play it boys
County man tells me the same thing
He don’t work and he don’t get paid

Little girl, you’re so young and pretty
Walk with me and you can have your way
And we’ll leave this Darlington City
For a ride down that Dixie Highway

Driving out of Darlington County
My eyes seen the glory of the coming of the Lord
Driving out of Darlington County
Seen Wayne handcuffed to the bumper of a state trooper’s Ford

Sha la la, sha la la la la
Sha la la la, la la la
Sha la la, sha la la la la
Sha la la la, la la la

Sha la la, sha la la la la
Sha la la la, la la la
Sha la la, sha la la la la
Sha la la la, la la la

Sha la la, sha la la la la
Sha la la la, la la la
Sha la la, sha la la la la
Sha la la la, la la la

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Author: Badfinger (Max)

Power Pop fan, Baseball, Beatles, Alternative music, old movies, and tv show fan. Also anything to do with pop culture in the 60s and 70s... I'm also a songwriter, bass and guitar player. Not the slightest bit interested in politics at all.

60 thoughts on “Bruce Springsteen – Darlington County”

  2. Sorry for the loss of your friend. Songs like this that take you back to a specific place and time are priceless. Think of Paul and smile while you hear it.

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  3. Darlington County is a very relatable story, that incorporates a strong sense of youthful adventure. Sorry to hear about tour friend Paul, but I am sure the memories that you made with him will last a lifetime.

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  4. so many thoughts. I have a love hate relationship with all things Springsteen, Thunder Road is my number one, loved Emmylou Harris’ take on Racing in the Streets…and you’re right about young and dumb, there’s thing I still won’t tell my parents about and my kids will never learn (unless they occasionally read my older blog posts?)…we had a senior high reunion a number years ago, and we went over all the friends we’d lost in just about 50 years and it was horrible….but that era it was all about beer and driving fast…lost two friends the night/morning of our after-grad….flipped their car over into a ditch and drowned on the way home…before the 12th school year ended…maybe the reason why I quit drinking at one point….I still occasionally do, but, man…I don’t know if other generations go through the same thing, there’s a song called when you’re young and you don’t know nothing…truer words couldn;t be said, and thinking back, that song title, it could have been me also hits

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    1. Thanks Warren…yea Paul was born a diebetic and had to take insulin in the 70s. He had to have a kidney transplant around 3 years ago because of it and had complications because of that. But yea…same here…a lot of my class is gone…some within a year. That is terrible about the two that drowned.
      My number one song by him would probably be “Spirit in the Night” …and his debut album is my favorite.

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      1. oh man….I still remember when he was on the cover of both Time and Newsweek magazines as that kid from the east end…now his kid is riding show horses…

        and yeah, whenever there’s a fight up here about sex education for school kids, in my day way too many girls mysteriously left school and found out later teenage preg…not sure if sex ed would have helped, but wouldn’t have hurt…

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  6. That is a long time to be friends with someone Max. I am so sorry for your loss. Writing certainly can be cathartic but your story and friendship with Paul was also very relatable for me. My condolences.

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    1. Thanks Randy. It doesn’t matter but I can say he didn’t do it to himself…no drinking no drugs…a diebetic since he was a kid taking insulin…and a kidney transplant around 3 years ago…his body just kept rejecting.
      Anyway….yes it helps to let it out and he would like being connected to this song.

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  7. First of all, I’m very sorry for your loss, Max – sounds like Paul was a longtime friend and you guys were really tight. My thoughts are with you and everyone who knew him.

    It’s amazing how certain songs can be tied to certain memories. One example I can share is Ronnie Milsap’s “(There’s) No Gettin’ Over Me”, which I remember hearing in an airport shuttle van that brought us (my parents, a couple they were friends with and me) from Manhattan to JFK International Airport – marking the end of my first stay in the U.S. (as a tourist) in 1981 – an incredible 6-week summer vacation I will never forget!

    The trip you described certainly sounded memorable as well – in some regards perhaps more so than mine!

    I’ve always liked “Darlington County.” And now that you mentioned “Cadillac Ranch,” yes, I can hear some similarity as well. Plus, unlike other songs from the “Born in the U.S.A” album, this one hasn’t been overexposed.

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    1. Thanks Christian. I knew him since 3rd grade.
      Yes that is the magic of music…tying you to a time and place. That was a great time to remember for you!
      You said the key thing…it’s not overexposed!

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  8. I’m so sorry to hear you lost a close friend, Max. Your road trip definitely sounds like a great memory to recall about now. I agree about songs like these having the ability to “take us back.” A good many songs do that for me.
    Peace to Paul. Blessings to his family and friends during this difficult time.

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  9. A song that evokes a time and a place. This will be no surprise, but you won’t hear ‘Darlington County’ without a twist of the lip and a tug of the heart any more. Don’t let it infuse the flavour of the song with a trace of bitterness. Roll, go with it, because as we go through life things change and shift and resettle. Sometimes for the better, sometimes not. All part of Life’s rich traves- sorry, tapestry.

    My brother was the same; insulin injection every morning since before he could remember, later on a kidney/pancreas transplant gave him literally a new lease of life, then about 6-7 years later the kidney failed and he soldiered on for a few more years on dialysis. No bro, it’s not what we think when we’re young ‘n’ excessively dumb, nope; we’re not bullet-proof.

    I’m not one for the easily and glibly said ‘thoughtsandprayers’ but I’ll offer up a tip of my hat to Paul.

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    1. I’m going to keep enjoying the song. I thought of him before when I heard this one and will do the same…yea with some difference but it’s good.

      When he called and told me about the pancreas also and that he was no longer needed insulin or anything…I was so happy for him. For once in his life he got to eat and do what he wanted with a little more freedom.

      But…as you probably saw…it never was all good. He was in and out of the hospital all of the time. I talked to him around two months ago and he told me his short term memory was bad. He could remember the crazy stuff we did but yesterday was another matter… But I never knew it was this close. I guess we hardly ever do.

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      1. I’m the same with ‘The Weight.’ I heard that the day my brother died and I pulled over by the river, just up from our house and had a wee cry. That line about ‘Crazy Chester’ just got me. The song is tinged now, in a sadder way but not in a bad way. It is what it is.

        Yes, the pancreas kept on ticking along for my bro too. Reeses pieces and Chimichangas!

        True. The sad thing was his mind was still clear as a bell.

        Yep, let’s enjoy the now. Tomorrow comes soon enough. (He said cheerily.🙂)

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    2. BTW…thanks for telling me about your brother. I didn’t know how common this was with the kidneys and especially the pancreas and not needing insulin anymore.

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  11. Pingback: Bruce Springsteen – Darlington County – MobsterTiger

  14. Condolences about your friend Paul. Too young to go like that, poor guy. Had you kept much in touch through the ‘adult’ years?
    The song, a good one. Could’ve been a big single and probably would have been on another album but there were just so many great tracks on ‘Born in the USA’. Couldn’t all be singles I guess though Columbia gave it the ol’ college effort!

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    1. Thank you Dave…I really appreciate it…Yea he was one of the few non musician friends that I kept up with. One of his sons and Bailey are the same age and played baseball together and we both coached. I talked to him him April I think was the last time and he wasn’t doing good. I never knew it was THIS bad. We would have lunch every once in a while as well.
      Yes it could have been another one off of that album…I liked it better than a few they did release…fun loving song.

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      1. that’s quite sad indeed. Was he in your band?
        ‘Bobby Jean’ is the one that really gets me that wasn’t a single (and there weren’t many of them!) on the album, but this is mighty good too. I grew up in an area where there was actually a Darlington County, though Ontario kind of amalgamated it with another when I was a kid.

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      2. No…he was a non musician…one of the few I stayed in touch with. I did try teaching him bass but he was too much into girls at that time lol.
        Almost every song on this album could have been a single I agree. I think the worst one was Working on the Highway. I agree with Bobby Jean…it had hit written all over it.

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      3. By jeez, that’s a topic- best ‘worst’ song on an album. I agree with’Working on a highway’ on that record but it’s still a fairly good tune

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    1. Thank you Matt…I really appreciate it. It was a great trip that will always be with me.
      I think I’ve posted now….everything on that album. This is a repeat from 2020 I think.

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      1. Oh ok, I’m still missing ‘I’m on Fire’, ‘Cover Me’, ‘Bobby Jean’, No Surrender’ and ‘Dancing in the Dark’ as well. Basically half the album. Probably one is due up soon.

        Btw have you seen the new Spinal Tap 2 trailer? I had a good chuckle…

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      2. No Surrender is the one with Darlington County that I really played alot when I got the album…then I hit all of the other ones back then.
        I was in High School when this came out so the lyric “We learned more from a three-minute record, baby Than we ever learned in school” really hit home!

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      4. Yea this song with it’s buddy story fit us well. It’s not my favorite Bruce album but I have to say…not a bad song on the album. The only one that took me a long time to warm up to was Working on the Highway.

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  16. Wrecked a hotel room? OK, “Keith”. Seriously, I am so sorry that you lost your good friend. It’s nice that this song brings back such good memories for you. It’s funny, even though this was Bruce’s most popular album, I never bought it until years later. I bought some of the singles at the time, and found a used CD long after. As a result, I don’t know the songs that weren’t singles that well, because I’ve probably played this album the least of any of his. Probably over-saturation in 1984. This one sounds like a rollicking good tune to accompany the road trip of young graduates.

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    1. Thank you so much…it’s starting to sink in now and it sucks. He had so many physical problems but a wonderful man.
      Yes I did! I got to be a rock star/criminal for a few days. It was cash back then so no credit cards to track me down! Oh I had just read Full Moon about Keith…and it showed! This album was the best Bruce album for traveling I think with a bunch of guys.
      It’s NOT my favorite album by him by any means…my favorite, and yes I’m in the minority, is Greetings ….I just love the rawness of it. I would put this album probably around 5th on my list.

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    1. I love Nebraska and thanks to you…I would at least put Magic on my list now! I’m also a huge fan of Tunnel of Love…it’s a downer but I love the album.

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      1. I like Tunnel Of Love too. I tend to shy away from his more “anthemic” songs. Born To Run is a great album, but except for a couple of songs, it’s a pretty heavy album, and I feel like I have to be in a certain frame of mind for it. It’s like Van’s Veedon Fleece. I love that album, but it’s not something to throw on as background music. I feel like I have to pay attention and give it the respect it deserves.

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      2. I thought I sent this comment the other day but I don’t guess I did! I know exactly what you mean. Born to Run is heavy…the two songs I like more than any other on that album is Backstreets and 10th Ave Freeze Out…
        Veedon Fleece…the song that got me hooked on that album was Bulbs…I also like Hard Nose The Highway…
        My background album are Allmans at Fillmore East…….

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      3. It’s OK, sometimes I think my comments don’t get through to you, so I just figured that was what happened. I used to work with a guy in a restaurant, and we were both Van freaks. We used to make tapes to listen to on my little one speaker Sanyo Radio/Cassette combo. His favorite Van album was Veedon Fleece, and I said my favorite song on it was “Cul de Sac”. He said basically yeah, that’s a great song, but “Bulbs” “makes me glad I’m alive”. The more I think about it, I realize how right he was. Rock on, Dave S., wherever you are.

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  18. Songs have a way of moving us in different ways. i have a a few buddies that are conjured up when certain songs are played. They all make me feel good and remind me of certain moments. Good tune by the Boss. Great image of “Wayne handcuffed to the bumper” I knew a few dumb shits when i was that age. I was one of them and I still pull a few brain dead stunts. Not as many or as frequent and a little less costly. Good post Max.

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    1. Yea that is what songs do…tie us to a person or and an event. Oh yea…I still can do brain dead things…but I blame that story all on Keith Moon…I just read a book about him…so stupid looking back. That age…you just do…not think and do. I’m still trying to get better with that.

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