Cover art for Wreck on the Highway by Bruce Springsteen

Wreck on the Highway

Produced by

Oct. 17, 19801 viewer9.7K views

Wreck on the Highway Lyrics

[Verse 1]
Last night I was out driving
Coming home at the end of the working day
I was riding alone through the drizzling rain
On a deserted stretch of a county two-lane
When I came upon a wreck on the highway

[Verse 2]
Now there was blood and glass all over
And there was nobody there but me
As the rain tumbled down hard and cold
I seen a young man lying by the side of the road
He cried, "Mister, won't you help me please?"

[Verse 3]
An ambulance finally came and took him to Riverside
I watched as they drove him away
And I thought of a girlfriend or a young wife
And a state trooper knocking in the middle of the night
To say your baby died in a wreck on the highway

[Verse 4]
Sometimes I sit up in the darkness
And I watch my baby as she sleeps
Then I climb in bed and I hold her tight
I just lay there awake in the middle of the night
Thinking 'bout the wreck on the highway
(Oh)

How to Format Lyrics:

  • Type out all lyrics, even repeating song parts like the chorus
  • Lyrics should be broken down into individual lines
  • Use section headers above different song parts like [Verse], [Chorus], etc.
  • Use italics (<i>lyric</i>) and bold (<b>lyric</b>) to distinguish between different vocalists in the same song part
  • If you don’t understand a lyric, use [?]

To learn more, check out our transcription guide or visit our transcribers forum

About

Have the inside scoop on this song?
Sign up and drop some knowledge

Q&A

Find answers to frequently asked questions about the song and explore its deeper meaning

What did Bruce Springsteen say about "Wreck on the Highway"?
Genius Answer

Springsteen has said, the singer “realizes that you have a limited number of opportunities to love someone, to do your work, to be part of something, to parent your children, to do something good.”

Sawyers, June Skinner (2006). Tougher Than the Rest. Omnibus Press. pp. 64–65. ISBN 9780825634703

Comments