Secret Garden
My name is James Lucas, I was born in Remington
And paroled from Richfield Prison in the winter of '81
I was free and on the streets of Indiana, I'd just turned thirty-two
Just a man with nowhere left to run, no different, sir, than you
Me and Pat, we married in the spring, moved in with her ma and pa
On our wedding night she sighed, "Jimmy, we can have anything we want"
It was for those things we wanted, we worked as hard as two people could
But somehow in the end, mister, this didn't do no good
The prison got me driving delivery for Mr. Wills over in Ridgеside
Well I started loading a little extra and I'd sell it on the side
I didn't like what I was doing, I didn't lose no sleep at night
Mr. Wills he was a rich man, he'd been a rich man all his life
I was on the loading dock one evening when I heard the warehouse phone
The dispatcher said, "Jim, they wanna see you in the front office 'fore you go home"
All Mr. Wills said was, "I don't understand, I could send you back to Richfield fast
If you needed some extra money, Jim, all you had to do was ask"
Well that night me and Pat, we had a fight, I was out driving 'round in the rain
With a fifth of gin and a half tank of gas and ten dollars to my name
I passed a deserted liquor store way out on Highway 1
I turned and pulled into that parking lot, got out but I let my motor run
Well I stood looking in the window for a long, long while
When I walked in the man behind the register, he looked at me and smiled
"That's some weather we're having out there, can I help you find something, friend"
I didn't answer, I just stood there then I turned around and went
I don't know how long I sat in my driveway, my shirt was covered in sweat
The house was dark when I went in, Pat was lying awake in bed
She hit the light, I was standing in the doorway, she said, "I was worried, where'd you been so long"
I felt her arms around me, she said, "Jimmy, I'm so glad you're home"
Richfield Prison stands on a high hill where the county line runs out
And there's a whistle that blows every time a man comes in or a man gets out
That night we lay wrapped in each other's arms listening to the rain
I heard that Richfield whistle blowing, just blowing in my dreams
And paroled from Richfield Prison in the winter of '81
I was free and on the streets of Indiana, I'd just turned thirty-two
Just a man with nowhere left to run, no different, sir, than you
Me and Pat, we married in the spring, moved in with her ma and pa
On our wedding night she sighed, "Jimmy, we can have anything we want"
It was for those things we wanted, we worked as hard as two people could
But somehow in the end, mister, this didn't do no good
The prison got me driving delivery for Mr. Wills over in Ridgеside
Well I started loading a little extra and I'd sell it on the side
I didn't like what I was doing, I didn't lose no sleep at night
Mr. Wills he was a rich man, he'd been a rich man all his life
I was on the loading dock one evening when I heard the warehouse phone
The dispatcher said, "Jim, they wanna see you in the front office 'fore you go home"
All Mr. Wills said was, "I don't understand, I could send you back to Richfield fast
If you needed some extra money, Jim, all you had to do was ask"
Well that night me and Pat, we had a fight, I was out driving 'round in the rain
With a fifth of gin and a half tank of gas and ten dollars to my name
I passed a deserted liquor store way out on Highway 1
I turned and pulled into that parking lot, got out but I let my motor run
Well I stood looking in the window for a long, long while
When I walked in the man behind the register, he looked at me and smiled
"That's some weather we're having out there, can I help you find something, friend"
I didn't answer, I just stood there then I turned around and went
I don't know how long I sat in my driveway, my shirt was covered in sweat
The house was dark when I went in, Pat was lying awake in bed
She hit the light, I was standing in the doorway, she said, "I was worried, where'd you been so long"
I felt her arms around me, she said, "Jimmy, I'm so glad you're home"
Richfield Prison stands on a high hill where the county line runs out
And there's a whistle that blows every time a man comes in or a man gets out
That night we lay wrapped in each other's arms listening to the rain
I heard that Richfield whistle blowing, just blowing in my dreams
****
NOTES
La version studio de Richfield Whistle a été enregistrée le 23 avril 1983, à Thrill Hill West (Los Angeles, CA). Cette version est la seule version officielle. Elle partage une grande partie de ses paroles avec la chanson Jim Deer, parue sur l'album L.A. Garage Sessions '83, au sein du coffret Tracks II : The Lost Albums (2025).
Bruce Springsteen chant, guitare, programmation de batterie, basse, claviers, percussion
Produit par Bruce Springsteen et Ron Aniello
Enregistré par Mike Batlan
Mixé par Mike Batlan
Bruce Springsteen chant, guitare, programmation de batterie, basse, claviers, percussion
Produit par Bruce Springsteen et Ron Aniello
Enregistré par Mike Batlan
Mixé par Mike Batlan
****
