Every once in a while, Bruce throws a curve ball.
When The Ties That Bind: The River Collection was announced, most of the tracks on the bonus disc of outtakes were familiar to long-time fans–at least by title.
“Little White Lies” was listed as the third track, and I assumed it would be the same song as “White Lies (Don’t Do It to Me)” that had been circulating on bootlegs for almost 20 years. I remember thinking that it was an odd choice for inclusion, since lyrically it’s the same song as “Be True” (and for that matter, “Mary Lou“), so I chalked it up to a curiosity, an example of how Bruce writes lyrics and music independently.
Here’s the original bootleg version with the “Be True” lyrics–worth a listen if you’ve never heard it:
When the boxset showed up on my doorstep, I immediately popped the outtake CD in my stereo. As track three started, I recognized the familiar polka-ish melody–but imagine my surprise when I heard a completely different set of lyrics:
For years, I’d wondered why Bruce named that track “White Lies (Don’t Do It To Me).” The parenthetical I get–that phrase is repeated throughout. But “White Lies?” I never could figure out what the connection was between the title and the song.
Now we know.
Maybe Bruce had the title and theme picked out and wrote the melody first. Maybe he was just using the lyrics for “Be True” to have some words to sing to the melody. Who knows, really? But we do know now that the officially released version of “Little White Lies” is a complete and unique addition to Bruce’s catalog.
Thematically, “Little White Lies” has a lot in common with “Stolen Car,” and it’s possible that it was cast off from the River sessions for that reason. Like in “Stolen Car,” the protagonist (Billy) is looking back on the early days of his relationship, remembering and ruing a young love and ardor that was allowed to cool.
We met on open streets where we both had no place to go
I remember how my heart beat when you said “Oh Billy, I love you so”
Now, standing in the doorway, did you ever think that we could look this old
Victims of the little white lies that we told
Notice the parallel composition to “Stolen Car:”
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
As the song progresses, Billy feels encroaching doubt, but he allows himself to live in denial:
We did not count tomorrows, we took what we could and ran
There was no time for sorrow, every place you went I held your hand
And when the night closed in I was sure your kisses told me all I had to know
But they never whispered the little white lies that we told
It was so good at the start, nothing could ever pull it apart
Running hand in hand through the rain, but soon the heart break, soon the pain, girl
And then the crux of the song–the revelation that the titular white lies were actually lies of omission and complicity, the ease of staying in a less-than-ideal relationship with a half-life rather than face the pain of ending it:
There were no cold denials, nobody really lied
It wasn’t in the things we said, girl, just time spent, promises implied
And when it began to fall apart eaten quietly away from the inside
Bit by bit by those little white lies
Again, compare with “Stolen Car,” which is less explicit and more compact–establishing in four lines what it takes “Little White Lies” ten lines to do.
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
I don’t want to be too hard on “Little White Lies” — it tells a more vivid story than “Stolen Car,” with a more specific diagnosis and an uptempo melody that conveys more frustration and self-reproach than the track that made it on to The River. But they’re similar enough that it wouldn’t have made sense to include them both.
I’ve often wondered if Bruce went back and listened to “Little White Lies” when writing “Brilliant Disguise.” There’s definitely a similarity in theme, and the closing lines of “Little White Lies” sound very similar to the closing couplet of “Brilliant Disguise:”
Now lying here in the dark, did you ever think, ever think that we could be this cold
Just as cold as the little white lies that we told
vs.
Tonight our bed is cold, I’m lost in the darkness of our love
God have mercy on the man who doubts what he’s sure of
Coincidence? Perhaps. But I suspect Bruce was haunted for years by a fear of wearing masks in relationships. That theme stopped after the Tunnel of Love album. “Better Days” sheds some pretty good insight as to why.
(Bonus: Here’s an early home demo of Bruce working out the melody for “Little White Lies,” sometime in early 1979.)
Little White Lies
Recorded: June 1, 1979
Released: The Ties That Bind: The River Collection (2015)
Never performed live
Looking for your favorite Bruce song? Check our full index here. New entries every week!
