I often get asked about my favorite Springsteen song, and I agonize over it each and every time. My answer tends to vary by the day. Bruce’s catalog is too vast and too stellar to latch onto any one song as an ultimate favorite.
Once, though, a fellow fan asked me what my favorite Springsteen lyrics were, and although I’d never even considered the question, my answer came surprisingly quickly and easily.
In theory, it should have been just as tough a task as picking a favorite song. After all, this is the man who wrote “Is a dream a lie if it don’t come true, or is it something worse” and “God have mercy on the man who doubts what he’s sure of.”
But as killer as those lines are, they’re not what came immediately to mind when pressed for my favorite Springsteen lyrics.
No, my vote for Bruce’s best lyric goes to:
Dum dum dee-dum dum dee-dee dum dum!
I contend to you, dear reader, that there are no finer words to be found anywhere in Bruce Springsteen’s catalog, and his inclusion of them in “Lion’s Den” is more than mere evidence of his unerring lyrical instincts–it elevates a castoff trifle to one of Bruce’s best and tightest pop songs.
Let’s take a listen.
That’s two minutes and fifteens seconds of pop perfection, right there. Recorded back in 1982 (with horns overlaid in 1998), there’s no doubt in my mind that “Lion’s Den” would have earned Born in the U.S.A. a sole distinction as the album with the most top ten songs on it (rather than where it is now, tied for first with Michael Jackson, Janet Jackson, and Drake.)
“Lion’s Den” is about resilience, romantic and otherwise. It’s a self-pep talk and the best kind of swagger. And while Bruce often laces his songs with biblical imagery, the metaphor works even without the religious subtext.
Our tale opens with a Romeo on the mend from a broken heart and shattered confidence. His last relationship didn’t end well, and at least for a while, he was laid low. But now he’s back, and he’s ready to face down the world:
You broke my heart, tore it apart
Thought it was cute, thought it was smart
But now I’m back, and I’ve got the strength of ten
So I got a message for you, my friend:
I’m Daniel waiting in the lion’s den
Daniel waiting for that lion to come
Daniel waiting in the lion’s den
Dum dum dee-dum dum dee-dee dum dum
While our hero fancies himself as Daniel, the lion isn’t his ex–the lion is his next. His next love, his next job, his next dream, his next goal. It’s Bruce telling the world to bring whatever obstacles and curve balls it wants to throw his way–he’s got the confidence, the resolve, and the faith to face them. And as the parable shows us (and as Bruce would someday write): faith will be rewarded.
That old lion’s mean and long in the tooth
And like you, baby, he’s out on the loose
Messing hearts up time and time again
Well, it’s time for that messing to end
I’m Daniel waiting in the lion’s den
Daniel waiting for that lion to come
Daniel waiting in the lion’s den
Dum dum dee-dum dum dee-dee dum dum
Okay, let’s talk about that perfect line: Surely, Bruce could have written any number of last lines for the chorus. It’s not as if “come” is a difficult rhyme to match. So why didn’t he?
I would submit that there are at least two reasons:
- If you want to convey a carefree character, not bothering to finish the chorus is a pretty great way to do it. We expect to hear a final line that serves as a dare to the lion, but our hero just doesn’t care enough to bother–that’s how confident he is.
- It’s so much fun to sing. I’m not even sure it’s possible to do it without breaking into a big goofy grin.
In fact, if you listened to the song earlier in the article, I bet you’re going to find yourself unintentionally singing “dum dum dee-dum dum dee-dee dum dum” out loud at least once in the next hour or so. (Happens to me every time.)
At night I hear you out prowling around
Tearing guys up, staring ’em down
Now all that growling’s gonna come to no end
‘Cause I’m just biding my time, my little friend
I’m like Daniel waiting in the lion’s den
Daniel waiting for that lion to come
Daniel waiting in the lion’s den
Dum dum dee-dum dum dee-dee dum dum
In the end, nothing happens in “Lion’s Den.” There’s no journey or character arc–in fact the entire song is about the main character waiting for something to happen. Like I said at the top, our hero is a guy laid low by love. “Lion’s Den” is about getting up, planting your feet firmly, staring life in the eye, and saying:
Bring it on.
If your spirits are low, if you’ve had a bad day, a bad week, month or year–turn up the volume and play “Lion’s Den.” You’ll be back in the fight in no time.
“I should have put [Lion’s Den] out! Why didn’t I put that out?” –Bruce Springsteen, The Boston Globe, November 20, 1998
Most likely, Bruce didn’t put out “Lion’s Den” because he gave it away–or intended to, at least. The recording that’s included on Tracks was actually recorded during the sessions for Gary U.S. Bonds’ On the Line album, and it’s highly likely that it ended up as an outtake from it. (I’d love to hear Bonds’ version.) Instead, a version with Bruce’s vocals hibernated in his vault until he dusted it off in 1998, added a horn section, and included it in his November box set release.
Once he rediscovered “Lion’s Den,” though, Bruce seemed to recognize pretty quickly how great it was. He debuted it early in the Reunion Tour in Paris, and it was even more fun live than on vinyl. Watch and see–here’s the very first live performance of “Lion’s Den” (twice as long as the studio version), and Bruce can’t help but smile at every chorus.
Bruce played it again a few days later in Madrid, but after that “Lion’s Den” inexplicably disappeared from Bruce’s setlists, coming out only three times ever since, two of which were at Penn State University (in a nod to the school’s sports team).
Only once in the post-Reunion era did “Lion’s Den” get an outing beyond the Penn State campus: on April 6, 2012, at Madison Square Garden. This time, it was all Bruce could do to keep it together until the end of the song–there were a few times when it looked like laughter was about to get the best of him:
“Lion’s Den” occupies the top of my “favorite Bruce lyrics” list, and it sits atop my chase list as well. And if we’re lucky enough to get the long-rumored Born in the U.S.A. box set soon, I just might be lucky enough to catch it.
Bonus: Here’s an early work-in-progress outtake of “Lion’s Den.” It’s unrecognizable except for the central conceit and a wordless chorus, but it’s a good example of how Bruce sometimes fixes his sights on an idea and sets out in search of the right song to give it a home.
Lion’s Den
Recorded: January 25, 1982 (core recording), 1998 (horns)
Released: Tracks (1998), 18 Tracks (1999)
First performed: June 3, 1999 (Paris, France)
Last performed: November 1, 2012 (University Park, PA)
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