Roll of the Dice: Love Is a Dangerous Thing

Thank goodness Bruce didn’t release this one. It’s just plain creepy.

Catchy, yes. But still: creepy.

The second in his yet-to-be completed “Love Is a Thing” trilogy (see “Love Is a Crazy Thing” for the first), “Love Is a Dangerous Thing” was written during Bruce’s Nebraska writing period that followed the River Tour. Although it sounds like it was clearly intended to be a full-band rocker, its morally questionable protagonist and dark, alienated theme are right at home with the batch of songs that Bruce would shortly include on his next album.

Although most of Bruce’s home demo escapees are fairly primitive, “Love Is a Dangerous Thing” is pretty far along. Bruce is obviously still tweaking his lyrics, and some lines are almost certainly bluffed (he has a habit of going into full-on mumble mode when he doesn’t have a line developed yet), but there’s no doubt as to what the song is about.

Our protagonist (if we can call him that) is a literal stalker, which makes his “Don’t talk to strangers” chorus (not to mention the song title) more sinister and threatening than it might otherwise sound.

Followed you home baby late last night
I seen you walking in the dark
Sat outside baby, out at your house
Sat outside in my car
Now babe I’m lookin’ through the window
Baby don’t go away
Don’t trust strangers
I told you don’t talk to strangers
Baby don’t talk to strangers
Love is a dangerous thing

I see you looking and out go the lights
I feel you baby in the middle of the night
??? squeezin’ you tight
And still I’m waitin’ for ???
Don’t trust strangers
Don’t trust strangers
Baby don’t trust strangers
Love is a dangerous thing

With the third verse, the song gets more challenging to follow, in large part because this verse is still underdeveloped and heavily bluffed. Still, it seems that Bruce is revealing that our narrator is far more than just a jealous lover–his paranoia consumes him even when he’s alone.

Yeah I feel eyes on me when I’m alone
I hear some noises comin’ through my telephone
I lock the windows and ???
??? 
Yeah they come a knockin’ in the middle of the night
???
You better watch out baby ???
Or you’ll be slowly twisting in the wind
Don’t talk to strangers
I told you don’t talk to strangers
Baby don’t talk to strangers
Love is a dangerous thing

Bruce repeats the final verse of “Love Is a Dangerous Thing” twice, for good reason. It’s a strong verse, fully developed, and (to us, at least) familiar.

Eve tempted Adam with an apple
You know how that story ends
Delilah tempted Samson
She left him slowly twisting in the wind
Don’t trust strangers
Don’t trust strangers
Don’t trust strangers
Love is a dangerous thing

Two years later, that first line would show up in “Pink Cadillac,” and the clever device in the second would show up more than a decade on in “Highway 29.” (The Samson and Delilah reference, of course, had already been featured in “Fire.”)

So while “Love Is a Dangerous Thing” was a non-starter on its own, it was a step toward two great songs still to come.

As to why Bruce decided not to finish and release “Love Is a Dangerous Thing,” I will not speculate.

I will, however, leave you with another artist’s smash hit single that reached #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 shortly after Bruce recorded his work-in-progress demo above.

Love Is a Dangerous Thing
Recorded: September-December 1981 (demo only)
Never released
Never performed

Looking for your favorite Bruce song? Check our full index. New entries every week!