{"id":29687,"date":"1980-07-25T11:00:00","date_gmt":"1980-07-25T18:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/estreetshuffle.com\/?p=29687"},"modified":"2026-09-22T18:50:07","modified_gmt":"2026-09-23T01:50:07","slug":"roll-of-the-dice-held-up-without-a-gun","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/estreetshuffle.com\/index.php\/1980\/07\/25\/roll-of-the-dice-held-up-without-a-gun\/","title":{"rendered":"Held Up Without a Gun"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;Held Up Without a Gun&#8221; came darn close to making the final pressing of\u00a0<em>The River<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p>How close? Close enough to make early versions of the album cover.<\/p>\n<p><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"30195\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/estreetshuffle.com\/index.php\/1980\/07\/25\/roll-of-the-dice-held-up-without-a-gun\/held-up-misprint2\/#main\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/estreetshuffle.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/HELD-UP-misprint2.jpg?fit=1200%2C630&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"1200,630\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-title=\"HELD UP misprint2\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/estreetshuffle.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/HELD-UP-misprint2.jpg?fit=758%2C398&amp;ssl=1\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-30195 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/estreetshuffle.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/HELD-UP-misprint2.jpg?resize=758%2C398&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"758\" height=\"398\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/estreetshuffle.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/HELD-UP-misprint2.jpg?w=1200&amp;ssl=1 1200w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/estreetshuffle.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/HELD-UP-misprint2.jpg?resize=300%2C158&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/estreetshuffle.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/HELD-UP-misprint2.jpg?resize=1024%2C538&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/estreetshuffle.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/HELD-UP-misprint2.jpg?resize=768%2C403&amp;ssl=1 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 758px) 100vw, 758px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Only at the last minute did Bruce yank this punk rave-up from Disc 3. At a mere 77 seconds, he didn&#8217;t even need to replace it with anything.<\/p>\n<p>Why did he pull it? That I can&#8217;t answer, although I suspect it has at least a little to do with the fact that it&#8217;s essentially the musical twin of &#8220;You Can Look (But You Better Not Touch).&#8221;<\/p>\n<div class=\"jetpack-video-wrapper\"><span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"youtube-player\" width=\"758\" height=\"427\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/gxBhIeTARBE?version=3&#038;rel=1&#038;showsearch=0&#038;showinfo=1&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;fs=1&#038;hl=en-US&#038;autohide=2&#038;wmode=transparent\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" style=\"border:0;\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-presentation allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox\"><\/iframe><\/span><\/div>\n<p>&#8220;Held Up Without a Gun&#8221; typically gets characterized as a song about the 1979 Oil Crisis, when gasoline prices spiked when it was even available at all.<\/p>\n<p>But while this ferocious track (which ultimately saw release as the flipside to &#8220;Hungry Heart&#8221;) may have been inspired by the gas crisis, that&#8217;s not what it&#8217;s really about. Bruce uses current events as a jump-off point for the song, but it quickly&#8211;everything about this song is quick&#8211;establishes a more timeless theme.<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"><em>I was out driving, just a-taking it slow<\/em><br \/>\n<em>Looked at my tank, it was reading low<\/em><br \/>\n<em>Pulled in an Exxon station out on Highway One<\/em><br \/>\n<em>Held up without a gun<\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"><em>Some damn fool with a guitar walks in off the street<\/em><br \/>\n<em>Ain&#8217;t got nowhere to go, ain&#8217;t got nothing to eat<\/em><br \/>\n<em>Man with a cigar says &#8220;sign here, son&#8221;<\/em><br \/>\n<em>Held up without a gun<\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"><em>Now it&#8217;s a sin and it oughta be a crime<\/em><br \/>\n<em>You know it happens buddy all the time<\/em><br \/>\n<em>Trying to make a living, trying to have a little fun<\/em><br \/>\n<em>Held up without a gun<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Don&#8217;t let that second verse fly past you&#8211;it&#8217;s the key to the song.<\/p>\n<p>It&#8217;s also a ten-second synopsis of &#8220;The Promise.&#8221; A few years down the road from his lawsuit settlement with former manager Mike Appel, Bruce obviously still carried a little bit of baggage with him.\u00a0The third verse ties a bow on it: can&#8217;t a guy just do his job and enjoy it without someone trying to swindle him?<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Held Up Without a Gun&#8221; had only a single live outing following its B-side release, on New Year&#8217;s Eve 1980, but that live performance (as brief as the studio track) got not one but two official releases: one on\u00a0<em>The Essential Bruce Springsteen\u00a0<\/em>in 2003, and one when Bruce&#8217;s official archive series released the entire show.<\/p>\n<div class=\"jetpack-video-wrapper\"><span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"youtube-player\" width=\"758\" height=\"427\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/SZDRGo3euZo?version=3&#038;rel=1&#038;showsearch=0&#038;showinfo=1&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;fs=1&#038;hl=en-US&#038;autohide=2&#038;wmode=transparent\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" style=\"border:0;\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-presentation allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox\"><\/iframe><\/span><\/div>\n<p>It would be more than 27 years before Bruce performed it again in concert, but when gas prices spiked in 2008 during the Magic Tour, he brought it back for three encore performances that summer.<\/p>\n<div class=\"jetpack-video-wrapper\"><span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"youtube-player\" width=\"758\" height=\"427\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/mIbVndmUJ-E?version=3&#038;rel=1&#038;showsearch=0&#038;showinfo=1&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;fs=1&#038;hl=en-US&#038;autohide=2&#038;wmode=transparent\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" style=\"border:0;\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-presentation allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox\"><\/iframe><\/span><\/div>\n<p>&#8220;Held Up Without a Gun&#8221; made one more appearance, on the Wrecking Ball Tour in 2012. With only five performances ever, it remains on many fans&#8217; chase lists and is likely to stay there. If you&#8217;re lucky enough to catch it, pay attention&#8211;because if you blink, you might miss it.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Bonus:<\/strong> Like much of Bruce&#8217;s River-era material &#8220;Held Up Without a Gun&#8221; started out as an acoustic home demo. In this recording (slower than but just as brief as the final electric version), we can hear Bruce working on his lyrics. Although there are some notable detail differences, the verses are remarkably close to their final form.<\/p>\n<audio class=\"wp-audio-shortcode\" id=\"audio-29687-1\" preload=\"none\" style=\"width: 100%;\" controls=\"controls\"><source type=\"audio\/mpeg\" src=\"https:\/\/estreetshuffle.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/114-Held-Up-Without-A-Gun.mp3?_=1\" \/><a href=\"https:\/\/estreetshuffle.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/114-Held-Up-Without-A-Gun.mp3\">https:\/\/estreetshuffle.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/114-Held-Up-Without-A-Gun.mp3<\/a><\/audio>\n<p><strong>Held Up Without a Gun<br \/>\nRecorded:<\/strong> February 23 &#8211; April 1, 1980<br \/>\n<strong>Released:<\/strong>\u00a0<em>The River: Outtakes<\/em> (2015)<br \/>\n<strong>First performed:<\/strong> December 31, 1980 (Uniondale, NY)<br \/>\n<strong>Last performed:<\/strong> October 25, 2012 (Hartford, CT)<\/p>\n<p>\u00a9 October 12, 2021<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>At 77 seconds, this furious 1980 B-side is Bruce&#8217;s shortest studio track on record.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":30190,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[3623,3],"tags":[1161,467],"class_list":["post-29687","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-river","category-roll-of-the-dice","tag-held-up-without-a-gun","tag-the-river"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t<!-- 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02:47:19","updated":"2026-09-23 09:51:59","seo_analyzer_scan_date":null,"focus_keyword":null,"additional_keywords":null,"truseo_locale":null},"aioseo_breadcrumb":"<div class=\"aioseo-breadcrumbs\"><span class=\"aioseo-breadcrumb\">\n\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/estreetshuffle.com\/\" title=\"Home\">Home<\/a>\n\t\t<\/span><span class=\"aioseo-breadcrumb-separator\">\u00bb<\/span><span class=\"aioseo-breadcrumb\">\n\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/estreetshuffle.com\/index.php\/category\/roll-of-the-dice\/\" title=\"Roll of the Dice\">Roll of the Dice<\/a>\n\t\t<\/span><span class=\"aioseo-breadcrumb-separator\">\u00bb<\/span><span class=\"aioseo-breadcrumb\">\n\t\t\tHeld Up Without a Gun\n\t\t<\/span><\/div>","aioseo_breadcrumb_json":[{"label":"Home","link":"https:\/\/estreetshuffle.com\/"},{"label":"Roll of the Dice","link":"https:\/\/estreetshuffle.com\/index.php\/category\/roll-of-the-dice\/"},{"label":"Held Up Without a 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Let's trace its evolution to get a sense of what the final song might promise.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;River&quot;","block_context":{"text":"River","link":"https:\/\/estreetshuffle.com\/index.php\/category\/river\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/estreetshuffle.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/underthegun.jpg?fit=1024%2C822&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/estreetshuffle.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/underthegun.jpg?fit=1024%2C822&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/estreetshuffle.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/underthegun.jpg?fit=1024%2C822&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/estreetshuffle.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/underthegun.jpg?fit=1024%2C822&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":18562,"url":"https:\/\/estreetshuffle.com\/index.php\/1980\/01\/10\/roll-of-the-dice-you-can-look-but-you-better-not-touch\/","url_meta":{"origin":29687,"position":1},"title":"You Can Look (But You Better Not Touch)","author":"Ken","date":"January 10, 1980","format":false,"excerpt":"In any arrangement and any style, \"You Can Look\" is guaranteed to bring the fun to any show it appears in. Let's trace its long and winding evolution inside.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;River&quot;","block_context":{"text":"River","link":"https:\/\/estreetshuffle.com\/index.php\/category\/river\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/estreetshuffle.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/danger-do-not-touch-aluminum-sign-12-x-18.png?fit=600%2C600&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/estreetshuffle.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/danger-do-not-touch-aluminum-sign-12-x-18.png?fit=600%2C600&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/estreetshuffle.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/danger-do-not-touch-aluminum-sign-12-x-18.png?fit=600%2C600&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":26511,"url":"https:\/\/estreetshuffle.com\/index.php\/1980\/08\/07\/roll-of-the-dice-out-on-the-run\/","url_meta":{"origin":29687,"position":2},"title":"Out on the Run","author":"Ken","date":"August 7, 1980","format":false,"excerpt":"The third time was not the charm, but Bruce still managed to salvage something from this River-era outtake.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;River&quot;","block_context":{"text":"River","link":"https:\/\/estreetshuffle.com\/index.php\/category\/river\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/estreetshuffle.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/ontherun.png?fit=512%2C512&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":31068,"url":"https:\/\/estreetshuffle.com\/index.php\/1980\/08\/16\/roll-of-the-dice-love-is-a-gun\/","url_meta":{"origin":29687,"position":3},"title":"Love is a Gun","author":"Ken","date":"August 16, 1980","format":false,"excerpt":"Here's a look at an early home demo of a song that never made it to the studio. There aren't any lyrics to speak of, but Bruce was pretty far along with the music.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;River&quot;","block_context":{"text":"River","link":"https:\/\/estreetshuffle.com\/index.php\/category\/river\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/estreetshuffle.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/lovegun.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/estreetshuffle.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/lovegun.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/estreetshuffle.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/lovegun.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/estreetshuffle.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/lovegun.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/estreetshuffle.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/lovegun.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":24825,"url":"https:\/\/estreetshuffle.com\/index.php\/2021\/02\/23\/roll-of-the-dice-ruled-by-the-gun\/","url_meta":{"origin":29687,"position":4},"title":"Roll of the Dice: Ruled by the Gun","author":"Ken","date":"February 23, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"This lost Nebraska-era outtake features one of Bruce\u2019s early attempts to grapple with gun violence.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Roll of the Dice&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Roll of the Dice","link":"https:\/\/estreetshuffle.com\/index.php\/category\/roll-of-the-dice\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/estreetshuffle.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/rulesbygun.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/estreetshuffle.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/rulesbygun.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/estreetshuffle.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/rulesbygun.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/estreetshuffle.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/rulesbygun.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/estreetshuffle.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/rulesbygun.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1570,"url":"https:\/\/estreetshuffle.com\/index.php\/2018\/04\/13\/roll-of-the-dice-i-need-you\/","url_meta":{"origin":29687,"position":5},"title":"Roll of the Dice: I Need You","author":"Ken","date":"April 13, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"\"I Need You\" and \"Ruled by the Gun\" -- two unreleased works-in-progress with a common melody but very different lyrics. The former is an anti-romantic ballad that never quite gelled.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Roll of the Dice&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Roll of the Dice","link":"https:\/\/estreetshuffle.com\/index.php\/category\/roll-of-the-dice\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/estreetshuffle.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/I-Need-You-..jpg?fit=1024%2C699&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/estreetshuffle.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/I-Need-You-..jpg?fit=1024%2C699&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/estreetshuffle.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/I-Need-You-..jpg?fit=1024%2C699&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/estreetshuffle.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/I-Need-You-..jpg?fit=1024%2C699&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/estreetshuffle.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/heldup.jpg?fit=1280%2C720&ssl=1","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/estreetshuffle.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29687","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/estreetshuffle.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/estreetshuffle.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/estreetshuffle.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/estreetshuffle.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=29687"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/estreetshuffle.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29687\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":71775,"href":"https:\/\/estreetshuffle.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29687\/revisions\/71775"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/estreetshuffle.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/30190"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/estreetshuffle.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=29687"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/estreetshuffle.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=29687"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/estreetshuffle.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=29687"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}