Bruce Springsteen - American Skin (41 Shots) Lyrics






(41 shots)
(41 shots)
(41 shots)
(41 shots)

41 shots, and we'll take that ride
'Cross the bloody river to the other side
41 shots, cut through the night
You're kneeling over his body in the vestibule
Praying for his life

Is it a gun, is it a knife
Is it a wallet, this is your life
It ain't no secret (it ain't no secret)
It ain't no secret (it ain't no secret)
No secret my friend
You can get killed just for living in your American skin

(41 shots)
(41 shots)
(41 shots)
(41 shots)

41 shots, Lena gets her son ready for school
She says, "On these streets, Charles
You've got to understand the rules
If an officer stops you, promise me you'll always be polite
And that you'll never ever run away
Promise Mama you'll keep your hands in sight"

Is it a gun (is it a gun), is it a knife (is it a knife)
Is it a wallet (is it a wallet), this is your life (this is your life)
It ain't no secret (it ain't no secret)
It ain't no secret (it ain't no secret)
No secret my friend
You can get killed just for living in your American skin

(41 shots)
(41 shots)
(41 shots)
(41 shots)

Is it a gun (is it a gun), is it a knife (is it a knife)
Is it in your heart (is it in your heart), is it in your eyes (is it in your eyes)
It ain't no secret (it ain't no secret)
It ain't no secret (it ain't no secret)
It ain't no secret (it ain't no secret)

41 shots, and we'll take that ride
'Cross this bloody river to the other side
41 shots, I got my boots caked with this mud
We're baptized in these waters (baptized in these waters)
And in each other's blood (and in each other's blood)

Is it a gun (is it a gun), is it a knife (is it a knife)
Is it a wallet (is it a wallet), this is your life (this is your life)
It ain't no secret (it ain't no secret)
It ain't no secret (it ain't no secret)
No secret my friend
You can get killed just for living in
You can get killed just for living in
You can get killed just for living in your American skin

41 shots
41 shots
41 shots
41 shots

41 shots
41 shots
41 shots
41 shots

41 shots (you can get killed just for living in)
41 shots (you can get killed just for living in)
41 shots (you can get killed just for living in)
41 shots (you can get killed just for living in)

41 shots (you can get killed just for living in)
41 shots (you can get killed just for living in)
41 shots (you can get killed just for living in)
41 shots (you can get killed just for living in)





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Bruce Springsteen American Skin (41 Shots) Comments
  1. M.... ....

    what a great song.i didn't know the story behind.hard to understand what's going on in america.greetings from germany

  2. J.... R....

    Watched the movie, "Queen and Slim" last night. Amadou Diallo Rest in Peace! F the popo!

  3. T.... B....

    Hey Bruce, when you need your mansions, cars or money protected, I am sure you will not care how many shots are fired for that huh?

  4. T.... F....

    It's sad that so many people got angry about this song without even reading the lyrics. But people like getting indignant at celebrities. In the end those cops (not all cops were upset) did Bruce a favor by publicizing his song. Reminds me of the Religious groups that condemned " Monty Pythons "The Life of Brian" back around 1982. All the free publicity helped make it Monty Pythons most profitable film. And when people saw the film it was obvious that the film was quite respectful of Jesus.

  5. D.... C....

    the man who got killed matched the description of a serial rapist. Not saying that he was but remember that that happened. So the NYPD tracked him on a lookout in the Bronx and when the man reached for his wallet a silhouette made it look like a gun thus forcing the officers to shoot 41 shots which 19 hit. You are welcome

  6. P.... B....

    Grande Bruce perché riesci ad esprimere questa critica con ironia! No odio, no razzismo, no abuso di potere SOLO FARE PONTI É LA VIA GIUSTA PER LA PACE

  7. A.... F....

    Que voz.... Que Homem lindo❤

  8. M.... T....

    One of a shit ton of reasons he is dubbed "The Boss"

  9. I.... K....

    218 losers disliked this song!

  10. a.... d....

    Sei grande Bruce!! 😢😇😇😇😇💔💗💓♥️♥️💎🎶

  11. J.... B....

    2:51 made that guitar scream.

  12. Z.... S....

    Bruce is the man!!!

  13. J.... R....

    Still makes me cry. F the po po!

  14. T.... M....

    R.I.P. Mr.Diallo. Love the Boss from 2000 to 2019,and this song is still powerful 💜

  15. w.... s....

    Bruce is to rock music, as Picasso is to modern art...someone should carve Bruce's head onto the Statue of Liberty...

  16. L.... F....

    MAGNIFIQUE DE COURAGE !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  17. s.... s....

    MY GOD , what a performance.

  18. M.... A....

    May it be 1% of the police or 1% of the extreme right of Americans it is part of the American Skin and our History we must come together and end this insanity before it to late for the rest of Us

  19. J.... A....

    He can create something like this...
    And yet have no problems playing in Saudi Arabia.
    Welcome to 2019.

  20. d.... n....

    Blacks aren't discriminated against because of their skin color, but because of their bad reputation.

  21. i.... r....

    Where are the missing three minutes of this song? Its actual length is 7:53 seconds.

  22. J.... E....

    Respect to the Boss. he took up the baton for our brother shot dead for nothing. no excuses just systemic racial hatred for the mon white

  23. G.... C....

    Many police officers should have to listen Springsteen's song 41 Shots as required training. There is no reason for these acts of violences of citizens. RIP all of those shot wrongly....

  24. J.... A....

    sing the other half of the story bruce.

  25. K.... S....

    With rights come responsibilities. Cops these days fail to realize this.

  26. G.... ....

    Not uncommon - such as a different incident "Cops who shot Vallejo 55 times in 3.5 seconds deemed to have acted reasonably".

  27. D.... F....

    Pelle d'oca...............

  28. F.... e....

    What beautiful song I do not speak very well in English after all I'm only 12 years old but I love this song

  29. S.... E....

    This version is cut! No lengthy intro and no repeating "GET killed just for living in..."

  30. G.... B....

    bellissima canzone tragicamente ancora attuale dopo 20 anni , rip amadou diallo

  31. A.... B....

    One of the best Springsteen´s songs ever

  32. D.... B....

    God, I love this song. So intense.

  33. N.... J....

    Doing a project in school and I picked this song

  34. R.... C....

    That's a marvellous song !

  35. j.... w....

    I put 41 shots all over my boyfriends ass last night

  36. K.... ....

    It should be called U People band. All ugly members

  37. T.... M....

    Years later this song still touches my soul. Truly sad how nypd tried treating the boss, but in the end he didn’t need ya. Awesome song Bruce. R.I.P. to all young men that’s been shot down by law enforcement for no reason ✌🏾

  38. H.... S....

    RIP Philando Castille.

  39. L.... D....

    DIsarm !!!

  40. C.... J....

    Everytime I hear this song, and I hear Bruce belting it out, I realize how fucked up this world really is, and I wish like hell that we would all stop our petty shot and realize how fortunate we are and say fuck you to the ones that bring us down

  41. A.... A....

    I couldn't help thinking about this song after some Brazilian soldiers fired more than 80 bullets into a car carrying a family, killing one man and wounding two other people. There were two children inside the car! The family was black, of course...the racism never ends! :-(
    https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/apr/08/brazil-soldiers-arrested-shooting-car-family

  42. B.... M....

    Dam police haters

  43. V.... B....

    AMOOOOOO 💘 Love 💘

  44. A.... T....

    Cops are nothing more than the henchmen of the White collar criminal industry. Trust no cop !

  45. J.... C....

    Justice for Antwon Rose

  46. �.... �....

    Great!!!!!!

  47. R.... A....

    20 years ago today , you're precious innocent life will never be in vain ! We will always remember , we will always RESIST !

  48. R.... A....

    Rise In Eternal Power , Amadou ! We will never forget !

  49. G.... M....

    e ADESSO CHE QUELLO DI SOPRA HA FATTO DI NUOVO RUMORE E CASINO E QUELLA DI FIANCO ANCHE PURE..IO ME NE VADO DA QUI!! e RINGRAZIA IL CIELO CHE QUESTA MATTINA NON HO URLATO!! NON HO PROTESTATO!1 MA SE MI TELEFONI GLI URLI LI SENTIRANNO SINO IN PIAZZA DUOMO A MILANO!!

  50. c.... ....

    Bruce Springsteen is an American poet.

  51. H.... C....

    Came here after reading his book. Incredible song.....wake up USA before it is too late......Herr Trump can't save you with his ignoramus base. The world weeps for the late great nation. Make American Great Again????? Too late afraid, the epitaph has been written, the eulogy been said.

  52. P.... I....

    If u hit the thumbs down u have no heart period. Probably all cops.

  53. P.... I....

    Such a sad but true song.

  54. M.... V....

    Big gay

  55. N.... I....

    It's dreadful that an innocent person died, but you insist on maintaining the right to bear arms in the USA, so it's only going to get worse. If I were a cop in America, I'd probably get to a point in my life where I'd shoot first and ask questions later. It's a great song and asks the questions that must be answered not just by the police, but by society itself.

  56. m.... s....

    Never run it move .

  57. M.... G....

    I shared this song with one of my college classes when we were talking about the book "The Hate U Give" (10/10 would recommend. It's a great book). By the middle of the song, I looked among my peers and saw 3 different people crying. Bruce is such a powerful force for good, everyone should listen to this song.

  58. n.... ....

    Rest in peace Diallo

  59. L.... G....

    i hope every racist on earth dies a painful death. police officers have a DUTY. its disgusting. i dunno how they can live with themselves.

  60. R.... S....

    4:51 RIP. Big man 😟

  61. M.... B....

    Ich liebe dieses Lied, und noch mehr den Sänger 😘💖💖

  62. L.... L....

    Bruce Springsteen has always has said this song is not anti-police.
    Springsteen always contended the song is about America and how our society (in the late 1990s) pushes ourselves to clutch into a racial divisiveness vide.

  63. B.... M....

    I remember young man shot America while he was trying to show his wallet African young my self was a refugee students in UK I was very disturbed by the killing mystery though still keen to visit USA someday cause death is every were involved the world

  64. J.... W....

    leonardo da vinci of modern times

  65. G.... S....

    Bah como eu amo Bruce Springsteen..😍😍❤

  66. N.... M....

    Lindamente vc

  67. h.... s....

    One of the deepest song

  68. c.... v....

    This man is a god of the stage, this is one of the most sublime live stuff I´ve ever seen

  69. A.... S....

    This song was NOT intended to be anti-cop, Bruce wrote a whole verse from the cop's point of view, and at the end he asks "Is it in your heart?/Is it in your eyes?" basically asking if there isn't a little racism in all of us that we need to fight against.
    The fact that cops took this as a direct attack on them says a lot more about the cops than it does about Bruce. The fact that the song is still relevant 17 years later says a lot about each and every one of us for letting it get to this point.

  70. C.... ....

    this isn't a song, its a life story! Your The Boss! Respect Always!

  71. n.... ....

    just read about this in the 'born to run' book. had to see it for my self.

  72. a.... c....

    So good.

  73. H.... 7....

    Super song

  74. k.... k....

    love this song!! Hes always awsome!

  75. Z.... D....

    Understand the rules

  76. Z.... D....

    Xfactor

  77. S.... D....

    This song should be song for all the military who were kilked for George Bush's drug wars. The CIA the DEA kill their own for drug runners.

  78. S.... D....

    Mary J Blige is a drug runner.

  79. S.... D....

    I believe 41 shots was a slight exaggeration. It was a warning to the police in NYC to back off of drug investigations.
    Who was warning them?
    How about Bush 41?

    S.... D....

    No, it wasn't a slight exaggeration: This was written in the aftermath of a man, Amadou Diallo, being shot 41 times by the NYPD, who claimed that they mistook the wallet in his hand for a gun.

    More recently, the Cleveland police shot Timothy Russell and Malissa Williams 137 times. Sean Bell also died in a hail of bullets.

  80. E.... C....

    With white America putting the tRump nazis in power, this song is more important than ever.

  81. P.... v....

    Such a shame this video is not complete. What people miss here is Clarence’complete sax notes and Bruce’ soaring, dramatic guitar-solo and the singing grand finale!

  82. B.... D....

    ALL LIVES MATTER

  83. B.... M....

    et le bout de saxo sur la fin...hummm

  84. B.... M....

    P.... ce gars a plus d'un tour dans son sac, plus d'une chanson pour nous émouvoir!!!!

  85. T.... ....

    Great Song, Love Bruce and The ESB forever!!!!!!

  86. s.... P....

    The greatest

  87. L.... G....

    This song is ACTUALLY BULLSHIT

  88. G.... H....

    Bruce Springsteen is the greatest legend ever. Love that song so much. The song is so realistic and powerful. Teach us the world is cruel and cold and we need to help each other and community to make the world safer. Thanks Bruce Springsteen. You are awesome.

  89. T.... c....

    this has to stop!! Thank you Bruce for writing and singing and caring!!! <3

  90. e.... m....

    All these cringe Sjw millennials posting boring and generic Sjw talking points are slowly making me hate this song. Rip Bruce- U know ur done in music when all u get on ur music is one big SJW talking point after an other. Legit thanks to u tards this song will be forgotten about a lot faster- Good job kids

  91. d.... d....

    I fucking hate we can't be sensible. (he who cast the first stone my brother?)

  92. j.... ....

    respect to the boss <3

  93. 1.... ....

    That coda from Big Man......how music can speak.

  94. L.... Q....

    Still relevant today. Love this man!!!! Was lucky to see him in Sydney Australia 7th Feb 2017

  95. G.... M....

    #stephenclark RIP

  96. R.... ....

    Still more relevant than ever in 2018. Sad.
    I can't even watch a Law and Order rerun or read a Michael Connelly novel anymore. Policing is a profession throughly devoid of honor and respect now, and shows no sign of changing.

  97. J.... D....

    Bruce=ally