Springsteen, Bruce - Moonlight Motel Lyrics

Not a single Grammy nomination for this masterpiece of an album. Not one.

"So You walk on through the dark, cause that's where the next morning is"... Thank you Bruce

This is a MASTERPIECE ! The lyrics are amazing. Only the Boss can write such a song. Thank You Bruce for being here and help me everyday !

Huge fan of Bruce .. I think that’s my favorite song from him... so powerful..

There's a place on a blank stretch of road where
Nobody travels and nobody goes and the Deskman says these days 'round here
Two young folks could probably up and disappear into
Rustlin' sheets, a sleepy corner room
Into the musty smell
Of wilted flowers and
Lazy afternoon hours
At the Moonlight Motel
Now the pool's filled with empty, eight-foot deep
Got dandelions growin' up through the cracks in the concrete
Chain-link fence half-rusted away
Got a sign says "Children be careful how you play"
Your lipstick taste and your whispered secret I promised I'd never tell
A half-drunk beer and your breath in my ear
At the Moonlight Motel
Well then it's bills and kids and kids and bills and the ringing of the bell
Across the valley floor through the dusty screen door
Of the Moonlight Motel
Last night I dreamed of you, my lover
And the wind blew through the window and blew off the covers
Of my lonely bed, I woke to something you said
That it's better to have loved, yeah it's better to have loved
As I drove, there was a chill in the breeze
And leaves tumbled from the sky and fell
Onto a road so black as I backtracked
To the Moonlight Motel
She was boarded up and gone like an old summer song
Nothing but an empty shell
I pulled in and stopped into my old spot
I pulled a bottle of Jack out of a paper bag
Poured one for me and one for you as well
Then it was one more shot poured out onto the parking lot
To the Moonlight Motel

This might be the best song of the 2010's.

Can't find the video with the old abandoned motel. This takes me back to the old drive in movies. What a wonderful time it was.

Bruce's music means so much to me. "The Rising" helped me through the pain of losing my husband at 34 to cancer and now this album especially "Moonlight Motel" reminds me of a new relationship that developed but has now sadly ended. Bruce, you touch so many people's souls...

Stones Sundown and now this Moonlight Motel.....3 absolute standout tracks on a sensational album. The Boss has done it again.

rabid fans will love this because they will love anything he does, but this is a pretty lifeless album.

thankyou for your dedication to the cause x

" the pools filled with empty eight foot deep, dandelions growing thru the cracks in the concrete "...what an outstanding lyric...this song is pure genius, can make me cry, can make me smile. Beautiful...please tour again Bruce 😎

This song kills me. Tears flow everytime.

Thank Bruce Springsteen

Thank you Mark for making me aware of a genius. Love this album.

Ça me fait plaisir de pouvoir a nouveau écouter ce Vieux BOSS !! Cet album est magnifique !

I think this is for Clarence.

Ci sono arrivato tardi, ma ci sono arrivato, grande musica, dolcissime interpretazioni, lunga vita a Bruce.

Vanavond deze mooie docu gezien, wat een mooie songs!

what genre is this song classified as?

Beautiful

This is an artist !

Depending on my mood this masterpiece can make me smile or make me cry...have seen Bruce four times each time magical...if I hear him perform this I will smile & cry I'm sure 😎 the man is a global treasure.

The entire album is outstanding!

Don’t get much prettier then this.

Achingly beautiful. The last line is incredible. Masterful, just masterful song.

I’m so happy to be here with like minded people. I’m bowled over by the record. How does Bruce achieve so much and still understand sadness and loneliness so well?A great mystery we don’t need to unravel

In a interview I saw he mentioned that he goes through depression and see's a psychiatrist from time to time that's one reason he can relate to( loneliness and depression) most of us... He is so in touch with his family his life and his fans. Still plays 4 hour concerts.... He is the BOSS !

Experience is the best teacher. In my 70s I know where he is.

Only Bruce can write a song about a hotel and it's awesome

Love - Love - Love!

Bruce tells life as it is

What an amazing song. Its completely devestating and its so heartbreaken. May be one of the saddest songs he has ever written. Its so powerful. The song eats at your soul. You feel so sad for the narrator.

He hears the whispered voice of his former lover: “It’s better to have loved.” This is a song about someone processing grief.

I got to shake your hand Bruce at Pittsburgh. Best time of my life .

Bruce really surpassed himself on this album , 14 wonderful songs , and this one is an authentic masterpiece .I can't stop listenin' to this album , one of my favourite of the Boss .

This is a lullaby. Thanks, boss, for leaving the album this way.

https://youtu.be/d75FkvlP0Yw
❤love❤you❤
Greetings from Donosti😉😍❤❤❤❤

BOSS for ever!!!!!

What a gift! A true storyteller. His words paint a picture of love and lost. Mil gracias.

Headphones on full volume, eyes closed, and my heart melting. What a beautiful piece of music. The older the Boss gets, the better his voice sounds.

Hemingway said if you write well enough people will feel like it happened to them and I swear I can see that dark road and that empty pool and that lonely parking lot. I love the title. It may or more may not be the name of the motel itself. I think it represents another place altogether -- that place on a blank stretch of road where nobody travels, nobody goes.....except a man and his memories.

This is bizarre ,I was thinking the same about Hemingway."All good books have one thing in common - they are truer than if they had really happened" he also said "History is scar tissue" Springsteen has this amazing ability to see things as Ustinov said "All stories rely on elements people have seen but not really noticed"I am so envious of his ability to capture these images.Lets face it when was the last time Springsteen slept on musty sheets or even saw an empty motel with an empty pool with dandelions growing in the cracks .His recall is just extraordinary, please just even give me 5% of his talent to write

Wistful, weary and oozing with warmth.

Bruuuuuuuuuucccce...enough said

La tua musica, la tua intensità nella voce, la tua melodia mi portano fuori dal tempo dove cielo e terra si incontrano. Grazie Bruce

Those first few chords feel like Glen Hansard’s ‘Falling Slowly’ and then after the first few seconds it’s able to stand alone as just an amazing Bruce song.

Was fortunate enough to see Western Stars at TIFF this week and I can tell you, that you are all in for a treat when you get to hear this live version with the full orchestra accompaniment. I had listened to this song maybe twice before seeing the film this week and embarrassingly didn’t totally get it. Hearing the live version made me feel something I couldn’t put into words so thanks to Jim Beviglia who went ahead and did it for me.

https://americansongwriter.com/2019/07/bruce-springteen-moonlight-motel/

Beautiful. Well done Bruce!

Dammit this song broke me, such a sad beautiful heartbreaking song 😪😪
Noone writes like the boss

C'è qualcosa di doloroso e bellissimo in questa canzone. Di un magnifico disco. Di un artista unico. Dopo averci raccontato la promessa e la dannazione di quei parcheggi, di quelle strade, di quelle notti soli o con qualcuno accanto, sembra così vicino il tramonto non della vita ma della fuga. Si sta un attimo fermi. E come nella migliore musica, ogni verso può parlare al profondo di te, di qualcosa che ti è sfuggito o hai custodito, ogni arpeggio fa tornare ricordi lontani. Segreti sussurrati e "si va avanti". Quanto realismo in questa canzone, quanto doloroso realismo. E' come se i personaggi di 40 anni delle sue canzoni, noi in definitiva, siano sospesi tra luce e oscurità. A sorseggiare del Jack e sembra che l'ultimo verso parli a tutti coloro che ci sono letteralmente cresciuti con la musica di Bruce Springsteen. Una musica che è entrata nelle nostre vite come una vecchia canzone estiva. E sta arrivando l'autunno.
Che canzone meravigliosa.. Grazie Boss

Sì gli arpeggi toccano direttamente le corde dell'anima e vibrano, vibrano intensamente. Meraviglioso pezzo.

Condivido tutto. Questa canzone potrebbe rappresentare il canto del cigno della sua epica americana. Le corse pazze in macchina, gli amori pulsanti, la voglia di scappare e di vivere la libertà e inseguire il sogno americano sono ormai svaniti lasciando posto agli sbagli, al rimorso e alla solitudine di un uomo ormai disilluso che arranca e trova consolazione nei pochi momenti di epifania che gli sono concessi

Hai scritto un pensiero meraviglioso.
Complimenti

blown away ,,just class

Awesome. Bruce must promise never to die.

I love this....best song last.....old boy still got it!
Class is permanent 🙏

moving, beautifull, depp in my soul. welcome to Moonlight Motel

I never visited the States but still I understand what this beautiful americana-song is about.

One of the most powerful songs I've ever heard . A masterpiece of songwriting. Incredibly moving.

It broke my heart

Exactly how I feel too... it’s so haunting

Simple, simple words in the right order painting an image burned in your brain. I’ve had a hard few months, lost my dad and marriage problems, this song hits you right in the feels. Forty years of listening to this man and he pulls this out.

Stanley Johnstone Could Not have found better words . He fills the space between darkness and sunrise 🌄 with words , you can’t forget the whole day long . Love this record insanely .

Loving this Beautiful Song"" hits you right in my Heart"" makes me miss someone very special to me"" Bruce Outstanding "" Moonlight won't Tell""💘💘🎶🎶🎶

I drive to work with this song playing...it starts my day off in such a lovely way. Thanks Bruce...once again x

Initially, my favourite songs from the new album were Western Stars and Tuscon Train. Then something happened, something I cannot put my finger on. It could have been one verse, one chord, or everything at the same time delivered masterfully by Bruce. All I know is that this song then became my favourite and probably one of my favourite Springsteen songs ever. The way he tells the story is nothing short of amazing. He gives us a picture of the present that is whilst, at the same time delicately intertwining the past that was, giving us a few snapshots of how happy the character had once been on that Moonlight Motel.
Structurally speaking it's similar to another one of my favourite Springsteen song, The River. Absolute delight!

Well said.

So stunningly beautiful...

Il Boss va clonato... Long life boss

This song just makes me so sad everytime I listen to it, I feel like I ain't living life to the fullest. Yeah I'm still young, 20 years old but I feel like I have missed so much already. :/

I swore to myself not to spoil the first impression of the album by listening to the songs on youtube. And so I did.
I got the Album and its real a kind of magic when you listen to it. What a beautiful and touching masterpiece.

This song is stunningly beautiful in so many ways. The album itself is one of the best examples of songwriting at its finest. It's absolutely brilliant!

"Your lipstick taste and your whispered secret, I promised I'd never tell" Holy Shit!

I'm not crying.... you're crying

No you are..... 😭

Well, I did ...while listening for the first time ....but , was a little drunk , have to say to my shame

Magic Moment Bruce: Thanks!

Don't know how Springsteen keeps bringing us great new songs but he accomplishes it once again.

he can still rock, but rather than stay there, he grows, the words are still Bruce, still telling stories.....

A brilant play in words its better to have loved than loved

My original rock n roll hero has come to my rescue, again, never would have expected this

I feel exactly the same way. I'm floored by this album, and I've been listening to the guy for 40 years now. I did not expect this.

The lyrics have the same loneliness of Thunder Road

Same here , very surprised , just beautiful ....

Have cried listening to this song

@Gary W me too man....50 years old and this song just hit me like a dart to the heart.

Respect to The Boss, on a par with Dylan here, mesmerizing, poetic lyrics, leaves you in awe of something magical & sheer genius. The versatility of the man is astonishing. Like other "older" acts, Bruce could rely on a back catalogue of greatest hits, the easy option, but he doesn't, pushing the boundaries, always delivering & defying.Absolute legend!

Nigel James dylan has been riding on the coat tails of his past. A bruce concert is 3 hours and rocking. A dylan concert is mumbling and disappointing.

" On a par with Dylan " ? Bruce overtook mumbling Bob a long time ago.

Nobody writes lonely and beautiful better than Bruce

You have the same name as me. Only time I heard both names was when I was in trouble! Lol, which was a lot.!!! You are so right!!! I don't think anything can top this CD or LP or whatever you have. Just gorgeous

Yeah , bro ! Let's take out the bike and go for a ride , like there's no tomorrow !

I'd have to say roy orbison. So would bruce.

Just beautiful and heartbreaking...love this and hope the youth did too..

pulled a bottle of jack out of an old paper sack

Man this is the side of his music i like most..no Boss.. just a great singer songwriter

The Boss just saved his artistic best for the golden years. So much comes full circle in this song. I cried... then cried some more. This just isn’t a ‘good’ song. It’s beautiful.

Glad im not the only one who cried, this song broke my heart

He is such a story teller... can tell he reads a lot of John steinback as the poetry of words. Ghost of tom joad. .. grapes of wrath , the details of the hotel as if you're in the truck next to him a wonderful gift to have... thanks

one of his best songs

This has on got 47,000 views wtf really. This is one of his best songs ever you can close your eyes and see everything he is singing

just love it...listen to those lyrics...brings a tear..."the pool filled with empty eight foot deep"..."lipstick taste your whispered secret, I promised I'd never tell"...wow!

Uma das melhores do novo álbum.

In a few lines he creates a world so real you could touch it. Unique lyrics and almost too poignant a song. That's why he's the boss.

Love this song just one from a great album, playing it over and over again. Thank you Bruce.

i have stayed in Motels like this

Meravigliosa, fa sognare❤

....and tears keep coming down.... Amazing...still the same feelings and emotions 40plus years on....love you man,and thank You

I can’t pick out any song all is too good! Promise I have tryouts for years 🎤🎸🐎🇸🇪

Dolcissimi grazie caro amico 🙋🌹

This album is Bruce's best work .

is this the greatest song of all time? maybe.

This album has exceeded all expectations and my expectations of Bruce after 45 years listening are very high, i hear a masterpiece

FANTASTIC WESTERN STARS GREAT BOSS!!!

Bruce Springsteen out done himself with this album ur the best boss

amazing song!!Thank you so much,,,kisses from Portugal,Lisboa!!!😘🇵🇹

This song really touches my soul

welcome to morocoo

One of the best of the album. Magic song!

This is my favorite song on the album. I've listened to it so much and cannot stop singing it, it's so beautiful

Zeer mooi liedje toppertje

When you're sad and lonely and you listen to this song you can feel like there is someone there for you.

@Chris Rush me too

Yeah I'm all alone now... I miss Betty

@John Walls Betty will be with you.

I think it makes me feel about opportunities missed, a time of happiness gone. A love lost, a time never regained and a lost future never to be. But maybe that’s just me x.

Amen Brother. Bought this CD last night, and went for a long drive out in the country (live in rural southwestern Ontario, Canada)....played the whole album, and this song got replayed this one about 5 times.....it was like a warm hug.

Encore un CHEF D'ŒUVRE du BOSS

It's just so heavy.