Bruce Springsteen: 10 of his best songs about faith

Reuters

Bruce Springsteen remains one of the world's most popular musicians. He sells out stadium after stadium and he's still making number one records well into his sixties. Many would recognise his most famous songs - Born To Run, Philadelphia, Born In The USA and many more. Yet less well-known is that his work has always carried themes of faith and belief, while some of his recent albums have contained his most explicit references to Christianity. Here we look at 10 songs from throughout The Boss' career which explore faith, doubt, God, Jesus and more...

1. Adam Raised A Cain

(From Darkness On The Edge Of Town - 1978)

"In the Bible Cain slew Abel and East of Eden he was cast
You're born into this life paying for the sins of somebody else's past
Daddy worked his whole life for nothing but the pain now he walks these empty rooms looking for something to blame
You inherit the sins, you inherit the flames Adam raised a Cain"

2. My Father's House

(From Nebraska - 1982)

"My father's house shines hard and bright it stands like a beacon calling me in the night
Calling and calling, so cold and alone
Shining 'cross this dark highway where our sins lie unatoned"

3. Living Proof

(From Lucky Town - 1992)

"In a world so hard and dirty so fouled and confused
Searching for a little bit of God's mercy
I found living proof"

4. Across The Border

(From The Ghost Of Tom Joad - 1995)

"For what are we without hope in our hearts?
That someday we'll drink from God's blessed waters and eat the fruit from the vine
I know love and fortune will be mine, somewhere across the border"

5. My City Of Ruins

(From The Rising - 2002)

"Now with these hands... I pray Lord... With these hands...I pray for the strength, Lord
I pray for the faith, Lord, we pray for your love, Lord, we pray for the lost, Lord, we pray for this world, Lord...
Come on, rise up... Come on, rise up"

6. Jesus Was An Only Son

(From Devils & Dust - 2005)

"Jesus was an only son, as he walked up Calvary Hill
His mother Mary walking beside him, in the path where his blood spilled
Jesus was an only son, in the hills of Nazareth
As he lay reading the Psalms of David, at his mother's feet"

7. Rocky Ground

(From Wrecking Ball - 2012)

"Forty days and nights of rain washed this land
Jesus said the money changers, in this temple will not stand
Find your flock, get them to higher ground
The floodwater's rising, we're Canaan bound"

8. Land Of Hope And Dreams

(From Wrecking Ball - 2012)

"This train... Carries saints and sinners, This train... Carries losers and winners, This train... Carries whores and gamblers, This train... Carries lost souls, I said this train... Dreams will not be thwarted, This train... Faith will be rewarded"

9. Heaven's Wall

(From High Hopes - 2014)

"There was a woman waiting at the well, drawing water 'neath a desert sky of blue
She said he'll heal the blind, raise the dead, cure that sickness out of you"

10. This Is Your Sword

(From High Hopes - 2014)

"The times they are dark, darkness covers the earth, but this world's filled with the beauty of God's work

Hold tight to your promise, stay righteous, stay strong, for the days of miracles will come along

This is your sword, this is your shield, this is the power of love revealed"