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But there has been no rebuilding of the walls. Rather, the foundations have been shaken. The faith for which he prayed is hard to come by and just as hard to hold onto. Springsteen keeps wrestling with the connections of faith and works. In "I'll Work for Your Love," a song laden with Catholic imagery (excerpted above), he declares to his lover (God?), "I'll work for your love/What others may want for free/I'll work for your love."

While Springsteen believes there is a "righteousness" that must be attained, he is conscious that all his works by themselves would not be enough. As the couple prepares to make love, the man speaks what may be a veiled reference to Leviticus 16:19, of all places: "I watch your hands smooth the front of your blouse/And seven drops of blood fall." In the Levitical passage, blood is sprinkled on the priest's finger seven times as an act of atonement to cleanse the temple's mercy seat.

Shed innocent blood continues to haunt Springsteen. On "Last to Die," he paraphrases and builds on the 1971 Congressional testimony of John Kerry (for whom Springsteen campaigned): "Who'll be the last to die for a mistake/The last to die for a mistake/Whose blood will spill/Whose heart will break/Who'll be the last to die."

The question sears the conscience. Of course, the truth is we do live because one man died as the result of a betrayal and a "mistake" we keep making. Perhaps we need to take more stock of that sacrifice, let it haunt us, and give us reason to hope as we make our long walk home.

Unless specified clearly, we are not implying whether this artist is or is not a Christian. The views expressed are simply the author's. For a more complete description of our Glimpses of God articles, click here

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