Bruce Springsteen: Shackled and Drawn Meaning

1. anonymous

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   Sep 16th 2018 report

   Making great moments from hard times.
2. anonymous

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   Jan 16th 2014 report

   I feel, that this song is relating to an economic crisis, or perhaps the man in the song is "shackled" to debt in a financial hole and has to work off the money "indentured servant". He very well could just be a slave, but I feel that this song is deeper than that.
3. anonymous

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   Mar 12th 2013 report

   "Shackled and drawn" calls up to me the image of a slave being dragged to his new master's property after auction: wrists shackled in iron, chained and dragged (drawn) on foot behind his master's cart, towards a lifetime of bondage. Seems to me Bruce is suggesting that under the current economic system ordinary people are hardly better than slaves, forced to work out a life of drudgery just to keep themselves alive.
4. anonymous

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   Jun 9th 2012 report

   "I woke up this morning shackled and drawn" I think refers to waking up to the current economic crisis, a lack of jobs, and being unable to do anything about it.
   "Let a man work, is that so wrong" I think refers to the simplicity of a decent person who want to be able to go to work and earn some pay, but can't through no fault of his own.
   "Freedom, Son, is a dirty shirt" I think is a reference the original and true American Dream.
5. anonymous

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   May 29th 2012 report

   I'm thinking slaves shackled together and drawn along..or drawing along..a cart or something?

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