Featured In
Top Songs By Bruce Springsteen
Credits
PERFORMING ARTISTS
Bruce Springsteen
Vocals
Lisa Lowell
Background Vocals
Patti Scialfa
Background Vocals
Soozie Tyrell
Background Vocals
Gary Mallaber
Drums
COMPOSITION & LYRICS
Bruce Springsteen
Songwriter
PRODUCTION & ENGINEERING
Bruce Springsteen
Producer
Chuck Plotkin
Producer
Bob Clearmountain
Mixing Engineer
Bob Ludwig
Mastering Engineer
Dave Collins
Editing Engineer
Greg Goldman
Assistant Engineer
Jon Landau
Producer
Randy Wine
Assistant Engineer
Robert "RJ" Jaczko
Assistant Engineer
Toby Scott
Recording Engineer
Lyrics
[Verse 1]
I was driving through my hometown
I was just kinda killing time
When I seen a face staring out of a black velvet painting from the window of the Five and Dime
I couldn't quite recall the name
But the pose looked familiar to me
So I asked the salesgirl, "Who was that man
Between the Doberman and Bruce Lee?"
[Chorus]
She said, "Just a local hero"
"Local hero", she said with a smile
"Yeah, a local hero
He used to live here for a while"
[Verse 2]
I met a stranger dressed in black at the train station
He said, "Son, your soul can be saved"
There's beautiful women, nights of low living
And some dangerous money to be made
There's a big town 'cross the whiskey line
And if we turn the right cards up
Well, they make us boss, the devil pays off
And them folks that are real hard up
[Chorus]
They get their local hero
Yeah, somebody with the right style
They get their local hero
Yeah, somebody with just the right smile
[Verse 3]
Well, I learned my job, I learned it well
Fit myself with religion and a story to tell
First they made me the king, then they made me pope
Well, then they brought the rope, whoa!
[Verse 4]
I woke to a gypsy girl saying, "Drink this"
Well, my hands had lost all sensation
These days I'm feeling all right
Except I can't tell my courage from my desperation
From the tainted chalice
Well, I drunk some heady wine
Tonight I'm laying here, but there's something in my ear
Saying there's a little town just beneath the floodline
[Chorus]
Needs a local hero
Yeah, somebody with the right style
Looking for a local hero
Yeah, someone with the right smile
Looking for a local hero
Yeah, somebody with the right smile
[Outro]
Looking for a local hero
Yeah, somebody with just the right smile
Local hero, "Local hero", she said with a smile
Local, local hero, he used to live here for a while
[Chorus]
Local hero (Oh yeah)
Local hero (Yeah, yeah)
Local hero (Hoo, hoo, hoo)
Local hero
Written by: Bruce Springsteen