Devils & Dust - Album Themes

Album Themes

The title track is about a soldier in a war, assumed to be an American one who had participated in the 2003 Invasion of Iraq or the subsequent occupation. It could also relate to a Western setting in some way. Most of the songs are about souls in turmoil. Much of the imagery is taken from the American West as Springsteen had previously done in his The Ghost of Tom Joad album, as well as Nebraska. This album also deals with the relationship between mothers and children, which marked a departure for Springsteen, who'd previously written frequently about his relationship with his father, but little about his mother.

The songs "Reno" and "Long Time Comin'" came as a surprise to many listeners. "Reno" describes in graphic detail a sexual encounter with a prostitute, while "Long Time Comin'" has the word "fuck" in the lyrics. Springsteen explained the two songs by revealing that "Reno" was about a man so in love with his lost wife that his desperation could not be vanquished even by a prostitute ("It wasn't the best I ever had / not even close") and that the expletive in "Long Time Comin'" was not negative but, in fact, a positive affirmation ("I ain't gonna fuck it up this time," referring to raising his new child).

The closing song, "Matamoros Banks", is told in backwards time and explores the thoughts of a dying immigrant crossing the border from Mexico. It seems to continue a story first told in "Across the Border" in The Ghost of Tom Joad.