Bruce Springsteen, Sept. 23, 1949, Long Branch, N.J.

Bruce Springsteen, the voice
Of everyman’s decency
And desperate hope

Whatever you’ve felt
He lets you know he’s felt too
Along life’s highway

Youthful rebellion
Dangerous romantic dreams
The thirst to live large

Darkness, weary pain
“Debts … no honest man can pay”
Crime of life wasted

Friends like blood brothers,
Bonds that last even after
Some of those hearts stop

No one’s life’s too small
No issue, event too big
For his songs to touch

9/11’s toll
America’s salvation
Lives redeemed by love

Rocker laureate
Guitar, grit, integrity
Happy birthday, Boss