“Secret Garden” is one of Bruce Springsteen‘s most sultry and enticing songs to date. The mid-’90s track helped Springsteen soar through the charts and landed him an inclusion on the Jerry Maguire soundtrack. Uncover the meaning behind this hit, below.
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Behind the Meaning
She’ll let you in her house
If you come knockin’ late at night
She’ll let you in her mouth
If the words you say are right
If you pay the price
She’ll let you deep inside
But there’s a secret garden she hides
In “Secret Garden,” Springsteen paints a portrait of a woman who is well-versed in physical intimacy but finds it difficult to submit to any emotional intimacy. “[This song is] centered around the mysteries that remain between partners, even [in] the closest of relationships,” Springsteen once explained (per Genius).
Even getting into the surface levels of her heart requires a hammer and a vise. She’s not easy to crack and there will always be elements of her “secret garden” that she will never divulge. Nevertheless, their physical intimacy rages on with Springsteen deciding he’s OK with that arrangement.
She’ll let you come just far enough
So you know she’s really there
Then she’ll look at you and smile
And her eyes’ll say
She’s got a secret garden
Where everything you want
Where everything you need
Will always stay
A million miles away
Remix a hit
“Secret Garden” was included on the soundtrack for the Oscar-winning film Jerry Maguire. A radio programmer took it upon themself to splice quotes from the film with Springsteen’s song. It became one of the most requested songs at their station.
The remix garnered even more traction in the following weeks. It eventually became the most recent Top 40 hit Springsteen has enjoyed so far.
(Photo by Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images)
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