Bruce Springsteen 'Knew' Clarence Clemons Was Going To Die, Singer Played One Last Song For Pal

It has been over a decade since Clarence Clemons passed away at age 69 because of complications after a stroke, but Bruce Springsteen still remembers, as he had played Clemons one last song.

Springsteen shared, in an interview with Howard Stern during a live interview on SiriusXM, some of his fond memories with the musician prior to his friend's passing.

Although tears were definitely shed after Clemons' death, the 73-year-old singer did not have any regrets.

"I had a feeling he could hear me because he could squeeze your hand," he revealed.

"When I first went to see him [after his stroke], there was some response to your voice and to you being in the room, it felt like. I knew that he was going to die, and so I just brought the guitar in and I strummed a song called 'Land of Hope and Dreams.'"

The "Dancing In The Dark" singer further explained that the song is about life and death, which is fitting given the circumstances.

Ironically, this is a song Springsteen worked on with the E Street Band. The lyrics read: "Grab your ticket and your suitcase / Thunder's rolling down this track / Well you don't know where you're goin' now / But you know you won't be back / Well darlin' if you're weary / Lay your head upon my chest / We'll take what we can carry / Yeah, and we'll leave the rest."

They Go Way Back

Clemons was a former EStreet band member.

"His brother was there. I think Jake, his nephew, was there. And there were a few other people. But it was just a little tiny space."

"It's a hymn ... it was a song we were playing at the end of the night [on tour] and it was one of the last songs that Clarence and I worked on a sax solo together on," he added.

According to reports, Springsteen and Clemons were close, as E Street Band was the former's backing band.

So not only were they frequent collaborators but were friends even outside concert venues and offstage.

According to reports, Clemons suffered a massive stroke in 2011. A few days after his hospitalization, Springsteen paid his friend a visit and brought his guitar to the hospital.

Springsteen performed "Land Of Hopes And Dreams" for Howard during the interview as well. Watch the performance below.

Tags

Bruce Springsteen, Death, Songs, Performance, Hospital