Escrita por Bruce Springsteen, foi gravada em 9 a 11 de abril de 1979, no Power Station Studio, em New York City. Foi lançada no disco The River, o quinto de Bruce, em 17 de outubro de 1980. Foi produzida por Bruce Springsteen, Jon Landau e Steven Van Zandt. Na verdade é a música que abre o disco. Foi a segunda música a ser gravada pro disco. Fala para uma mulher que está sofrendo por amor pra não abandonar o amor e sim pra aceitar os laços de um relacionamento. As influencias dela foram When you walk in the room e Who'll stop the rain. Bruce cantou e tocou guitarra. Clarence Clemons tocou sax. Garry Tallent tocou baixo. Steven Van Zandt tocou guitarra. Max Weinberg tocou bateria.
A letra:
You've
been hurt and you're all cried out, you say
You walk down the
street pushin' people out of your way
You've packed your bags and
all alone you wanna ride
You don't want nothin', don't need no one
by your side
You're walkin' tough baby, but you're
walkin' blind
To the ties that bind
The ties that bind
Now
you can't break the ties that bind
A cheap romance, you say it's all just,
just a crutch
You don't want nothin' that anybody can touch
You're
so afraid of being somebody's fool
Not walkin' tough baby, not
walkin' cool
You walk cool, but darlin', can you
walk the line?
And face the ties that bind
The ties that
bind
Now you can't break the ties that bind
Oh I'd, I'd rather feel the hurt
inside, yes I would darling
Than know, than know the emptiness
your heart must hide
Yes I would darling, yes I would darling
Yes
I would baby
You sit and wonder just who's gonna
stop the rain
Who'll ease the sadness, who's gonna quiet your
pain?
It's a long dark highway and a thin white line
Connecting
baby, your heart to mine
We're runnin' now but darlin' we will
stand in time
To face the ties that bind
The ties that bind
Now
you can't break the ties that bind
You can't forsake the ties that bind
A versão de Bruce Springsteen: