“The Last Carnival” Explores the Loss of a Friend

Bruce Springsteen wrote, “The Last Carnival: A Farewell to Danny” after the death of longtime bandmate Danny Federici. Federici, who died of melanoma in 2008, had played with Springsteen for more than 40 years. Together they formed the backbone of what would become The E Street Band.

Credit: rollingstone.com

Springsteen wrote the song as a way to try to make sense of his enormous loss and as a way to acknowledge that the band’s sound had been irrevocably altered.

“The Last Carnival” is a soft, melancholy but undeniably intense ballad. The lyrics feature a character named Billy who first appeared in Springsteen’s song, “Wild Billy’s Circus Story.” At the beginning of “The Last Carnival,” the circus is breaking down, Billy has died and an unnamed persona mourns his loss.

“Sun down, sun down

They’re taking all the tents down

Where have you gone my handsome Billy?”

There have been a great many songs written about mourning the death of a lover, but not so many written about dealing with the loss of a friend. A friendship is a unique relationship. Our closest friends understand us, sometimes better than our closest family members and sometimes better than we understand ourselves. They know our hopes and fears. They know when they should tolerate our BS and when they need to call us on it. They can tell when to give advice and when to just be quiet and listen empathetically.

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Yet friendship is also a largely unacknowledged relationship in this culture. When someone dies, for instance, people send sympathy cards to his or her family but rarely to his or her dearest friends. Similarly, no company offers funeral leave or bereavement time off to employees after the death of a friend.

Perhaps that is why this song’s powerful tribute to friendship is one of the reasons why “The Last Carnival” moves me so much. When my best friend died, I will always be grateful to a co-worker who took the time to write me a thoughtful sympathy card.

“The Last Carnival” poignantly expresses what it is like to lose someone you love and trust:

“Hanging from the trapeze

My wrists waiting for your wrists

Two daredevils high upon the wall of death

He throws the knife. It lands inches from my head

Sun down.”

The Rolling Stone obituary for Danny Federici says that the day before Danny died, his bandmates filled his room at Sloan-Kettering Memorial Hospital and sang his favorite songs. Although only hours away from death, Danny appeared to take in the music and the love that surrounded him.

If you’ve lost a close friend, you may find that this poignant song matches your mood. In fact, it may inspire you to write down some memories and feelings about your own friend.

The death of a friend is a real loss and you are likely to find yourself grieving deeply. Finding a way to express your feelings, as Bruce Springsteen did in “The Last Carnival” can help ease your pain, at least a little.

“The Last Carnival” was released in 2009 as part of Springsteen’s album, “Working on a Dream.” You can read the full lyrics here.