Overall about difficult moments of disappointment and vulnerability. Having hope and longing, while remaining optimistic for the future. Encourages the belief that with each new morning there is a chance for things to improve.
The chorus offers a glimmer of optimism and a chance at a resolution and redemption in the future.
Captures the rollercoaster of emotions of feeling lost while loving someone who is not there for you, feeling let down and abandoned while waiting for a lover. Lost with no direction, "Now I'm up in the air with the rain in my hair, Nowhere to go, I can go anywhere"
The bridge shows signs of longing and a plea for companionship. The Lyrics express a desire for authentic connection and the importance of Loving someone just as they are. "Just in passing, I'm not asking. That you be anyone but you”
Sandy the fireworks are hailin' over little Eden tonight
Forcin' a light into all those stony faces left stranded on this fourth of July
Down in town the circuit's full of switchblade lovers so fast, so shiny, so sharp
As the wizards play down on Pinball Way on the boardwalk way past dark
And the boys from the casino dance
With their shirts open like Latin lovers on the shore
Chasin' all them silly New York virgins by the score
And Sandy, the aurora is risin' behind us
This pier lights our carnival life forever
Oh love me tonight for I may never see you again
Hey Sandy girl
My, my baby
Now the greasers, ah they tramp the streets
Or get busted for sleeping on the beach all night
Them boys in their high heels ah Sandy their skins are so white
And me I just got tired of hangin' in them dusty arcades
Bangin' them pleasure machines
Chasin' the factory girls underneath the boardwalk
Where they all promise to unsnap their jeans
And you know that tilt-a-whirl down on the south beach drag
I got on it last night and my shirt got caught
And they kept me spinnin' I didn't think I'd ever get off
Oh Sandy, the aurora is risin' behind us
This pier lights our carnival life on the water
Laughin' 'neath the boardwalk, ah, with the boss's daughter
I remember Sandy girl, na, na, na, na, na baby
Sandy that waitress I was seeing lost her desire for me
I spoke with her last night
She said she won't set herself on fire for me anymore
She worked that joint under the boardwalk
She was always the girl you saw boppin' down the beach with the radio
The kids say last night she was dressed like a star
In one of them cheap little seaside bars
And I saw her parked with lover boy out on the Kokomo
Did you hear the cops finally busted Madame Marie
For tellin' fortunes better than they do
For me this boardwalk life is through, babe
You ought to quit this scene too
Sandy, the aurora is rising behind us
This pier lights our carnival life forever
Oh, love me tonight and I promise I'll love you forever
Oh, I mean it, Sandy, girl
My, my, my, my, my baby
Yeah, I promise, Sandy, girl
Sha, la, la, la, la, baby
Forcin' a light into all those stony faces left stranded on this fourth of July
Down in town the circuit's full of switchblade lovers so fast, so shiny, so sharp
As the wizards play down on Pinball Way on the boardwalk way past dark
And the boys from the casino dance
With their shirts open like Latin lovers on the shore
Chasin' all them silly New York virgins by the score
And Sandy, the aurora is risin' behind us
This pier lights our carnival life forever
Oh love me tonight for I may never see you again
Hey Sandy girl
My, my baby
Now the greasers, ah they tramp the streets
Or get busted for sleeping on the beach all night
Them boys in their high heels ah Sandy their skins are so white
And me I just got tired of hangin' in them dusty arcades
Bangin' them pleasure machines
Chasin' the factory girls underneath the boardwalk
Where they all promise to unsnap their jeans
And you know that tilt-a-whirl down on the south beach drag
I got on it last night and my shirt got caught
And they kept me spinnin' I didn't think I'd ever get off
Oh Sandy, the aurora is risin' behind us
This pier lights our carnival life on the water
Laughin' 'neath the boardwalk, ah, with the boss's daughter
I remember Sandy girl, na, na, na, na, na baby
Sandy that waitress I was seeing lost her desire for me
I spoke with her last night
She said she won't set herself on fire for me anymore
She worked that joint under the boardwalk
She was always the girl you saw boppin' down the beach with the radio
The kids say last night she was dressed like a star
In one of them cheap little seaside bars
And I saw her parked with lover boy out on the Kokomo
Did you hear the cops finally busted Madame Marie
For tellin' fortunes better than they do
For me this boardwalk life is through, babe
You ought to quit this scene too
Sandy, the aurora is rising behind us
This pier lights our carnival life forever
Oh, love me tonight and I promise I'll love you forever
Oh, I mean it, Sandy, girl
My, my, my, my, my baby
Yeah, I promise, Sandy, girl
Sha, la, la, la, la, baby
Lyrics submitted by Deathsdoor99, edited by BruceTheBoss
4th of July, Asbury Park (Sandy) Lyrics as written by Bruce Springsteen
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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By far my favorite Bruce song. Its about growing up on the shore. He is looking back on all those days on the boardwalk and how he remembers it all but its also about how he turned away from all of that. If only Asbury Park is like how it used to be, though I did get to see fireworks out on point pleasant beach with a bunch of friends, I am sure its not the same.
guys once again almost no comments especially on a song thats considered one of bruces best written. i feel that its about a kid, like bruce, who has fallen in love with asbury park, but knows that its time for him to leave, this message is really portrayed in the lines:And you know that tilt-a-whirl down on the south beach drag/ I got on it last night and my shirt got caught/ And they kept me spinnin'/ I didn't think I'd ever get off this is such a great metaphor for his feelings about leaving the shore, he had so much here that when it comes time to move on he finds the trip impossible, a dilemma i am sure bruce was faced with when he started getting big and going on tours
Bruce is definitely one of the best songwriters/entertainers ever! I love this song and I always think Sandy is the beach. He is getting ready to leave the area, and the way of life that goes with it. He goes to the beach one last time, thinking he is going to make it big and when he does he might not come back. Long live The Boss! What would we ever do without him?
This song has to rate as one of the greatest ever in any genre. In it Bruce captures what it is to be young but on the cusp of growing up. The protagonist is looking back on his erstwhile playground. Clearly he knows it well but he is is leaving the next day, he has out grown this place. There are feelings of regret, and of grading admirations for those that remain; the switchblade lovers, the pinball wizards and the boys in the casino. He knows them well they have been part of his landscape.
He knows to that he is leaving behind the girls. The factory girls and the New York virgins who have come out to the bright lights and the vicarious danger of the Jersey Shore for the 4th of July holiday. Chances are he has had his romantic and sexual encounters with these girls. They were transient like the waitress who will no longer set herself on fire for him. Not only that but she has turned her attentions elsewhere to another 'lover boy'.
They are in the past.
As for Sandy there is no clear indication that he is offering to take her with him, just that if she loves him tonight he will love her for ever in return, though there is a wonderful tempting hint that he might take her along for the ride:
"for me this boardwalk life is through babe You ought to quit this scene too"
Did she go with him?
Fast forward to Thunder Road.
A tour de force of a song. Brilliant imagery, cohesive narrative and more emotion than one man deserves to pack into a lifetime let alone one song. It stays young in my head the way I do.
My favorite Boss song of all time. I agree with most of the other comments here, except for one departure: He is not talking to another girl...he's talking to the beach. Sandy, is the beach, the shore. That to me is readily apparent...and the greatest part of the song. He's just telling it to the beach....
This is from Bruce's second album. I don't know how far he is looking back. Still a great song.
Easily my favourite Bruce song ever
one of my fave bruce songs this and i just love the way this guy tells a story. this song to me is about a time/place you are leaving but still love this girl who you might not actually be seeing anymore, maybe an ex whos still yourbest friend. you know you are leaving but you just want one more night with this girl
There is some songs I would love to hear from Bruce.. To the point of tears. Thuner Road, Jungleland and 4th of July, Asbury Park( Sandy).
This song is simply amazing. I love Springsteen, he makes such great music. It really never gets old.
this isn't a direct love song. the dude's seeing the waitress but maybe he desires Sandy, who must be the dudes (best?) friend.
i agree with bearfan. i too would love to her sandy; jungleland; and backstreets live