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Well the street lights shine
Down on Blessing Avenue
Lovers they walk by
Holdin' hands two by two
A breeze crosses the porch
Bicycle spokes spin 'round
Jacket's on, I'm out the door
Tonight I'm gonna burn this town down
[Chorus]
And the girls in their summer clothes
In the cool of the evening light
The girls in their summer clothes
Pass me by
Kid's rubber ball smacks
Off the gutter 'neath the lamp light
Big bank clock chimes
Off go the sleepy front porch lights
Downtown the store's alive
As the evening's underway
Things been a little tight
But I know they're gonna turn my way
[Chorus]
Frankie's Diner's
Over on the edge of town
Neon sign spinnin' round
Like a cross over the lost and found
Fluorescent lights
Flicker above Bob's Grill
Shaniqua brings a coffee and asks "fill?"
And says "penny for your thoughts now my boy Bill"
She went away
She cut me like a knife
Hello beautiful thing
Maybe you could save my life
In just a glance
Down here on Magic Street
Love's a fool's dance
I ain't got much sense but I still got my feet
[Chorus x2]
La la la la, la la la la la la la
La la la la, la la la la la la la
La la la la, la la la la la la la
La la la la, la la la la la la la
[fades]
Down on Blessing Avenue
Lovers they walk by
Holdin' hands two by two
A breeze crosses the porch
Bicycle spokes spin 'round
Jacket's on, I'm out the door
Tonight I'm gonna burn this town down
[Chorus]
And the girls in their summer clothes
In the cool of the evening light
The girls in their summer clothes
Pass me by
Kid's rubber ball smacks
Off the gutter 'neath the lamp light
Big bank clock chimes
Off go the sleepy front porch lights
Downtown the store's alive
As the evening's underway
Things been a little tight
But I know they're gonna turn my way
[Chorus]
Frankie's Diner's
Over on the edge of town
Neon sign spinnin' round
Like a cross over the lost and found
Fluorescent lights
Flicker above Bob's Grill
Shaniqua brings a coffee and asks "fill?"
And says "penny for your thoughts now my boy Bill"
She went away
She cut me like a knife
Hello beautiful thing
Maybe you could save my life
In just a glance
Down here on Magic Street
Love's a fool's dance
I ain't got much sense but I still got my feet
[Chorus x2]
La la la la, la la la la la la la
La la la la, la la la la la la la
La la la la, la la la la la la la
La la la la, la la la la la la la
[fades]
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Bruce at his best
She went away
She cut me like a knife
Hello beautiful thing
Maybe you could save my life
Interesting little reference to the title of the album.
It is the feeling of knwoing the journey is over, and you have arrived at the place you're gone stay.
Life was good,and you have good memories.
But also their were hardtimes, but you managed to survive and recover.
Now, on those evenings were summer is ending, you put on your jacket when you go for a walk.
Young people don't wear this, youth keeps them warm.
And as you walk around, the joy of life from the young bring back the warm memories and feeling.
And you enjoy it, but are no longer a part of it.
So you go their were nothing has changed for years, and the need for change is not felt.
You think about your problems, but have the expierience to trust you will manage them, so they don't bring you down.
Soon you will walk back home, and leave the night to the young.
But always in a distance, when you hear the laughs, the cars and smell the autum sky, you wonder: Is the journey over, or will this proof to become a good memory too?
And the girls in their summer clothes
In the cool of the evening light
The girls in their summer clothes
Pass me by
Are these the same girls with "summer clothes" in the Rolling Stones, Paint It Black?
I see the girls walk by dressed in their summer clothes
I have to turn my head until my darkness goes
If so, Bill comes out at night to stalk the "girls in their summer clothes" and "burn this town down" and "turn it black". But the waitress holds him back a little by asking about him and the Stones have to turn away until the darkness goes
They have black/rapist thoughts about these girls they can't control although they try.
But maybe thinking too much....
Maybe it's just his lady left him, girls just pass him by, someone gave him coffee and cared about him and saved his life for giving a crap. He's just a lonely broken-hearted guy watching the end of summer girls in a nice way.
It's definitely about getting older with acceptance. It's one of Bruce's best modern classics, with it's poetic observation of city life.
The girls in their summer clothes may even be a non lineal metaphor.
The guy he is singing about is a blue collared anywhere-in-America guy, he's down on his luck, without too much money and depressed about a woman leaving him. In fact, Shaniqua showing him any kind of human courtesy "might have saved his life" ... meaning thoughts of suicide were creeping in (although he could just be exagerrating).
As for girls in their Summer clothes ... i'm not so sure he's implying that he's old and they are young. It doesn't say anything about the girls being young. Since this is about "Bill", for all we know, Bill could be 25, 35, 45 or 55. The key is probably that the girls in their Summer clothes imply that there are always other fish in the ocean.
But those damn girls wont stop reminding you about your past. And is trying to forget about it. He's on the road to recovery from his last relationship. And is trying to be optimistic as posssible.
Is he deppressed??
No not really
But hes defenetly not totaly happy either.
I feel like theres a fine line between Optimistic and Pessmistic
and depresion and happiness. Theres a border where im at currently in my life.
Not suicidal
But not Smileing
No tears of joy
But no tears of sorrow.