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Well they blew up the chicken man in Philly last
Night now they blew up his house too
Down on the boardwalk they're gettin' ready
For a fight gonna see what them racket boys can do
Now there's trouble busin' in from outta state
And the D.A. can't get no relief
Gonna be a rumble out on the promenade and
The gamblin' commission's hangin' on by the skin of its teeth
[Chorus]
Everything dies baby that's a fact
But maybe everything that dies someday comes back
Put your makeup on fix your hair up pretty and
Meet me tonight in Atlantic City
Well I got a job and tried to put my money away
But I got in too deep and I could not pay
So I drew what I had from the Central Trust
And I bough us two tickets on that Coast City bus
[Chorus]
Now our luck may have died and out love may
Be cold but with you forever I'll stay
We're goin' out where the sand's turnin' to gold
So put on your stockin's 'cause the night's getting' cold and maybe everything dies
That's a fact but maybe everything that dies
Someday comes back
Now I been lookin' for a job but it's hard to find
Down here it's just winners and losers and
Don't get caught on the wrong side of that line
Well I'm tired of comin' out on the losin' end
So honey last night I met this guy and I'm
Gonna do a little favor for him
Well I guess everything dies baby that's a fact
But maybe everything that dies someday
Comes back
Put your makeup on fix your hair up pretty and
Meet me tonight in Atlantic City
Night now they blew up his house too
Down on the boardwalk they're gettin' ready
For a fight gonna see what them racket boys can do
Now there's trouble busin' in from outta state
And the D.A. can't get no relief
Gonna be a rumble out on the promenade and
The gamblin' commission's hangin' on by the skin of its teeth
[Chorus]
Everything dies baby that's a fact
But maybe everything that dies someday comes back
Put your makeup on fix your hair up pretty and
Meet me tonight in Atlantic City
Well I got a job and tried to put my money away
But I got in too deep and I could not pay
So I drew what I had from the Central Trust
And I bough us two tickets on that Coast City bus
[Chorus]
Now our luck may have died and out love may
Be cold but with you forever I'll stay
We're goin' out where the sand's turnin' to gold
So put on your stockin's 'cause the night's getting' cold and maybe everything dies
That's a fact but maybe everything that dies
Someday comes back
Now I been lookin' for a job but it's hard to find
Down here it's just winners and losers and
Don't get caught on the wrong side of that line
Well I'm tired of comin' out on the losin' end
So honey last night I met this guy and I'm
Gonna do a little favor for him
Well I guess everything dies baby that's a fact
But maybe everything that dies someday
Comes back
Put your makeup on fix your hair up pretty and
Meet me tonight in Atlantic City
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Couple notes about the song:
* Bruce does say at the beginning of this performance that the song is about the "gang wars of Southern New Jersey". This definitely gives the song a cinematic quality.
* In this video, the song seems to really strike a chord with Clarence. The man seems genuinely moved and completely lost in the song. It almost makes me cry for some reason. Pay especially close attention to Clarence from the 2:50-3:10 mark of the video. Just about at the 3:00 mark exactly, as Bruce is singing "put on your stockings baby, cuz the night gets cold", Big Man is looking up into the heavens as though he was in the clutches of religious nirvana at some charismatic Church gathering. This is a powerful video.
But I think it's deeper than just rebirth, I think it's about the disappointment of a rebirth that doesn't get rid of the dirty past. Look at the video...that's the real Atlantic City (at least at the time). The inlet, Pauline's Prairie, it's all there. Only thing missing is Nicholson's Bar.
Because the Casinos didn't make everyone rich. The sand wasn't turned to gold for the homeless who lived under the boardwalk. It broke as many people as it made.
And that's what line "Maybe everything that dies, some day comes back" means. It refers to the guy who, no matter what he does, he can't escape his past. Just as they couldn't get rid of the rotten soul of AC by putting up glitzy Casinos, this guy and his girl can get dressed up and all, but they are still the same people (no luck and no love) and finally doing the favor (doesn't matter if it is a killing or some other nefarious deed, it's something the singer doesn't want to mention by name) has him back where he started.
-obie
I may be way off track, but I always interpreted the chorus as a reluctant pimp/boyfriend trying to convince his even more reluctant prostitute/girlfriend to go out and work just one more night. The "everything" in the chorus being her happiness, innocence, self respect, et cetera.
I don't think this interpretation is contradictory to much of what I've read here.