I never thought about it being about immigrants, but it does make sense. Look at the names he mentions: Anthony, Mama Leone, and Cacciatore are all Italian, and O'Leary is Irish. In New York, the Italian and Irish populations are quite large. The references to getting out of the ghetto and the dead-ends jobs seem like traditional "immigrant kids make good" stories. Also, the mention of Uncle Sam fits the bill. This is a really good song. The whole "Stranger" album is phenomenal.
I never thought about it being about immigrants, but it does make sense. Look at the names he mentions: Anthony, Mama Leone, and Cacciatore are all Italian, and O'Leary is Irish. In New York, the Italian and Irish populations are quite large. The references to getting out of the ghetto and the dead-ends jobs seem like traditional "immigrant kids make good" stories. Also, the mention of Uncle Sam fits the bill. This is a really good song. The whole "Stranger" album is phenomenal.