Listening to ATLANTIC CITY tonite

This is probably my favorite Springsteen song, but I really only listen to it when I'm in a very serious mood. It's powerful in many directions and pulls thoughts out of my head. It starts:

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 bustin' 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 his teeth.

Its a vague talk about some sort of muscle (gangland?) getting out of hand. those lines are a strong pull to this song for me. the song often helps me focus on my work, which is often fighting people or fighting for people, in one way or another. i find the stark and serious nature of the words gripping.

Well, I got a job and tried to put my money away
But I got debts that no honest man can pay
So I drew what I had from the central trust
And I bought us two tickets on that coast city bus.

I have no explanation for you. but there have been several times in my life when my whole world was literally up in the air. if a few things didn't fall just right--and much of it was down to luck as much as anything else--every inch of my life and the furture i'd planned for myself would have crashed. the hopelessness of those words are painfully clear. you have yourself behind the 8-ball and you've got to cling to the desperate chances you find. often it's the only one that you can find. Finally, the chours (in part):

Well now, ev’rything dies, baby, that’s a fact
But maybe ev’rything that dies someday comes back

perhaps the best string of words Springsteen ever strung together...at least if you felt like you were losing everything. always some hope, even if it sounds wrenchingly out of reach. what ever gets you through the nite, you know?

good song.