Hey bus driver, keep the change
Bless your children, give them names
Don't trust men who walk with canes
Drink this and you'll grow wings on your feet
Broadway Mary, Joan Fontaine
Advertiser on a downtown train
Oh, Christmas crier bustin' cane
He's in love again

Where dock worker's dreams mix with panther's schemes
To someday own the rodeo
Tainted women in VistaVision
Perform for out-of-state kids at the late show

Wizard imps and sweat sock pimps
Interstellar mongrel nymphs
Rex said that lady left him limp
Love's like that (sure it is)
Queen of diamonds, ace of spades
Newly discovered lovers of the Everglades
They take out a full-page ad in the trades
To announce their arrival
And Mary Lou, she found out how to cope
She rides to heaven on a gyroscope
The Daily News asks her for the dope
She said, "Man, the dope's that there's still hope"

Senorita, Spanish rose
Wipes her eyes and blows her nose
Uptown in Harlem she throws a rose
To some lucky young matador


Lyrics submitted by fearofmusic

Does This Bus Stop at 82nd Street? Lyrics as written by Bruce Springsteen

Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC

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Does This Bus Stop At 82nd Street? song meanings
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  • +1
    General Comment

    Now this is a song I've wondered about.

    It makes me think of a guy riding a bus through a rough urban neighborhood that he's familiar with, reflecting on the things he sees.

    Lines like "dock work's dreams mix with panther's schemes to someday own the rodeo" make me think this song is referencing the news of the time. Like the Black Panthers were doing something, working alongside dock workers on strike... I don't know though, that sort of thing was before my time.

    jebsoon February 26, 2006   Link

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