1
Billy, he's down by the railroad tracks
Sittin' low in the back seat of his Cadillac
Diamond Jackie, she's so intact
And she falls so softly beneath him
Jackie's heels are stacked, Billy's got cleats on his boots
Together they're gonna boogaloo down Broadway and come back home with the loot
It's midnight in Manhattan, this is no time to get cute
It's a mad dog's promenade
So walk tall, or baby, don't walk at all
Fish lady, fish lady, fish lady, she baits them tenement walls
She won't take corner boys, ain't got no money and they're so easy
I said, "Hey baby, won't you take my hand, walk with me down Broadway
Oh mama take my hand, and walk with me down Broadway, yeah
I'm a young man and I talk real loud, yeah baby, walk real proud for you
So shake it away, so shake away your street life
And hook up to the train
Oh, hook up to the night train
Hook it up, hook up to the, hook up to the train"
But I know that she won't take the train
No, she won't take the train
No, she won't take the train
No, she won't take the train
No, she won't take the train
No, she won't take the train
No, she won't take the train
No, she won't take the train
She's afraid them tracks are gonna slow her down
And when she turns, this boy'll be gone
So long, sometimes you just gotta walk on, walk on
Hey vibes man, hey jazz man, oh play me your serenade
Any deeper blue and you're playin' in your grave
Save your notes, don't spend 'em on the blues boy
Save your notes, don't spend 'em on the darlin' yearlin' sharp boy
Straight for the church note ringin', vibes man sting a trash can
Listen to your junk man
Ah, listen to your junk man
Listen to your junk man
Oh, listen to your junk man
He's singin', singin', he's singin', singin'
He's singin', singin'
All dressed up in satin, walkin' past the alley
Singin', singin', singin', singin'
Singin', singin', singin' yeah, singin' yeah
(Singin', singin', singin', singin') (Oh yeah)
Uh uh uh uh uh, uh, oh yeah
Watch out for your junk man
Watch out for your junk man
Watch out for your junk man
Oh oh ah
Oh oh ah
Oh oh ah
Oh ah, oh ah
Watch out for your junk man
Sittin' low in the back seat of his Cadillac
Diamond Jackie, she's so intact
And she falls so softly beneath him
Jackie's heels are stacked, Billy's got cleats on his boots
Together they're gonna boogaloo down Broadway and come back home with the loot
It's midnight in Manhattan, this is no time to get cute
It's a mad dog's promenade
So walk tall, or baby, don't walk at all
Fish lady, fish lady, fish lady, she baits them tenement walls
She won't take corner boys, ain't got no money and they're so easy
I said, "Hey baby, won't you take my hand, walk with me down Broadway
Oh mama take my hand, and walk with me down Broadway, yeah
I'm a young man and I talk real loud, yeah baby, walk real proud for you
So shake it away, so shake away your street life
And hook up to the train
Oh, hook up to the night train
Hook it up, hook up to the, hook up to the train"
But I know that she won't take the train
No, she won't take the train
No, she won't take the train
No, she won't take the train
No, she won't take the train
No, she won't take the train
No, she won't take the train
No, she won't take the train
She's afraid them tracks are gonna slow her down
And when she turns, this boy'll be gone
So long, sometimes you just gotta walk on, walk on
Hey vibes man, hey jazz man, oh play me your serenade
Any deeper blue and you're playin' in your grave
Save your notes, don't spend 'em on the blues boy
Save your notes, don't spend 'em on the darlin' yearlin' sharp boy
Straight for the church note ringin', vibes man sting a trash can
Listen to your junk man
Ah, listen to your junk man
Listen to your junk man
Oh, listen to your junk man
He's singin', singin', he's singin', singin'
He's singin', singin'
All dressed up in satin, walkin' past the alley
Singin', singin', singin', singin'
Singin', singin', singin' yeah, singin' yeah
(Singin', singin', singin', singin') (Oh yeah)
Uh uh uh uh uh, uh, oh yeah
Watch out for your junk man
Watch out for your junk man
Watch out for your junk man
Oh oh ah
Oh oh ah
Oh oh ah
Oh ah, oh ah
Watch out for your junk man
Lyrics submitted by sugaredreams
New York City Serenade Lyrics as written by Bruce Springsteen
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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Holy crap is this a great song. One of those that can have many meanings - as I've read Bruce say in interviews 'once you let them out into the world they can mean many things to many different people'. I think all the thoughts above make sense. It has a drug under current in it - but to me it's just what the title says. It's a NYC story about Billy chasing his dreams in NYC, maybe getting lost along the way doing something sketchy. Walking tall and doing what he has to do to get by. By the end - Jackie tires of the life and they part. She won't take the train for him. But he walks on.
To me the Walk Tall, Walk Proud, Walk On theme is the key to this song. Billy's walking tall in NYC trying to be strong while chasing whatever he's after. Then he walks proud as he thinks he's going find whatever he's looking for. Billy & Jackie part - but he walks on and starts singin' and shakes off the city life. He's starting over chasing the dream or a new dream somewhere else.
Pete Yorn's acoustic version is probably the best cover of a Bruce song that I've ever heard (except maybe for Johnny Cash's Further Up the Road). I think I might even like Yorn's version better than the original.