I love genesin2000's post, "This is clearly a song about gold fever." haha what? it might be about that, but it's definitely not clear. i'd say considering springsteen's writing style it's pretty possible the "desert" is a metaphorical one, meaning he's been lost in a lonely no-man's land due to an unresolved conflict. I tend to think the song is about revenge. The guy in the song is a badass. He wears a dead man's suit, a smiling skull ring, and sings songs to keep his revenge-obsessed mind calmed. He's counting on meeting whoever wronged him further on up the road. If it was written about September 11th like most of the rest of the album, it could be about a widowed man's thirst for revenge on those who took his wife.
I agree about the revenge motif. My family just experienced a real betrayal by someone we thought was a friend, as so did another mutual friend. this was the song that bubbled up in my heart and mind. The beauty of the song is the ambiguity - it seems to be both about a desire for revenge but also for resolution and maybe even transcendence. Anyway, I learned to play the Johnny Cash version and intend to make it one of my standards.
I agree about the revenge motif. My family just experienced a real betrayal by someone we thought was a friend, as so did another mutual friend. this was the song that bubbled up in my heart and mind. The beauty of the song is the ambiguity - it seems to be both about a desire for revenge but also for resolution and maybe even transcendence. Anyway, I learned to play the Johnny Cash version and intend to make it one of my standards.
I love genesin2000's post, "This is clearly a song about gold fever." haha what? it might be about that, but it's definitely not clear. i'd say considering springsteen's writing style it's pretty possible the "desert" is a metaphorical one, meaning he's been lost in a lonely no-man's land due to an unresolved conflict. I tend to think the song is about revenge. The guy in the song is a badass. He wears a dead man's suit, a smiling skull ring, and sings songs to keep his revenge-obsessed mind calmed. He's counting on meeting whoever wronged him further on up the road. If it was written about September 11th like most of the rest of the album, it could be about a widowed man's thirst for revenge on those who took his wife.
I agree about the revenge motif. My family just experienced a real betrayal by someone we thought was a friend, as so did another mutual friend. this was the song that bubbled up in my heart and mind. The beauty of the song is the ambiguity - it seems to be both about a desire for revenge but also for resolution and maybe even transcendence. Anyway, I learned to play the Johnny Cash version and intend to make it one of my standards.
I agree about the revenge motif. My family just experienced a real betrayal by someone we thought was a friend, as so did another mutual friend. this was the song that bubbled up in my heart and mind. The beauty of the song is the ambiguity - it seems to be both about a desire for revenge but also for resolution and maybe even transcendence. Anyway, I learned to play the Johnny Cash version and intend to make it one of my standards.
Lucy
Lucy