The singer (I agree this is the same character from “Racing in the Streets”) is still clinging to a dream that racing is going to make him rich. His wife didn’t share his dream. She moved on to another man who is more successful. Fairview sounds like a nice suburb. By contrast, the singer says he’s living under a bridge. Whether he is literally homeless or is exaggerating how poor and outcast he feels, he certainly is not living as well as his ex-wife and her new man are living.
That bitterness is more clear in the third verse. “Some folks are born into a good life.” That’s his ex-wife’s new man, and the singer is suggesting that man did nothing to earn his wealth and happiness, he had everything handed to him; in contrast, the singer believes himself hard-working and honorable (“I'll be there on time and I'll pay the cost”), a man who has paid his dues but has wound up with very little.
“Other folks get it anyway anyhow.” This is a biting description of his ex-wife. He’s saying she only cares about money, and she’ll do anything to get it — even break the heart of a good man (as the singer sees himself) and give herself with a less-deserving man (as the singer sees his rival) just to maintain a richer lifestyle.
“I lost my money and I lost my wife. Them things don't seem to matter much to me now.” This sounds like sour grapes. He claims he doesn’t care about these things, but he can’t shut up about them. His ex-wife is enjoying a new marriage with money, living in comfort, while the singer feels down and out. He feels like an outcast, living on the edge of society, relegated to the darkest parts. No one cares about him: no one asks him any questions or looks too long in his face. He is a nobody.
I think his “secret” is how much it hurts him, how much he still wants his ex-wife and the money he thought racing would bring him. He knows if he doesn’t cut himself loose from his bitterness and his longing, it will drag him down, keep him from getting on with his life. He tells himself he is cutting these things loose (“Them things don't seem to matter much to me now.”). But in fact, these things are dragging him down. Instead of looking for a new love, he’s sending messages to his ex-wife about where she can find him; he won’t accept the fact that she has moved on, she doesn’t want to see him. He’s easily found, but she hasn’t found him yet because she isn’t interested.
@BeautyUntamed : You stated, "By contrast, the singer says he’s living under a bridge. Whether he is literally homeless or is exaggerating how poor and outcast he feels, he certainly is not living as well as his ex-wife and her new man are living."\r\n\r\nThe answer to this became much clearer to me after hearing the USA outtake Brothers Under the Bridges, about young guys and gals who would, in essence, "race out at the trestles". In Brothers Under the Bridge, as you probably know, Bruce describes the street racing life with, "neath the trestles drinking the beer and the wine."...
@BeautyUntamed : You stated, "By contrast, the singer says he’s living under a bridge. Whether he is literally homeless or is exaggerating how poor and outcast he feels, he certainly is not living as well as his ex-wife and her new man are living."\r\n\r\nThe answer to this became much clearer to me after hearing the USA outtake Brothers Under the Bridges, about young guys and gals who would, in essence, "race out at the trestles". In Brothers Under the Bridge, as you probably know, Bruce describes the street racing life with, "neath the trestles drinking the beer and the wine." I think, through some movie or some book or maybe he heard someone talking about that type of experience, he got that idea. Bruce has stated that he got the idea for Racing in the Street by talking to a young guy in Asbury Park about his racing lifestyle. Maybe, it was that guy that gave him the idea about racing under suburban bridges.
@BeautyUntamed : You stated, "By contrast, the singer says he’s living under a bridge. Whether he is literally homeless or is exaggerating how poor and outcast he feels, he certainly is not living as well as his ex-wife and her new man are living."\r\n\r\nThe answer to this became much clearer to me after hearing the USA outtake Brothers Under the Bridges, about young guys and gals who would, in essence, "race out at the trestles". In Brothers Under the Bridge, as you probably know, Bruce describes the street racing life with, "neath the trestles drinking the beer and the wine."...
@BeautyUntamed : You stated, "By contrast, the singer says he’s living under a bridge. Whether he is literally homeless or is exaggerating how poor and outcast he feels, he certainly is not living as well as his ex-wife and her new man are living."\r\n\r\nThe answer to this became much clearer to me after hearing the USA outtake Brothers Under the Bridges, about young guys and gals who would, in essence, "race out at the trestles". In Brothers Under the Bridge, as you probably know, Bruce describes the street racing life with, "neath the trestles drinking the beer and the wine." I think, through some movie or some book or maybe he heard someone talking about that type of experience, he got that idea. Bruce has stated that he got the idea for Racing in the Street by talking to a young guy in Asbury Park about his racing lifestyle. Maybe, it was that guy that gave him the idea about racing under suburban bridges.
I see this as a very bitter song.
The singer (I agree this is the same character from “Racing in the Streets”) is still clinging to a dream that racing is going to make him rich. His wife didn’t share his dream. She moved on to another man who is more successful. Fairview sounds like a nice suburb. By contrast, the singer says he’s living under a bridge. Whether he is literally homeless or is exaggerating how poor and outcast he feels, he certainly is not living as well as his ex-wife and her new man are living.
That bitterness is more clear in the third verse. “Some folks are born into a good life.” That’s his ex-wife’s new man, and the singer is suggesting that man did nothing to earn his wealth and happiness, he had everything handed to him; in contrast, the singer believes himself hard-working and honorable (“I'll be there on time and I'll pay the cost”), a man who has paid his dues but has wound up with very little.
“Other folks get it anyway anyhow.” This is a biting description of his ex-wife. He’s saying she only cares about money, and she’ll do anything to get it — even break the heart of a good man (as the singer sees himself) and give herself with a less-deserving man (as the singer sees his rival) just to maintain a richer lifestyle.
“I lost my money and I lost my wife. Them things don't seem to matter much to me now.” This sounds like sour grapes. He claims he doesn’t care about these things, but he can’t shut up about them. His ex-wife is enjoying a new marriage with money, living in comfort, while the singer feels down and out. He feels like an outcast, living on the edge of society, relegated to the darkest parts. No one cares about him: no one asks him any questions or looks too long in his face. He is a nobody.
I think his “secret” is how much it hurts him, how much he still wants his ex-wife and the money he thought racing would bring him. He knows if he doesn’t cut himself loose from his bitterness and his longing, it will drag him down, keep him from getting on with his life. He tells himself he is cutting these things loose (“Them things don't seem to matter much to me now.”). But in fact, these things are dragging him down. Instead of looking for a new love, he’s sending messages to his ex-wife about where she can find him; he won’t accept the fact that she has moved on, she doesn’t want to see him. He’s easily found, but she hasn’t found him yet because she isn’t interested.
@BeautyUntamed : You stated, "By contrast, the singer says he’s living under a bridge. Whether he is literally homeless or is exaggerating how poor and outcast he feels, he certainly is not living as well as his ex-wife and her new man are living."\r\n\r\nThe answer to this became much clearer to me after hearing the USA outtake Brothers Under the Bridges, about young guys and gals who would, in essence, "race out at the trestles". In Brothers Under the Bridge, as you probably know, Bruce describes the street racing life with, "neath the trestles drinking the beer and the wine."...
@BeautyUntamed : You stated, "By contrast, the singer says he’s living under a bridge. Whether he is literally homeless or is exaggerating how poor and outcast he feels, he certainly is not living as well as his ex-wife and her new man are living."\r\n\r\nThe answer to this became much clearer to me after hearing the USA outtake Brothers Under the Bridges, about young guys and gals who would, in essence, "race out at the trestles". In Brothers Under the Bridge, as you probably know, Bruce describes the street racing life with, "neath the trestles drinking the beer and the wine." I think, through some movie or some book or maybe he heard someone talking about that type of experience, he got that idea. Bruce has stated that he got the idea for Racing in the Street by talking to a young guy in Asbury Park about his racing lifestyle. Maybe, it was that guy that gave him the idea about racing under suburban bridges.
@BeautyUntamed : You stated, "By contrast, the singer says he’s living under a bridge. Whether he is literally homeless or is exaggerating how poor and outcast he feels, he certainly is not living as well as his ex-wife and her new man are living."\r\n\r\nThe answer to this became much clearer to me after hearing the USA outtake Brothers Under the Bridges, about young guys and gals who would, in essence, "race out at the trestles". In Brothers Under the Bridge, as you probably know, Bruce describes the street racing life with, "neath the trestles drinking the beer and the wine."...
@BeautyUntamed : You stated, "By contrast, the singer says he’s living under a bridge. Whether he is literally homeless or is exaggerating how poor and outcast he feels, he certainly is not living as well as his ex-wife and her new man are living."\r\n\r\nThe answer to this became much clearer to me after hearing the USA outtake Brothers Under the Bridges, about young guys and gals who would, in essence, "race out at the trestles". In Brothers Under the Bridge, as you probably know, Bruce describes the street racing life with, "neath the trestles drinking the beer and the wine." I think, through some movie or some book or maybe he heard someone talking about that type of experience, he got that idea. Bruce has stated that he got the idea for Racing in the Street by talking to a young guy in Asbury Park about his racing lifestyle. Maybe, it was that guy that gave him the idea about racing under suburban bridges.