I'm surprised there aren't more comments about this song - I find it one of the more obvious expressions of Springsteen's philosophy. Maybe it's that - it's too obvious what he's saying, less subtle than most of his works. He's leaving little doubt about his view of what it's like to be a working class American: "Factory takes his hearing, factory gives him life... and "Men walk through these gates with death in their eyes..."
And the threat of violence toward the protagonist's children at the end is downright chilling.
I'm surprised there aren't more comments about this song - I find it one of the more obvious expressions of Springsteen's philosophy. Maybe it's that - it's too obvious what he's saying, less subtle than most of his works. He's leaving little doubt about his view of what it's like to be a working class American: "Factory takes his hearing, factory gives him life... and "Men walk through these gates with death in their eyes..."
And the threat of violence toward the protagonist's children at the end is downright chilling.