Lyric discussion by sherpy123 

Cover art for Spirit in the Night lyrics by Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band

I'm sorry.This is the first half of my comment. Comes before the previous one above.I too love "spirits in the night.It's always had an eroticism filled with youthful hazy good old fashioned fun and searching.The music is so alluring. I could sing along, drive people crazy and not quite catch all the words. After reading the lyrics, I realized I had overlooked so many obvious metaphors.The drug references seemed to pop out at me.The names of the others in the song were relevant to behaviors and issues.At the start is"mission man...in the alley changing hands, as in a drug buy- dark side of rt.88 is obvious.

My Interpretation