Lyric discussion by neverquit 

Cover art for One Step Up lyrics by Bruce Springsteen

Clearly this album was all about his whirlwind romance, marriage to Julianne Phillips. The agony of 2 people mismatched in a marriage/relationship headed down completely separate paths. Her loved her, but knew they were not meant to be together. He found solace in his heartbreak with a woman who was always there Patti Scialfa, the rest is history. Ever man can identify with this album, we all have somebody in our past that we long for, but know deep down just not good for us..;....

Song Meaning