Man, that ain't oil, that's blood...

When he sings of meeting 'neath that giant Exxon sign that brings this great city light, my mind's eye knows exactly where that is.

Later, by "Nebraska" I lost some interest as he described how the furnace wasn't burnin' and something something about the landlord. It no longer seemed as heartfelt and sincere. Perhaps his earliest songs were the product of the suffering he experienced trying to make it on Ramen Noodles in The City on a day to day basis.

I wore the Asbury Park album out back then. I think I'll dig up the CD today.
Thanx for posting.

Definitely one of my all time favorites.

Eighth Avenue sailors in satin shirts whisper in the air
Some storefront incarnation of Maria, she's puttin' on me the stare
And Bronx's best apostle stands with his hand on his own hardware
Everything stops, you hear five quick shots, the cops come up for air
And now the whiz-bang gang from uptown, they're shootin' up the street
And that cat from the Bronx starts lettin' loose, but he gets blown right off his feet
And some kid comes blastin' 'round the corner, but a cop puts him right away
He lays on the street holding his leg, screaming something in Spanish, still breathing when I walked away

Funny, I've known this song by heart for ages, but reading the lyrics from your post just gave me goosebumps!