Meeting Across the River
Springsteen returns to the street and one of his street characters. The narrator is instructing Eddie how to act at a "meeting" that he has arranged "across the river." Both characters are apparently small-time hoods looking for the "big score." These guys are operating with distinct disadvantages however, as we see that they don't even have a car to get them to where they need to go. Also they lack other amenities, such as money and a gun. Instructions given to Eddie are simple; don't say anything, don't smile, pretend you have a gun, and change your shirt, "because tonight we got style." Having hocked his girlfriends' radio, the narrator is going to attempt to save their relationship by throwing the money on "their bed." She'll then know that he wasn't just "talking." This is the "real" thing, and he'll show her that he can be a success. Though Springsteen fails to let us know how the meeting turns out, we can safely assume that it did not go well for the narrator, Eddie or Cherry. It never does.
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Hey, Eddie, can you lend me a few bucks
And tonight can you get us a ride
Gotta make it through the tunnel
Got a meeting with a man on the other side
Hey Eddie, this guy, he's the real thing
So if you want to come along
You gotta promise you won't say anything
'Cause this guy don't dance
And the word's been passed this is our last chance
We gotta stay cool tonight, Eddie
'Cause man, we got ourselves out on that line
And if we blow this one
They ain't gonna be looking for just me this time
And all we gotta do is hold up our end
Here stuff this in your pocket
It'll look like you're carrying a friend
And remember, just don't smile
Change your shirt, 'cause tonight we got style
Well Cherry says she's gonna walk
'Cause she found out I took her radio and hocked it
But Eddie, man, she don't understand
That two grand's practically sitting here in my pocket
And tonight's gonna be everything that I said
And when I walk through that door
I'm just gonna throw that money on the bed
She'll see this time I wasn't just talking
Then I'm gonna go out walking
Hey Eddie, can you catch us a ride?
