Pop Song 488 of 500 'Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out' Bruce Springsteen 1975

Pop Song 488 of 500 'Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out' Bruce Springsteen 1975

The song tells the story of the formation of the E Street Band. The meaning of the title is unclear. Even Springsteen himself says in the Born to Run documentary Wings for Wheels: The Making of Born to Run: "I still have no idea what it means. But it's important."[2]

The song's protagonist, "Bad Scooter", is a pseudonym for Springsteen himself (as indicated by the initials they share). In the third verse, "Big Man joined the band" refers to Clarence Clemons, the band's long-time saxophonist

Teardrops on the city
Bad Scooter searching for his groove
Seem like the whole world walking pretty
And you can't find the room to move
Well, everybody better move over, that's all
'Cause I'm running on the bad side
And I got my back to the wall
Tenth Avenue freeze-out
Tenth Avenue freeze-out
Well, I was stranded in the jungle
Trying to take in all the heat they was giving
The night is dark but the sidewalk's bright
And lined with the light of the living
From a tenement window, a transistor blasts
Turn around the corner, things got real quiet real fast
I walked into a
Tenth Avenue freeze-out
Tenth Avenue freeze-out
And I'm all alone, I'm all alone
And kid you better get the picture
And I'm on my own, I'm on my own
And I can't go home
When the change was made uptown
And the Big Man joined the band
From the coastline to the city
All the little pretties raise their hands
I'm gonna sit back right easy and laugh
When Scooter and the Big Man bust this city in half with
Tenth Avenue freeze-out
Tenth Avenue freeze-out
Tenth Avenue freeze-out
Tenth Avenue freeze-out
I'm talking about a, tell me
Yeah, nothing but a, tell me
I'm talking about the, tell me
Ain't nothing but a Tenth, Tenth, Tenth, Tenth, Tenth
Tenth, Tenth, Tenth, Tenth, Tenth, Tenth, Tenth, Tenth
I'm talking about the Tenth, Tenth Avenue freeze-out
Tenth Avenue freeze-out