Lyrics to
Incident On 57th Street

This version of Incident On 57Th Street was released by Bruce Springsteen in 1973.

Our Bruce Springsteen Songs profile has Incident On 57Th Street lyrics from 1973 and most if not all of the lyrics by Bruce Springsteen that we have here at Decade Lyrics.

Here's more interesting things in songs and lyrics tied to Bruce Springsteen or about the 1970s in general.

Spanish Johnny drove in from the underworld last night
With bruised arms and broken rhythm and a beat-up old Buick but dressed just like dynamite
He tried sellin’ his heart to the hard girls over on Easy Street
But they said, “Johnny, it falls apart so easily, and you know hearts these days are cheap”
And the pimps swung their axes and said, “Johnny, you’re a cheater”
And the pimps swung their axes and said, “Johnny, you’re a liar”
And from out of the shadows came a young girl’s voice, said, “Johnny, don’t cry”
Puerto Rican Jane, oh, won’t you tell me, what’s your name?
I want to drive you down to the other side of town
Where paradise ain’t so crowded and there’ll be action goin’ down on Shanty Lane tonight
All the golden-heeled fairies in a real bitch-fight
Pull .38’s and kiss their girls goodnight

Goodnight, it’s alright, Jane
Now let them black boys in to light the soul flame
We may find it out on the street tonight, baby
Or we may walk until the daylight, maybe

Well, like a cool Romeo he made his moves, oh, she looked so fine
Like a late Juliet, she knew he’d never be true but then, she really didn’t mind
Upstairs a band was playin’ and the singer was singin’ something about going home
She whispered, “Spanish Johnny, you can leave me tonight, but just don’t leave me alone”
And Johnny cried, “Puerto Rican Jane, word is down, the cops have found the vein”
Them barefoot boys left their homes for the woods
Them little barefoot street boys, they said their homes ain’t no good
They left the corners, threw away their switchblade knives and kissed each other goodbye

Johnny was sittin’ on the fire escape, watchin’ the kids playin’ down the street
He called down, “Hey little heroes, summer’s long, but I guess it ain’t very sweet around here anymore”
Janey sleeps in sheets damp with sweat
Johnny sits up alone and watches her dream on, dream on
And the sister prays for lost souls, then breaks down in the chapel after everyone’s gone

Jane moves over to share her pillow but opens her eyes to see Johnny up and putting his clothes on
She says, “Those romantic young boys, all they ever want to do is fight
Those romantic young boys, they’re callin’ through the window
Hey, Spanish Johnny, you want to make a little easy money tonight?”

And Johnny whispered, “Goodnight, it’s all tight, Jane
I’ll meet you tomorrow night on Lover’s Lane
We may find it out on the street tonight, now, baby
Or we may walk until the daylight, maybe”
Goodnight, it’s alright, Jane
I’m gonna meet you tomorrow night on Lover’s Lane
We can find it out on the street tonight, now, baby
Or we may walk until the daylight, maybe

---

Want more lyrics and songs by Bruce Springsteen?

Bruce Springsteen has released many songs over the years besides Incident On 57Th Street. Bruce Springsteen released songs from 1973 to 2007 spanning across albums like The Wild, The Innocent And The E Street Shuffle, Greetings From Asbury Park, N.J., Born To Run, Darkness On The Edge Of Town, The River, Nebraska, Born In The U.S.A., Tunnel Of Love, Human Touch, Lucky Town, The Ghost Of Tom Joad, The Rising, Devils & Dust, We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions, and Magic. Decade Lyrics has over lyrics & songs by Bruce Springsteen.

If you're a fan of popular 1970s songs looking for more songs from 1973 or the 1970s overall, you've come to the right place!

About Lyrics and Incident On 57Th Street by Bruce Springsteen

The lyrics to Incident On 57Th Street are the words, verses and chorus for the song released by Bruce Springsteen in 1973. Elements of the lyrics to Incident On 57Th Street are both direct in meaning and also metaphorical with the real meanings of the song only known by Bruce Springsteen and any collaborating writers working on the lyrics for Incident On 57Th Street back when it was created.

Some people have an interest in the etymology behind words and phrases. You can take apart the lyrics to Incident On 57Th Street by Bruce Springsteen in a number of ways. The word "lyric" itself derives from the Latin word lyricus, with the actual English word lyrics applied to the definition "words set to music" listed in Stainer and Barrett's 1876 Dictionary of Musical Terms. Continuing the chain, the Latin word lyricus derives from the Greek word λυρικός or lyrikós. This somewhat means "poetry accompanied by the lyre" or "words set to music." You can easily see that by looking at the background of the word lyric, that the "lyrics to Incident On 57Th Street" means the words set to the music of Incident On 57Th Street, or poetry accompanied by the lyre played by Bruce Springsteen. The singular form "lyric" is still used to mean the complete words to a song. However, the singular form lyric is also commonly used to refer to a specific line (or phrase) within a song's lyrics. Hence, by this analysis of word structure, you could say that the lyric to Incident On 57Th Street and the lyrics to Incident On 57Th Street are both one and the same thing. None of this talk about the word Lyrics is really relevant to fans of Bruce Springsteen who came here looking just for the lyrics to Incident On 57Th Street, but we feel it is still fun to learn what's behind commonly used words and lyrics in songs.

More Songs & Lyrics by Bruce Springsteen

Visit our Bruce Springsteen profile for more Bruce Springsteen songs, lyrics & info!

)