Lyrics Spotlight- "Mary Queen Of Arkansas"

“I don’t understand how you can hold me so tight and love me so damn loose.”
(“Mary Queen of Arkansas“, Greetings From Asbury Park)

Greetings is one of those albums I have to be in the mood to listen to.  That is not to say that it’s a bad album, or even one that I don’t enjoy.  But I just can’t throw it on, like I would Darkness or Born In The USA.  Bruce still hadn't established himself as Bruce yet.  He was still trying to figure out his own identity and gave in too easy to his influences and tried to write songs like Dylan and Elvis.  It wasn't until Born To Run when he identified himself as Bruce Springsteen, and would go on to inspire an entire generation of singers and songwriters himself.

But he still had some great songs before Born To Run, and they are counted among his fans as some of his best work.  I wouldn't exactly call this song that, but there are some who do, and good for them.  I was listening to this song and never noticed this lyric before.  It’s pure Springsteen, and it’s lyrics like that foreshadowed the Bruce that was to come and would become so beloved.

I haven’t exactly had the best luck with the fairer sex.  I won’t act like I have been terribly wronged by them, or lost the great love of my life.  But like everyone, I've had my share of heartbreak and great moments too.  But it’s only in looking back at them that we realize that maybe some of them weren't as great as we think they were.  Maybe if we paid a little more attention to signals at that time, instead of interpreting them the way we would want them, it would have helped.  At least there’s always Bruce to help us.