Song Spotlight - "Meeting Across the River"

Key Live Performance



Born to Run has a bleak narrative trajectory. It begins in a town full of losers and ends in Jungleland where the heroes wind up "wounded, not even dead."

“Meeting Across the River” – a song you will never hear requested at a bar – is the album's lynchpin. It is the subtle prelude that sets the scene for the 9 1/2 minute, operatic conclusion in “Jungleland”.

I chose the video above not just because I was at the MetLife leg of the Wrecking Ball tour but because it perfectly preserves that segue between the two final tracks of Born to Run.

Key Lyrics
“And the word's been passed this is our last chance”

At every turn, Bruce makes it crystal clear where this story ends.

Overall

Even while being the “smallest” song on the album, “Meeting Across the River” heightens everything around it, serving as the turning point where petty hijinks evolve to hard crime and youthful malaise evolves to Greek tragedy. The song is a masterful ballet of trumpet, piano, bass and vocals with each of the four instruments working together to create a vivid cityscape.

Springsteen Lyrics of the Week - Meeting Across The River

"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"

- Meeting Across The River, Born To Run 

We’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again now:  Bruce Springsteen is the greatest storyteller in Rock N’ Roll.  “Meeting Across The River” is one of his best story-songs, and it’s fitting that it goes on the album that tells the best story, Born To Run. All the preceding songs on Born to Run seem to take place in New Jersey but this song bridges (pun-intended) the album to New York City, the setting for the finale of “Jungleland” which closes out the album.

“Meeting Across The River” is about a wannabe criminal who doesn’t seem to be able to get it right.  The details of the song are unclear, but the message is not: If he screws up, he’ll be killed.  The unnamed protagonist seems not to be the most skilled criminal, but in his mind he’s Don Corleone.  When he asks his friend Eddie for help with his latest situation, he gives him the promise of the big payoff but then shows his naivety  with the above-quoted lyric.  If the payoff is so great, then the task can’t be that easy.

Bruce rarely plays this one live, but when he does, no one gets up to get a beer or go to the bathroom.  All eyes are on Bruce Springsteen and he never fails to deliver.  The lack of instruments in this song, including percussion, really set the scene of desperation and self delusion.  The piano really picks up at the end of this song, again playing along with the emotions of the protagonist, but then slows down and fade out.  The trumpet, and somber piano coda to the song seems to imply that Eddie and the protagonist weren’t successful.  Oh well, they weren’t successful but Bruce definitely was when he wrote this classic.