01 streets of philadelphia
Bruce Springsteen Lyrics


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I was bruised and battered
I couldn't tell what I felt
I was unrecognizable to myself
Saw my reflection in a window
And didn't know my own face
Oh brother are you gonna leave me wastin' away
On the streets of Philadelphia?
I walked the avenue, 'til my legs felt like stone
I heard the voices of friends vanished and gone
At night I could hear the blood in my veins
Just as black and whispering as the rain
On the streets of Philadelphia

Ain't no angel gonna greet me
It's just you and I my friend
And my clothes don't fit me no more, I walk
Thousand miles just to slip this skin

Night has fallen, I'm lyin' awake
I can feel myself fading away
So receive me brother with your faithless kiss




Or will we leave each other alone like this
On the streets of Philadelphia?

Overall Meaning

Streets of Philadelphia is a song by Bruce Springsteen written for the 1993 movie Philadelphia, which starred Tom Hanks and Denzel Washington. The song, which went on to win an Academy Award, is heart-wrenching and melancholic, perfectly capturing the feelings of despair and loneliness of the movie's protagonist, who is battling AIDS.


The opening stanza "I was bruised and battered, I couldn't tell what I felt, I was unrecognizable to myself" is perhaps the most poignant part, as it speaks to the physical and emotional toll of the disease on the singer. He is no longer the person he once was, and it's as if he's looking into a mirror and not recognizing the face that stares back at him. The line "Oh brother, are you gonna leave me wastin' away on the streets of Philadelphia?" is a plea for help, a cry for someone to be there for him.


As the song continues, we get a glimpse into the singer's life on the streets of Philadelphia. He is alone and isolated, with only memories of friends who have passed on to keep him company. The line "And my clothes don't fit me no more, I walk thousand miles just to slip this skin" speaks to his desire to escape his current reality, to shed his sick body and start anew. But there's no escaping the loneliness that plagues him, as he pleads with his brother to either help him or be with him in his final moments.


Line by Line Meaning

I was bruised and battered
I had been physically and emotionally beaten down.


I couldn't tell what I felt
I was so beaten down that I couldn't identify my emotions.


I was unrecognizable to myself
I didn't recognize who I had become.


Saw my reflection in a window
I caught a glimpse of myself in a window.


And didn't know my own face
But I didn't recognize the person looking back at me.


Oh brother are you gonna leave me wastin' away
I'm asking my brother if he is going to abandon me to suffer alone.


On the streets of Philadelphia?
In the harsh, unforgiving environment of the city.


I walked the avenue, 'til my legs felt like stone
I walked for so long that my legs grew tired and heavy.


I heard the voices of friends vanished and gone
I could hear the voices of friends who were no longer around.


At night I could hear the blood in my veins
In the quiet of the night, I became very aware of the sound of the blood flowing through my veins.


Just as black and whispering as the rain
The sound was as dark and melancholy as the pouring rain.


On the streets of Philadelphia
In the unforgiving and unfriendly cityscape.


Ain't no angel gonna greet me
I wasn't expecting any sort of divine intervention or assistance.


It's just you and I my friend
It would just be my friend and me, facing the struggles together.


And my clothes don't fit me no more, I walk
I had been worn down so much that even my clothing didn't fit me properly.


Thousand miles just to slip this skin
I felt like I needed to escape and start anew, even if that meant traveling far away.


Night has fallen, I'm lyin' awake
The darkness of night had descended, and I was wide awake.


I can feel myself fading away
I could feel myself losing hope and giving up.


So receive me brother with your faithless kiss
I was reaching out to my brother, even if I didn't expect him to have much faith in me.


Or will we leave each other alone like this
I was fearing that we would abandon each other to suffer and struggle in loneliness.


On the streets of Philadelphia?
In this harsh, lonely cityscape.




Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Bruce Springsteen

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Most interesting comments from YouTube:

@SNIPER247100

I was bruised and battered
I couldn't tell what I felt
I was unrecognizable to myself
Saw my reflection in a window
And didn't know my own face
Oh brother are you gonna leave me wastin' away
On the streets of Philadelphia?
I walked the avenue, 'til my legs felt like stone
I heard the voices of friends vanished and gone
At night I could hear the blood in my veins
Just as black and whispering as the rain
On the streets of Philadelphia
Ain't no angel gonna greet me
It's just you and I my friend
And my clothes don't fit me no more
A thousand miles just to slip this skin
The night has fallen, I'm lyin' awake
I can feel myself fading away
So receive me brother with your faithless kiss
Or will we leave each other alone like this
On the streets of Philadelphia?



@Bladepu

Your children are not your children.
They are the sons and daughters of Life’s longing for itself.
They come through you but not from you,
And though they are with you yet they belong not to you.

You may give them your love but not your thoughts,
For they have their own thoughts.
You may house their bodies but not their souls,
For their souls dwell in the house of tomorrow, which you cannot visit, not even in your dreams.
You may strive to be like them, but seek not to make them like you.
For life goes not backward nor tarries with yesterday.

- Kahlil Gibran - On Children



@Pride317

Lyrics

[Verse 1]
I was bruised and battered,
I couldn't tell what I felt
I was unrecognizable to myself
I saw my reflection in a window,
I didn't know my own face
Oh brother are you gonna leave me wasting away
On the Streets of Philadelphia

[Verse 2]
I walked the avenue, till my legs felt like stone
I heard the voices of friends vanished and gone
At night I could hear the blood in my veins
It was just as black and whispering as the rain
On the Streets of Philadelphia

[Bridge]
Ain't no angel gonna greet me
It's just you and I, my friend
My clothes don't fit me no more
I walked a thousand miles
Just to slip this skin

[Verse 3]
The night has fallen, I'm lying awake
I can feel myself fading away
So receive me brother with your faithless kiss
Or will we leave each other alone like this
On the Streets of Philadelphia



All comments from YouTube:

@Robin_Hood054

This is not song .
This timeless masterpiece .

@jaqueline1104-sj4qt

Muitos comentários em linguas q ñ entendo.A dor...é real e ...😭😭😭😭

@CharlesTorres-mc1yr

Então kk

@swojal1493

Ur eardrums are clearly broken

@MazeDomingues

Atemporal e eterna e relembra os momentos vividos pelo personagem com HIV no filme lindo!
Muitos preconceitos naquela época e nos dias atuais até já diminuíram alguns com relação ao HIV!

@GonzaloNietoRey

Demasiada y muy buena gente, sé nos los
llevo él VIH, toda una tragedia, qué dura en nuestros días .!!!!?. ⭐🫶🏻★!!

1 More Replies...

@davidc1055

Just being fighting cancer for the last twelve months and this is just how I felt, praise the lord I got the good news I'm cancer free two weeks ago. This song touches me so much and anybody I'll I will help if possible.

@kimaglioti7775

Hallelujah. I'm so happy for you. I lost my husband 4/5 year's ago to that horrific disease. Stay strong girl xx

@Larissadiasmota

Amém Deus seja louvado pela a sua vitória 🎉❤

@diegoduran939

Praise be the Lord, brother. And may your testimony be proof of his authority over all evil and illness.

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