Meet Me in the City
Bruce Springsteen Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

One-two-three-four, one-two-three-four!

Hey girl I'm calling all stations
Blowing down the wire tonight
I'm singing through these power lines and I'm running on time and feeling alright
Skipping over the currents in the air
Reaching to see if you're out there
Coming 'cross your radio station, calling out nation to nation
If you can hear me then say alright
And if you can, meet me in the city tonight

I was busted for feeling no pain
Charged with doing things I can't explain
Picked up for parole violation, locked with the boys in the subway station
Handcuffed on the killing floor
Transmitting from behind these jailhouse doors
And if you're sick, if you're tired, if you're broken
Check the line, check the time, check the action, check the score
Come and get me if I ain't right
But if I am, meet me in the city tonight

Everybody's lost in romance
Do you feel the way I feel, oh
I'm just searching, girl
For the blood, for the bone, for the muscle, for what's real

I was busted for feeling no pain
Charged with doing things I can't explain
Picked up for parole violation, locked with the boys in the subway station
I pushed my way through the hardened crowd
I shoved my way through the hardened crowd
Past the sign saying "this is not allowed"
To where someone standing straight is shouting out loud

Handcuffed to the jailhouse door
Transmitting from the gallows' floor
And if you're sick, if you're tired, if you're broken
Check the line, check the time, check the action, check the score
If you can holler then say alright
If you can holler then say alright
If you can holler then say alright
If you can holler then say alright
If you can holler then say alright, and if you can

Meet me in the city tonight
Meet me in the city tonight
Meet me in the city tonight

In the city, meet me in the city tonight
In the city, meet me in the city tonight




In the city, meet me in the city tonight
In the city, meet me in the city tonight

Overall Meaning

"Meet Me in the City" is a song by Bruce Springsteen, released on a 2015 EP of outtakes called "The Ties That Bind: The River Collection". It is a fast-paced, upbeat song about a man who is trying to communicate with a woman he loves. He is broadcasting over the radio waves, hoping she will hear him and meet him in the city.


The opening lines of the song show the urgency of the man's desire to connect with this woman, as he describes himself as "singing through these power lines and... feeling alright." He is skipping over the currents in the air, trying to reach her. He declares, "If you can hear me, then say alright," and urges her to meet him in the city.


The second verse takes a darker turn as the man reveals that he was busted for feeling no pain and doing things he can't explain. He was arrested and locked in a subway station with other prisoners. He is desperate for a connection, so he shoves his way through a crowd of people who are telling him "this is not allowed." Despite being handcuffed to the jailhouse door, he continues to transmit his message, urging anyone who can hear to meet him in the city tonight. The song ends with a repeated refrain of "meet me in the city tonight."


Overall, "Meet Me in the City" is a song about human connection in difficult circumstances. Whether it's a man broadcasting his love over the radio waves or someone trying to push through a crowd to be heard, the desire for connection remains strong.


Line by Line Meaning

Hey girl I'm calling all stations
Bruce is broadcasting his message in all directions, hoping to connect with someone special.


Blowing down the wire tonight
He's trying to reach his desired person through a telephonic or a medium of communication.


I'm singing through these power lines and I'm running on time and feeling alright
Bruce's song is carried through the wires, and he's feeling confident about his chances of getting a response.


Skipping over the currents in the air
He's metaphorically jumping over the interference to establish a strong connection with his love interest.


Reaching to see if you're out there
He's trying to see if his crush is available to receive his message.


Coming 'cross your radio station, calling out nation to nation
Bruce's voice is being broadcasted everywhere, and he's making an effort to communicate with his love interest from one station to another.


If you can hear me then say alright
Bruce is asking his love interest to give him a sign if she can hear him.


And if you can, meet me in the city tonight
If she's available, he's inviting her to meet him in the city tonight.


I was busted for feeling no pain
Bruce did something that was regarded as bad, but he feels nothing towards that action.


Charged with doing things I can't explain
He was blamed for doing something which he could not justify or explain.


Picked up for parole violation, locked with the boys in the subway station
Someone got Bruce arrested for a parole violation, and he's now locked up in a subway station with other criminals.


Handcuffed on the killing floor
He's metaphorically troubled, not physically handcuffed unless he is alluding to a past event.


Transmitting from behind these jailhouse doors
From inside the detention center, Bruce is attempting to communicate with the outside world.


And if you're sick, if you're tired, if you're broken
If someone is feeling unwell, exhausted or has broken down mentally or physically, then Bruce is inviting them for an escape.


Check the line, check the time, check the action, check the score
Bruce is instructing his love interest to examine the situation carefully and decide to meet him accordingly.


Come and get me if I ain't right
Bruce is admitting that he's not fully okay with himself, and he's inviting his love interest to fix him and make him happy.


But if I am, meet me in the city tonight
If he's in a good mood, his love interest should meet him in the city tonight.


Everybody's lost in romance
People are getting lost in love with each other.


Do you feel the way I feel, oh
He's asking his love interest if they share the same feeling about each other.


I'm just searching, girl
Bruce is still searching for his love interest.


For the blood, for the bone, for the muscle, for what's real
Bruce is looking for something that's truly genuine, a deep connection that can be felt in his bones.


I pushed my way through the hardened crowd
He's pushing and fighting his way through the crowd to get to his love interest.


Past the sign saying "this is not allowed"
He's not letting anyone or anything stop him from reaching his love interest.


To where someone standing straight is shouting out loud
Bruce is being guided by the voice of his love interest, who is up ahead and calling out to him.


Handcuffed to the jailhouse door
Bruce is still metaphorically tied to his past and the bad choices he has made.


Transmitting from the gallows' floor
He's now not only broadcasting his message from the jailhouse door, but from the place of his own internal execution.


If you can holler then say alright
He's still hoping that someone – anyone – will respond to his call to connect.


Meet me in the city tonight
Bruce is reiterating his invitation to meet his love interest in the city tonight.




Lyrics © O/B/O APRA/AMCOS

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

Genre not found
Artist not found
Album not found
Song not found
Comments from YouTube:

Bill Conway

This song is absolutely incredible! Why were you hiding this masterpiece? Blown away!

HIPPIE BEE’S

It’s fantastic isn’t it. Love it it’s so upbeat

Bill Conway

@Luther Lee Boggs LOL whatever you like what you like and I'll like what I like...

Luther Lee Boggs

Clean your ears Bill.

Bill Conway

Sounds nothing like Jackson Cage

Luther Lee Boggs

I liked the slower version when it was called Jackson Cage.

Gene Ferguson

What a great song. Amazing that this is a bit of a throwaway to Springsteen and it's still great.

Matthew Aucoin

To say the least... I'm very. very, impressed. Bruce never stops and I love it! Meet me in the city tonight!

victorprogamer

Me encanta esta canción

Brunoribeiro Guedes

adoro Bruce Springsteen muito bom!!! isso é Rock n Roll de verdade! faz a gente viver no tempo dos velhos tempos em que o Rock mandava nas disparadas do rádio.. saudade do tempo de Elvis Presley rei do Rock n Roll.. parabéns Bruce Springsteen muito bom..

More Comments

More Versions