My Hometown
Bruce Springsteen Lyrics

I was eight years old
The singer is recalling a specific moment from their childhood

And running with a dime in my hand
The singer was on their way to buy a newspaper for their father

To the bus stop to pick
The singer was going to the bus stop to catch a bus

Up a paper for my old man
The newspaper was for the artist's father

I'd sit on his lap in that big old Buick
The artist and their father would travel in a large old car together

And steer as we drove through town
The singer would pretend to drive the car with their father's help

He'd tousle my hair
The father would playfully ruffle the singer's hair

And say, "son, take a good look around"
The father was encouraging the artist to appreciate their surroundings

This is your hometown
The father was indicating that the town was special to the artist

In '65 tension was running high
The artist is recalling a year when there was a lot of tension in their town

At my high school
The tensions were particularly noticeable at the singer's high school

There was a lot of fights
There were frequent physical altercations

Between the black and white
The altercations often occurred between people of different races

There was nothing you could do
The singer and others felt powerless to stop the violence

Two cars at a light on a Saturday night
The singer is recalling a specific incident involving two cars at a traffic light

In the back seat there was a gun
One of the cars contained a gun in the back seat

Words were passed in a shotgun blast
One of the people in the cars fired the gun, causing more violence

Troubled times had come
The singer saw this violence as a sign of difficult times

Now Main Street's whitewashed windows
The singer is describing how the town looks now

And vacant stores
Many of the stores in town are now empty

Seems like there ain't nobody
Few people seem to want to come to this town

Wants to come down here no more
People don't want to visit or live in the town anymore

They're closing down the textile mill
A major local business is closing down

Across the railroad tracks
The business is located across from the railroad tracks

Foreman says, "these jobs are going, boys
The managers of the business are laying off workers

And they ain't coming back
The singer realizes that the jobs and the town's prosperity are gone for good

Last night me and Kate we laid in bed
The singer is recalling a conversation they had with their partner

Talking about getting out
The artist and their partner discussed leaving the town

Packing up our bags, maybe heading south
The artist and their partner considered moving to another part of the country

I'm thirty-five, we got a boy of our own now
The singer is older now and has a child of their own

Last night I sat him up behind the wheel
The singer is describing a moment when they sat their child in a car

And said, "son, take a good look around
The artist is telling their child to appreciate the town they live in

This is your hometown"
The artist is trying to pass on an appreciation for their hometown to their child