10th / tenth avenue freeze out lyrics

Cynthia-G-Toups

By Cynthia-G-Toups

 

“Tenth Avenue Freeze Out lyrics”

Tear drops on the city
Bad Scooter searching for his groove
Seem like the whole world walking pretty
And you can’t find the room to move
Well everybody better move over, that’s all
‘Cause I’m running on the bad side
And I got my back to the wall
Tenth Avenue freeze-out, Tenth Avenue freeze-out

I was stranded in the jungle
Tryin’ to take in all the heat they was giving
The night is dark but the sidewalks bright
And lined with the light of the living
From a tenement window a transistor blasts
Turn around the corner things got real quiet real fast
I walked into a Tenth Avenue freeze-out
Tenth Avenue freeze-out

And I’m all alone, I’m all alone
And kid you better get the picture
And I’m on my own, I’m on my own
And I can’t go home

When the change was made uptown
And the Big Man joined the band
From the coastline to the city
All the little pretties raise their hands
I’m gonna sit back right easy and laugh
When Scooter and the Big Man bust this city in half
With a Tenth Avenue freeze-out, tenth avenue freeze-out
Tenth avenue freeze-out

tenth avenue freeze out lyrics 300

tenth avenue freeze out lyrics meaning 50
tenth avenue freeze-out lyrics meaning 40

Best guess- no one knows, not even Springsteen himself. It references 10th Avenue New York City. No 10th Avenue in Asbury, it’s a lake. (Which might be cold but no I don’t think that’s it).

And it’s about a back to the wall turnaround moment of feeling down, followed by success.

There is a 10th Street in Belmar and the band name comes from E Street which intersects 10th Avenue in the same town. The song is about the band’s formative years, so it’s a possibility.

But these lines to me say NYC

Well, I was stranded in the jungle trying to take in all the heat they was giving
The night is dark but the sidewalk’s bright and lined with the light of the living
From a tenement window a transistor blasts
Turn around the corner, things got real quiet real fast
I walked into a Tenth Avenue freeze-out
Tenth Avenue freeze-out

There are no tenements in Belmar on 10th Avenue I’m aware of and it’s a beach town, not much of a concrete jungle. The sidewalk wouldn’t be that active w the light of the living. 10th avenue new york city on the other hand would have tenements so to speak. And if you turned a corner in 1970s manhattan, that area would probably be pretty quiet. We are pretty far from the High Line days – 10th avenue means quiet and so he’s walking alone and has a moment.

And I’m all alone, I’m all alone
(And kid, you better get the picture)
And I’m on my own, I’m on my own
And I can’t go home

If you ask me – I think I believe him when he says he doesn’t remember. He has notebooks upon notebooks. You write something down one day and see it a few days later, but you are writing so much you don’t quite remember. Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out could have been one of those things.

Springsteen has been much more open about his depression in the book Born to Run. I think it’s pretty likely this freeze-out is like a point where he felt low, felt down, felt like he wasn’t getting anywhere and then – started the band with the Big Man and took on the world ‘cut the city in half, so to speak’

10th avenue freeze-out lyrics meaning 30

10th avenue freeze out lyrics meaning 10

I know Bruce has said that he doesn’t really know what that phrase means to this day, but I was wondering if anyone on here has any thoughts about it. One of my relatives (a big fan of Bruce) that grew up in Neptune Township, right outside of Asbury Park, told me that he thinks it has something to do with Deal Lake freezing over in winter and becoming a “Tenth Avenue”, as there isn’t actually a 10th Ave. in Asbury Park. Just what I’ve heard, anyways.

It’s clearly a song about the beginning of the E-Street band and Bruce kind of finding himself through The Big Man and the start of the band, but I wanted to see if anybody had any thoughts beyond that.

Also, I just discovered this subreddit, and it’s my first post on here, so I’m looking forward to joining the discussion about my all-time favorite artist.

 

User avatar
level 1

Hungry Runaway

In the Wings for Wheels documentary he made it pretty clear — “I don’t know what it means, but it’s important!”

This was still in an era where he used a lot of semi-nonsensical imagery but uses it to create a very tangible and real atmosphere. The one you get in “Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out” is absolutely one about finding your groove and learning to “split this city in half.” The definition of the words sometimes matters less than their overall impression, if that makes any sense.

User avatar
level 2

1– Great user name! 2 – I agree with this entirely! Thank you for writing my words to me!

User avatar
level 2

That makes sense, and I agree. The way his lyrics communicate such strong emotions (especially in his earlier albums) has always been one of my favorite aspects of his music, not only because they’re powerful but also because I feel like the vivid imagery can vary from person to person while still eliciting the same reaction/impression; his style makes everything feel more relatable in a way (I guess is what I’m trying to say). I was just wondering if anyone knew of a more factual story or something that might’ve inspired the song.

User avatar
level 1

Working on a Dream

He actually explained it was a song about his father and not wanting to go home and “Answer the question my father wanted me to answer to his satisfaction: What I am doing with my life.”

I don’t remember where he said this and discussed it but I’ll do some research and try to come up with a link. I do know he was discussing how his family friends like the songs that are about them, even if it’s not a positive song (like 10th Avenue.)

User avatar
level 2

I was under the impression that it was about the formation of the E Street Band. Tenth Avenue runs through E Street, Bad Scooter (Bruce) was ‘searching for his groove’, then the line ‘And the Big Man joined the band’ is referring to Clarence joining the band I’m pretty sure.

User avatar
level 3

Working on a Dream

It does. But to tell the story of how the band formed, he also shares that, and again I’m still trying to find the video I saw, that he use to go stay in phone booths on 10th avenue when he was “kicked out” of his parent’s house or didn’t want to go home to his father’s disapproval.

User avatar
level 4

Ah, that explains the little bit that ends with ‘And I can’t go home. I assume the deep-voiced line that goes ‘And kid you better get the picture’ is his father speaking?

User avatar
level 5

Working on a Dream

that’s my interpretation.

User avatar
level 1

Isn’t it about going into the big bad city and getting into shit?

User avatar
level 2

That was always my interpretation. Like he stumbled across a tense gang confrontation is the image I get.

User avatar
level 1

There is no right answer and this is just a coincidence I think but in Belmar where the band first practiced there is an E street and a corner of E and 10th avenue just a heads up and the library that sits there is home to a giant Bruce guitar statue

User avatar
level 2

Didn’t know about the statue, that’s pretty cool. I’ll have to make a trip to see that sometime.

 

Source: https://www.reddit.com/r/BruceSpringsteen/comments/2y0t0c/tenth_avenue_freezeout_meaning/

 

lyrics tenth avenue freeze out 30
bruce springsteen tenth avenue freeze out lyrics

10th avenue freeze out lyrics 90

lyrics to 10th avenue freeze out 0–10
lyrics 10th avenue freeze out meaning

Cynthia-G-Toups

Hello Cynthia G. Toups! It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance. I'm the creator behind lyricstothesong.com, where we specialize in delving into the depths of song lyrics, uncovering their meanings, and celebrating the whimsy of nursery rhymes

Leave a Comment