CHILD BRIDE

Friday night's pay night guys fresh out of work
Talking about the weekend tryin' to scrub off the dirt
Some heading home to their families some wearing trouble on their shirts
Some driving down to Stovall just looking to get hurt

I work for the county out on 95
Just holdin' that red flag watchin' the traffic pass me by
All day I keep a picture of my baby in my head
At night I dream I'm with her, laying in my bunkhouse bed

Seen her at the curtain down at the Legion hall
She came in with her brothers standin' back up against the wall
Me and her we'd go walking down by the union tracks
One day I looked straight at her and she looked straight back

Grey clouds stretch across the white moon
Sitting in the backyard in my old car
We hum out of tune

Well I saved up my money and I put it all away
I went to see her daddy but we didn't have much to say
Said "Now son can't you see that she's just a little girl
Who don't know nothing 'bout the meanness in this world"

Took off down to Florida we got along all right
One day her brothers came and got her and they took me in a black and white
The prosecutor kept the promise that he made on that day
She was sad and the judge was mad and he put me straight away
Well they said she was too young,
She was no younger than I've been
When she put her arms around me, and the night closed in

Well sometimes I dream of getting out of here
Heading down towards them old tracks
I swore I'd come and get there
But I know I ain't never going back

There's nights I can't sleep
No matter how hard I try
So from my window I watch the moonlight
Fall on the far hillside

I imagine I put on my jacket
Go down to this little roadside bar

Pick a stranger and spin around the dance floor
To a Mexican guitar

Thanks to Neal for the lyrics

Lyrics | Springsteen page