For my nineteen birthday I got a union card and a wedding coat

Have you ever heard the song The River by Bruce Springsteen? Really listened to it, felt it, kinda lived it?

A couple of years ago, a good friend of mine made me listen to the song. It was mid-afternoon. Late-summer sun-shiny kind of day on the East Coast. We were parked outside of my place in her 80's boat of a car that was falling apart, you had to hold the door closed on sharp turns. The stereo was so crappy. She was wearing a pattern dress and i had on levis jeans and a short sleeve snap shirt. We smoked a cigarette. I sat quietly listening, gazing out of the windscreen, getting carried away.

When I think back on this, I can only describe it as if we were in the song. We were the teens in love, going through hard times. There was an intimacy between us for that five minutes that I have not felt with anyone before, nor have I felt it since. I was friends with this person, but there was never any physical intimacy to it.

I have never felt so effected by a song before, apart from being a stoned teenager of course.


Why the divergence into my sappy Springsteen memories? The other day, during a workshop I was attending, I had to listen to some douchebag degrade my dear memories of Springsteen.

He was talking about going to the concert in Toronto. Some quotes:

"My buddy and I are going to grab a broad each to take with us."
"the place is full of fat chicks who dress like it is 1987"

gag.

Of course I did not say anything, it did not feel like it was a safe space for me. We were slotted to spend two days in a tiny room together.

So, I am reclaiming the song again.

I have been sitting in sunny windows with my big comfy headphones on and listening to The River on repeat, imagining i am driving around with the windows down.


I have no idea when I got so Moonie-like.