Teardrops on the city
Bad Scooter searching for his groove
Seem like the whole world's walking pretty
And you can't find the room to move
Well everybody better move over, that's all
I'm running on the bad side
And I got my back to the wall
Tenth Avenue freeze-out, Tenth Avenue freeze-out
I'm stranded in the jungle
Taking 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
She hit me with 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... [ Lyrics from: http://www.lyricsmode.com/lyrics/b/bruce_springsteen/tenth_avenue_freeze_out_disc_1.html ]
It's about bruce ("scooter") coming into his own after the immense challenge of living up to the reputation that preceded his best work. A triumphant song of finding himself. Interestingly, the phrase "10th avenue freeze-out", by his own admission, doesn't mean anything in particular! It has always been one of his personal favorites (it was, after all, the opening number in the super bowl show).