bruce springsteen
balboa park
He lay his blanket underneath the freeway As the evening sky grew dark Took a sniff of toncho from his cocaine And headed thru Balboa Park Where the men in their Mercedes Come nightly to employ In the cool San Diego evening The services of the border boys He grew up near the Zona Norte With the hustlers and smugglers he hung out with He swallowed their balloons of cocaine Brought them across to the 12th streetstrip Sleepin' in a shelter If the night got to cold Runnin' from the migra Of the border patrol Past the salvage yard 'cross the train tracks And in thru the storm drain They stretched their blankets out 'neath the freeway And each one took a name There was X-man and Cochise Little Spider his sneakers covered in river mud They come north to California End up with the poison in their blood He did what he had to for the money Sometimes he sent home what he could spare The rest went to high-top sneakers and toncho And jeans like the gavachos wear One night the border patrol swept 12th Street A big car came fast down the Boulevard Spider stood caught in its headlights Got hit and went down hard As the car sped away=20 Spider held his stomachLimped to his blanket 'neath the freeway Lay there tasting his own blood on his tongue Closed his eyes and listened to he cars Rushin' by so fast.