"The Farewell Party" lyrics - BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN

She rode a '48 Panhead hardtail
First time I seen her she was skiddin' over a bed of nails
On the skin 'neath her left sleeve bloomed three roses
We held a farewell party at the station
There in the hour of her transfiguration
It was a fifth of tequila, bouquet of azaleas
Don't we all dream of a life somewhere
Untouched by our failures?

We mixed our blood together in the sand
Found a little house down off the Calle Grande
Slept on a bed of scarred spirits and twisted bones
I loved her like it was a disease
I came crawlin' on my knees
'Til you had me waist deep and sinkin' in your river of doubt
You change your name and your face
But here your fears find you out

[Bridge:]
They come like old ghosts in the night
Lead us away from our own blessed light
To strip away the love our darkness veils
Leave us with nothin' but blood and skin beneath our nails

[Guitar solo]

Tonight I got your '48 up, two kicks and she starts
I'm rushin' out 'neath a canopy of empty stars
All I'm thinkin' of is you, babe
Well, those three roses come back to me again
Like you, me, and what might've been
Pushin' out past the desert bars and lettuce farms
Wind in the mesquite comes rushin' over the hilltops
Straight into my arms

[Instrumental Outro]