The Story of 'Zero and Blind Terry'

So, this is one of about three songs which i adore by Bruce Springsteen.

Listen first (or don't!)

His voice is pretty mumbled so lots of it you can't make out what he's saying, so here's the lyrics for it.... LYRICS!!!!!!

Right, so, this song didn't even make it on an album, its on a compilation of tracks which is full of b-sides, never released songs and different mixes, its called (quite appropriately) 'Tracks'! The reasons why i love it sooo much (and why it relates to what we do) is because of the story, its story telling (in music form) at its best. Bruce is telling the story in past tense to us (narrating it)

I think of it like a film, with the way its told, in fact it could be a treatment

Verse 1
You are introduced to the two main characters straight away and also one of the antagonist (Terrys dad) So in the first verse you know everyone!


Verse 2
By the second verse you know Terrys dads reasons for why he wants Zero Dead and not being with his daughter

"Now Terry's daddy understood that this Zero was no good, A child, a thief and a liar" But your still routing for Terry to get away from her dad and run away with Zero.


Verse 3
Your relived that they got away from terry's dad, and they live happy ever after, until you find out the dads hired people to kill Zero. (then there's a lovely instrumental which build up to a climax, F****g awesome!!! because you know there vulnerable, as we were told there asleep)


Verse 4
Everything explodes into a massive fight on a field whilst the Protagonists.....

"Zero and Terry they ran away, And the gang fought all through the night"


Verse 5
Were back in the future and Bruce is telling us the rumors of what happened to the Legend of Zero and Blind Terry, we all want to know what happened: did they get away? Was zero killed and terry sent back to her dad? Bruce leaves us with a fantastic ending which hints at the fact that they didn't succeed :(

"If you look hard enough, if you try, You'll catch Zero and Terry and all the Pythons, Oh just hiking them streets of the sky"


I love this song because i see it as a film/ animation, mostly animation because of its child like naivety which i think would work well with the song.

The story's so solid, everything is understood, you know who everyone is, your routing for the main characters to win and your left just distraught, knowing there up there in the sky. But in away there now free to be together so really its a happy/ bitter sweet ending.

But still Flipping Brilliant!