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