The Navesink Banks

“all hope abandon, ye who enter here”
said the sign i read that was hanging above her bed
and the sirens all were wailing
but a man can ignore the signs
you gotta keep a good eye
on the winding road ahead
and my first sin was a young american girl

and i spent time ‘neath the trestles
with the punks and the dimestore saints
kept faith in a switchblade tucked beneath my coat
and i ran with dirty angels
slept out in the rain
we were scared and tired and barely 17
and my first sin was the fear that made me old

and i walked down by the shipyards
near the place where i was born
saying “ah maria, if you woulda known me when…”
but she just smiles by the light on the navesink banks
saying “listen baby i know you now”
and she steps into the river
and i just stand by the moon
thinkin’ ‘bout a ghost i hear at night
and she says your first sin was a lie you told yourself