Streets Of Philadephia

[Nefertiti]

Hi there.

" Oh brother are you gonna leave me wasting away
On the streets of Philadelphia"
1. What does 'waste away on a street' mean? Is it a common usage?

" At night I could hear the blood in my veins
Just as black and whispering as the rain
On the streets of Philadelphia"
2. Do you say black rain? What does it mean? Is it a common usage?

" I walked a thousand miles just to slip this skin"
3. What does 'slip this skin' mean? Is it a common usage?

" So receive me brother with your faithless kiss"
4. Does 'receive' mean accept? It it a common usage?


Thanks in advance.


batter v. strike violently and repeatedly

_________
The Song Bruce Sprinsteen Streets Of Philadephia lyrics

[baqarah131]

"waste away" means to lose your strength, energy, mental or physical health due to hunger, distress, disease, etc. It is common usage, a common expression.

"Receive" meaning "accept" or "welcome" is not common. It's extremely formal: "The Queen received her guests at the palace." Of course in songs and poetry you can use words in unusual ways.

I don't understand "slip skin" so it can't be very common usage.

"Black" can mean evil, dangerous, threatening; Shakespeare used it this way. Nowadays you have to be careful not to use "black" in a way that could be taken as a racial insult. It's very common; understand it, but use it with caution. Referring to the rain as black is just poetry. We don't say black rain.

regards
edward

Originally Posted by Nefertiti

Hi there.

" Oh brother are you gonna leave me wasting away
On the streets of Philadelphia"
1. What does 'waste away on a street' mean? Is it a common usage?

" At night I could hear the blood in my veins
Just as black and whispering as the rain
On the streets of Philadelphia"
2. Do you say black rain? What does it mean? Is it a common usage?

" I walked a thousand miles just to slip this skin"
3. What does 'slip this skin' mean? Is it a common usage?

" So receive me brother with your faithless kiss"
4. Does 'receive' mean accept? It it a common usage?


Thanks in advance.


batter v. strike violently and repeatedly

_________
The Song Bruce Sprinsteen Streets Of Philadephia lyrics

[rewboss]

Originally Posted by baqarah131

I don't understand "slip skin" so it can't be very common usage.

I think it's a euphemism for dying. It is commonly-held belief that the physical body contains a non-physical soul, the essence of the person's personality. When you die, your soul leaves your body behind. Springsteen uses "skin" instead of "body" for the purposes of alliteration; it also brings to mind the idea of a snake shedding its skin.