Een tijdje geleden zocht ik hier ook naar en had inmiddels onderstaande link gevonden.
Hieronder de link en de Engelse uitleg met wat achtergrondinfo.
Het is inderdaad een copy paste actie en ik schaam me er dit keer niet zo voor, want de uitleg is second to none.
http://sonymusic.infopop.(...)=672106126#672106126Hey I don't know how far in depth you have to go with the song, but I'll do the best I can. The song was written about his brother-in-law and his sister which was stated at one of his concerts in 1980 (on the video anthology). A very "in general summary" of the song is about a choice that was made early and the price paid for making the choice. Its one of Springsteens better "story" songs.
IF you want to get more in depth, The first verse gives a summary of who he was at the beginning of his life and things were going at a normal pace "I come from down in the valley where mister when you're young they bring you up to do like your daddy done"...This line means that all boys were brought up to do the same thing, it was kind of an accepted thing and never changed. But Then he met a girl who he liked and things changed. Then all of a sudden he gets the girl pregnant after their trip down to the "river".
Then in the next verse he goes on to talk about what he goes through afterwards, "for my 19th birthday i got a union card and a wedding dress" meaning at 19 he wasn't mature or ready for a lifelong committment but had no choice, and there is nothing he can do that will change what had already happened.
Then in the 3rd Verse he talks about how he had to get a job to make ends meet but the work is scarce. The "River" symbolizes the Drowning of a Dream where no matter how much you try you will never escape it "But lately there ain't been much work on account of the economy". Its like even though he's doing the right thing, its not enough he keeps going back to "the river". He makes several references throughout the song that keeps taking him back to the River, meaning no matter how hard he tries to rise above it he'll never get away. Even years down the road the memories still haunt him and take him back to that one mistake he made so long ago (as stated in the 3rd verse) "Now all them things that seemed so important Well, mister they vanished right into the air Now I act like I don't remember Mary acts like she don't care" this seems like he's rehashing his youth that just got thrown away because of what happened down at the River. The most meaningful line that remains unanswered in the song is "is a dream a lie if it don't come true, or is it something worse?"...meaning a dream may be a simple lie and nothing more, but should a dream be drowned in a river of regret with no way of getting out OR do you have no control over it? That is a question that is still being pondered I believe because he never really answers it.
Well i hope this helps, let me know! Good luck to ya