THE ANGEL

Outtake version

The angel rides with hunch-backed children
Poison oozing from his engine
Wieldin' love as a lethal weapon
On his way to hubcap heaven
Baseball cards poked in his spokes
His boots in oil he's patiently soaked
The roadside attendant nervously jokes
As the angel's tires strokes his precious pavement
The interstate's drunk with nomadic hordes
In Volkswagen vans with full running boards dragging great anchors
Followin' dead-end signs into the sores
The angel rides by humpin' his hunk metal whore
Madison Avenue's claim to fame
In a trainer bra with eyes like rain
Rubs against the weather-beaten frame
And asks the angel for his name
Far in the distance the marble dome
Reflects across the flatlands with a naked feel off into parts unknown
The woman strokes his polished chrome
And lies beside the angel's bones

Published on Greetings From Asbury Park, NJ. Bruce said he would never have played it live, but.... he performed it during The Ghost Of Tom Joad tour on 22 Apr 1996 at the Royal Albert Hall, London. These lyrics refer to the outtake version recorded on 03 May 1972 at CBS Studios, New York City. Check also the album's version lyrics.