All hope abandon, ye who enter here Said the sign I read that was hangin' above her bed And the sirens all were wailin', but a man can ignore the signs Gotta keep a good eye on the windin' road ahead
And my first sin was a young American girl My first sin was a young American girl
And I spent time 'neath the trestles With the punks and the dime store saints Kept faith and a switchblade stuffed 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 a fear that made me old My first sin was a fear that made me old
Now I walk down by the shipyards Near the place where I was born Sayin' 'Oh, Maria, if you'da known me when...'
But she only smiles By the light on the Navesink banks Sayin' 'Listen baby, I know you now'
Then 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' 'Your first sin was a lie you told yourself'