This is an intense story about a broken relationship; a tale of losing a lover where the narrator seems more concerned about losing her as a friend. The girl in the song, Terry, is a character Springsteen created based on girls he knew.
This is one of several Springsteen songs featuring the first name of a girl who is not a specific real person. Besides Terry, Springsteen has also sung about Mary, Wendy, Sandy and Rosie.
Asked where this song came from in a 2016 interview with Rolling Stone, Springsteen replied: "Just youth, the beach, the night, friendships, the feeling of being an outcast and kind of living far away from things in this little outpost in New Jersey. It's also about a place of personal refuge. It wasn't a specific relationship or anything that brought the song into being."
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