"all hope abandon, ye who enter here" said the sign i read that was hanging above her bed and the sirens over wailing but a man cant ignore the signs you gotta keep a good eye on the winding road ahead and my first sin was a young american girl
and i spent time 'neath the tressels with the punks and the dimestore saints kept faith and a switchblade tucked 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 the fear that made me old
and i walked down by the shipyards near the place where i was born saying "ah maria, if you woulda known me when..." but she just smiles by the light on the navesink banks saying "listen baby i know you now" and 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