‘Atlantic City (Live in Jersey)’ by Zach Bryan, Bruce Springsteen & Kings of Leon - Lyrics & Meaning

Zach Bryan has been buds with The Boss (aka Bruce Springsteen) for years now, with the duo joining forces on tour on multiple occasions, as well as sitting down together for The Rolling Stone in October 2024. Bryan also recruited Bruce for ‘Sandpaper’, one of the stand-outs from his The Great American Bar Scene album.

Similarly, in recent months, Bryan has become close pals with Caleb Followill, the lead singer for Kings of Leon, with the country-folk megastar dropping two back-to-back tracks with the rock legends in August 2025, ‘Bowery’ and ‘We're Onto Something’.

As a way of paying homage to his friendships, the ‘Something in the Orange’ singer-songwriter decided to record a live rendition of Bruce Springsteen's iconic 1982 anthem, ‘Atlantic City’, which they performed at Bryan's 2025 MetLife Stadium show.

We all know and love the classic sound of ‘Atlantic City’, to the extent that any new performance or version of Bruce Springsteen's 1982 hit usually attempts to stick as closely to the original as possible. This is evident throughout Zach Bryan's live version.

The fun of this new track is more the camaraderie that pervades it, with Bryan, Caleb and Bruce trading verses as they reel off this beloved earworm. You can hear the crowd cheering them on every step of the way, with this newly unveiled ‘Atlantic City (Live in Jersey)’ serving as a souvenir from an unforgettable moment.

‘Atlantic City’ follows a protagonist and his partner, as they determine to escape to New Jersey and dive into some criminal activity in order to pay off their mountain of debts. The opening line - “Well, they blew up The Chicken Man in Philly last night / And they blew up his house, too” - is a reference to the killing of Phil ‘The Chicken Man’, the boss of an infamous Philadelphia crime gang, in March 1981.

The key lyric - “Everything dies, baby, that's a fact / Maybe everything that dies someday comes back” - touches on the underlying theme of living fast and accepting the possibility of death. It also conveys the niggling feeling that the main couple's romance has fizzled out, with our protagonist hoping their flame can be lit again.

Ahead of its arrival, Bryan gushed, “Atlantic City live from Jersey with The Boss and Caleb Followill from Kings of Leon is out friday...Been a hell of a summer, roll um easy”.

“Well, they blew up the chicken man in Philly last night
And they blew up his house, too
Down on the boardwalk, they're gettin' ready for a hell of a fight
Gonna see what them racket boys can do
Now there's trouble bussin' in from out of state
And the D.A. can't get no relief
Gonna be a rumble out on the promenade
And the gamblin' commission's hangin' on by the skin of it's teeth
-
Well, now, everything dies, baby, that's a fact
Maybe everything that dies someday comes back
Put your makeup on, fix your hair up pretty
And meet me tonight in Atlantic City
-
Well, I got a job and tried to put my money away
But I got debts no honest man can pay
So I drew what I had from the Central Trust
And I bought us two tickets on that Coast City bus
-
Well, now, baby, everything dies, baby, that's a fact
Maybe everything that dies someday comes back
Put your makeup on, fix your hair up pretty
And meet me tonight in Atlantic City
-
Now, our luck may have died, and our love may be cold
But with you, forever, I'll stay
We're going out where the sand's turnin' to gold
Put on your stockings, baby, 'cause the night's gettin' cold
-
Maybe, everything dies, baby, that's a fact
Maybe everything that dies someday comes back
-
One, two, three, four
-
Now I've been lookin' for a job, but it's hard to find
Here, it's just winners and losers and, "Don't get caught on the wrong side of that line"
Well, I'm tired of coming out on this losin' end
So, honey, last night, I met this guy, and I'm gonna do a little favor for him
-
Well, everything dies, baby, that's a fact
Maybe everything that dies someday comes back
Put your makeup on, fix your hair up pretty
Meet me tonight in Atlantic City
-
Meet me tonight in Atlantic City
Meet me tonight in Atlantic City
Meet me tonight in Atlantic City”

For more on Zach Bryan, see below:

Zach Bryan

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Bruce Springsteen

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Kings of Leon

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