Still They Ride Lyrics Meaning

In a way, this is Journey's attempt at writing a Bruce Springsteen song! Like many of Springsteen's tunes, "Still They Ride" is about young men racing their cars in the streets at night.

When Steve Perry was a teenager in Lemoore, California back in the Sixties, there were always greasers and rebels meeting downtown late at night to show off their hot rods and engage in drag races. Steve himself was part of that scene.

"Jesse" represents an older version of Steve Perry himself. Now he's an adult who long ago left his home town and gave up that lifestyle. When he visits his home town, he finds that almost everything has changed, and he barely recognizes the place. Nobody there seems to remember him.

But.. he finds there are STILL kids racing their cars in the streets the way he used to. And that gives him a warm, nostalgic feeling.