But tomorrow's fall in number

Question

On a lyrics page I read (Bruce Springsteen, The River):

But tomorrow's fall in number in number one by one

This makes no sense to me ("tomorrow is fall in number"). Shouldn't it read as follows?
But tomorrows fall in number in number one by one
Or what is it supposed to mean?

Usenet · Accepted Answer

[nq:1]On a lyrics page I read (Bruce Springsteen, The River): But tomorrow's fall in number in number one by one ... read as follows? But tomorrows fall in number in number one by one Or what is it supposed to mean?[/nq]
What are the two sentences that immediately precede this?

Usenet · Answer

[nq:1]On a lyrics page I read (Bruce Springsteen, The River): But tomorrow's fall in number in number one by one ... read as follows? But tomorrows fall in number in number one by one Or what is it supposed to mean?[/nq]
Well now, I just Googled the phrase and got 36 hits. I suspect what you're looking at here is a fan's transcription of the lyrics and the fan has no idea what an apostrophe is for.

Or else Briuce Springsteen doesn't know. Or the person who compiled the lyrics for the CD insert doesn't know. Nothing surprising there.

But I also got 15 hits for "tomorrows fall in number" however one of them spelled "all right" as "allright."
Moral of the tale: Don't trust all the info you find on the Internet or on a CD insert.

Usenet · Answer

[nq:1]On a lyrics page I read (Bruce Springsteen, The River): But tomorrow's fall in number in number one by one ... ("tomorrow is fall in number"). Shouldn't it read as follows? But tomorrows fall in number in number one by one[/nq]
Yes, and some websites have it that way. (Some have "tommorow's"!)

Rule #12: No-one knows how to use apostrophe's.
Adrian

Usenet · Answer

[nq:1]On a lyrics page I read (Bruce Springsteen, The River): But tomorrow's fall in number in number one by one ... read as follows? But tomorrows fall in number in number one by one Or what is it supposed to mean?[/nq]
The "tommorows (decrease) fall in number (It's getting late)". Every day there are fewer and fewer tomorrows.
Repeat "In Number" to keep the cadence in the song lyric.

"One by one" = the inexorable march of our days until time runs out.

I don't know the song, not being a Springsteen fan, but he may be referring to time slowly but steadily marching on as we put off doing the things we should do. Or he could be just commenting on growing older.
Brian Wickham

But tomorrow's fall in number

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