[before the song] This is a song I wrote about - I don't know if any of you have heard of the poet Hart Crane. He wrote a poem called The Bridge among other things. And I've just been reading it. And I wrote this song - it sort of started out like I was feeling like I was Hart Crane. So I started writing this song called The Bridge. [after the song] I wrote that here in this bustling city of London three days ago. Neil Young Royal Festival Hall, London, England February 27, 1971

BF: Sex and sin seem tied up in your songs. When you mention sex - in "Saddle Up the Palomino" (American Stars 'n Bars), "Love in Mind" (Time Fades Away), "Cowgirl in the Sand" (Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere) - it's usually with a sense of guilt. NY: I don't know. It keeps coming back, though, in all these songs...I think sex is an avenue I haven't explored deeply enough in my music. Maybe it is constant learning. Somehow it's made me feel I don't know enough about it to throw it around. "The Bridge" (Time Fades Away) really is like first discovery: "A river on your skin." "I Believe in You" (After the Goldrush) is another one. Neil Young Interview with Bill Flanagan 1985