I am not sure Bruce was interested in Western civilization here. Sounds like just another extended meditation on the wandering, searching angst of his youth, which ultimately achieves some resolution in the next album (at a particular point, indeed: "when the change was made uptown.."). What strikes me about this song is that it is a quintessential example of the immense and expansive melodic and harmonic creativity of the early years. The later albums (at least till Born usa) are much more taut and masculine.