KITTY'S BACK

Live 06 Dec 1973 version

[Spoken intro:] Oh. Wanna stay, or go home? Like you? Yeah? Okay, then, let's do that. This is, uh, what? Ah. No, I don't know. You know what it is. What it is, what it is. This uh, this song is a new song off, off our upcoming -- come-and-gone -- (chuckles) new album, and, uh, you'll find it under any rock. Oh! Kitty! Back in town. (Oh!)

Catlong sighs holding Kitty's black tooth
She left to marry some top cat, ain't it the cold truth
Well, there hasn't been a tally since Sally left the alley
Since Kitty left with Big Pretty things have gotten pretty thin, yeah
It's tight on this fence since them young dudes are muscling in

Jack Knife sighs 'cause baby's in a bundle
She go running nightly, lightly through the jungle
And them tin cans are exploding out in the ninety-degree heat
Cat somehow lost his baby down on Bleecker Street
Ba, ba, ba, da, ba, ba, da, ba, ba
It's sad, but it sure is true
Cat shrugs his shoulders, sits back and sighs
Ooh, what, what can I do?
Ooh, ooh, ooh, what can I do?
Ooh, what, what can I do?
Ooh, ooh, ooh, what can I do?

Catlong slides back bent on a trash can
Flashing lights cut the night, dude in white says he's the man
Well, you better learn to move fast when you're young or you're not long around
Cat somehow lost his Kitty down in the city pound
Get right, get tight, get down

Who's that all dressed up down there at the end of the alley?
She's been out all weekend long
Here she comes, here she comes, here she comes, here she comes, here she comes, here she comes, here she comes, here she comes, here she comes
Kitty's back in town (here she comes, now)
Kitty's back in town (oh, oh, all right)
Kitty's back in town (here she comes, now)
Kitty's back in town (oh, oh, all right)
Kitty's back in town (here she comes, now)
Kitty's back in town (oh, oh, all right)
Kitty's back in town (here she comes, now)
Kitty's back in town (oh, oh, all right)

Cat knows his Kitty's been untrue
And that she left him for a city dude
But she's so soft, she's so blue
When he looks into her eyes
He just sits back and sighs
Ooh, ooh, ooh, what can I do?
Whoa, oh, oh, what can I do?
Oh, oh, what can I do?
Whoa, oh, oh, what can I do?
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, all right
Dow dow, da, da, da, da, da, da, da, da, da, d-d-d-d-d-d-da, da, da, da
Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, all right
Bring it down!
(Ooh, all right)
(Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, all right, ooh, all right)
Yeah!
(Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, all right, ooh, all right) All right
(Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, all right, ooh, all right) All right
(Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, all right, ooh, all right) All right
(Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, all right, ooh, all right) All right
(Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, all right, ooh, all right) All right
(Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, all right, ooh, all right) All right
(Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, all right)
All right
(Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, all right)
All right
(Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, all right, ooh, all right)
(Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, all right, ooh, all right)

Info

The above lyrics are for the live 06 Dec 1973 performance of KITTY'S BACK at Childe Harold in Washington, DC, during what is considered The Wild, The Innocent, & The E Street Shuffle Tour. The song was played in an album-style, full-band arrangement featuring Vini Lopez on drums and David Sancious on piano.

Promotional ad for the 06 Dec 1973 show at Childe Harold, Washington, DC
(Taken from Brucebase)

Bruce Springsteen performed three nights at Childe Harold between 06 and 08 Dec 1973. He played one show each night, each consisting of three 45-minute sets with an intermission between each. Springsteen and the band were the sole act on the bill. A proportion of the first night's show was broadcast by Georgetown University's WGTB-FM. Audio evidence suggests that it was the evening's final set. Part of the broadcast, taped off the airways, is now in circulation among collectors.

Credits / References

Thanks Jake (ol'catfishinthelake at BTX and Greasy Lake) for the lyrics help. Some of the above information is taken from Brucebase.

Available Versions

List of available versions of KITTY'S BACK on this website:

Page last updated: 28 Dec 2011