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Live 02 Jun 1973 version
Mary queen of Arkansas, it's not too early for dreamin'
The sky has grown with cloud seed sown and a bastard's love can be redeeming
Mary, my queen, your soft hulk is reviving
Oh, you're not too late to desecrate, servants are just rising
Lord, I'm just a lonely acrobat, this livewire, she's my trade
I've been a shine boy for your acid brats and a wharf rat of your state
Mary, my queen, your blows for freedom, they're missing
Oh, you're not man enough for me to hate or woman enough for kissing
Well now, this big top, man, she's for dreamers, but we can take her circus all the way to the border
These gallows wait for martyrs whose papers are in order
Oh, but I was not born to live to die and you were not born for queenin'
Oh, it's not too late, we can still infiltrate, the servants are just leavin'
Well now, Mary queen of Arkansas, your white skin is deceivin'
You wake and wait to lie in bait and you almost got your boy believin'
But on your bed, Mary, I have seen the shadow of a noose
Oh, I don't understand how you can hold me so tight and love me so damn loose
But that's alright, because I got a place where we can go, Mary
Where I can get a good job and start out all over again clean
Swear I got contacts deep in Mexico where servants have been seen
Ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh, ooh-ooh-ooh
[Spoken outro:] Thank you very much.
The above lyrics are for the live 02 Jun 1973 radio performance of MARY QUEEN OF ARKANSAS as broadcast on Bethesda's WHFS-FM. The song was played in a similar style as it was played on the Greetings From Asbury Park, N.J. Tour, an acoustic version featuring Bruce Springsteen on acoustic guitar and Danny Federici on accordion, but with a more straightforward vocal from Bruce.
Bruce Springsteen's 02 Jun 1973 radio performance was broadcast live on Bethesda's WHFS-FM. The show took place at the radio station in Bethesda, MD, and was hosted by DJ Donald "Cerphe" Colwell, a local radio legend who was one of Springsteen's biggest early supporters. Colwell also conducted an in-station interview with Bruce during the show. The master tape of this radio performance is is not circulating, but what is believed to be the complete radio show was taped by a listener and has since circulated among fans, but the sound quality is only fair.
Thanks Jake (ol'catfishinthelake at BTX and Greasy Lake). Most of the above info about this radio performance is taken from Brucebase.
List of available versions of MARY QUEEN OF ARKANSAS on this website:
MARY QUEEN OF ARKANSAS [Album version]