SPIRIT IN THE NIGHT

Live 15 Aug 1975 (early show) version

[Spoken intro:] This is for all, this is for all the folks down by the shore around Greasy Lake.

Crazy Janey and her mission man were back in the alley tradin' hands
'Long came Wild Billy with his friend G-Man, duded up for Saturday night
Billy slammed on his coaster brakes
Said, "Anybody wanna go on up to Greasy Lake?
It's about a mile down on the dark side of route eighty-eight
I got a bottle of rose, let's try it
We'll pick up Hazy Davy and Killer Joe, and I'll take you all out to where gypsy angels go
Built like light
Oh, and they dance like spirits in the night" (all night)
All the night (all night)
Now, baby don't know what it do to you
Like a spirit in the night (all night)
All that night (all night)
Stand up and let it shoot right through you

Wild Billy was a crazy cat, and he shook some dust out of his coonskin cap
Cried, "Trust some of this, it'll show you where you're at, at least it'll help you really feel it"
By the time we made it up to Greasy Lake, Steven, I had my head out the window; Janey's fingers were in the cake
I think I really dug her; I was too loose to fake
Said, "I'm hurt," she said, "Honey, let me heal it"
We danced all night to a soul fairy band
She kissed me just right like only a lonely angel can
Felt so nice, just as soft as a spirit in the night (all night)
All that night (all night)
Well, baby don't know what it do to you
Like a spirit in the night (all night)
All the night (all night)
Stand up and let it shoot right through you

Hey now!

Now the night grew bright, the stars threw light on Billy and Davy
Dancin' in the moonlight
They were down near the water in a stone mud fight
Killer Joe passed out on the lawn

Now this kid Hazy Davy, he got really hurt, he crawled into the lake in just his socks
Me and Crazy Janey... uh
Me and Crazy Janey were makin' love in the dirt, singin' our birthday song
And Janey said...
And Janey said, "Hey, little brother, don't you think it's time that we go?"
So we closed our eyes and said goodbye to gypsy angel row, felt so right
We moved like spirits in the night (all night)
In the night (all night)
Baby don't know what it do to you
Like a spirit in the night (all night)
Oh, in the night (all night)
Stand up and let it shoot right through you
Like a spirit in the night (all night)
All that night (all night)
All that night (all night)
Whoa, whoa, whoa
Whoa, all right
Whoa
Da da da da da da da da
Na na na, baby, that's right
Oh, like a spirit in the night
Oh, like a spirit in the night
Kid, like a spirit in the night
Oh

Info

The above lyrics are for the live 15 Aug 1975 (early show) performance of SPIRIT IN THE NIGHT at Bottom Line in New York City, NY, during the Born To Run Tour. The song was played in its traditional full-band arrangement.

The 15 Aug 1975 Early Show

In August 1975, Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band performed a 5-night stand at Bottom Line in New York City, NY, from 13 to 17 Aug 1975. They played two shows each night, an early one at 8:30 p.m. and a late one at 11:30 p.m. All ten shows were sold-out. The early 15 Aug 1975 show was broadcast live by New York's WNEW-FM.

Promotional poster for the August 1975 five-night residency at Bottom Line, New York City, NY

Ticket stub for the 15 Aug 1975 show at Bottom Line, New York City, NY
(Taken from Brucebase)

The 15 Aug 1975 radio broadcast from Bottom Line was commercially released in Europe. Since 2005 some enterprising record labels in Europe (mostly in the UK) have been releasing Bruce Springsteen radio and TV broadcasts (and some soundboard recordings) from the seventies, eighties, and nineties. Though these releases are not authorized by Bruce Springsteen or his record company, they are lawful due to a legal loophole in Europe.

Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band -- The Complete Bottom Line And Roxy Theater Broadcasts 1975

4xCD - Air Cuts (AC4CD7010) - UK, 2015

This release contains the 15 Aug 1975 early show broadcast from Bottom Line and the 17 Oct 1975 early show broadcast from The Roxy Theatre.

Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band -- The Complete Bottom Line Broadcast 1975

3xLP - Air Cuts (AC3LP7010A) - UK, 2015

This release contains the 15 Aug 1975 early show broadcast from Bottom Line.

Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band -- A Saint In The City

LP - Bad Joker (BOSS 5-2010) - EU, 2016

This release contains part of the 15 Aug 1975 early show broadcast from Bottom Line.

Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band -- New York 1975 - The Greenwich Village Broadcast

2xCD - Hobo (HB018) - Europe, 2017

This release contains the 15 Aug 1975 early show broadcast from Bottom Line.

Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band -- New York 1975 - The Greenwich Village Broadcast Volume 1

2xLP - Parachute Recording Company (PARA179LP) - UK, 2019

This release contains part 1 of 2 of the 15 Aug 1975 early show broadcast from Bottom Line.

Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band -- New York 1975 - The Greenwich Village Broadcast Volume 2

2xLP - Parachute Recording Company (PARA180LP) - UK, 2019

This release contains part 2 of 2 of the 15 Aug 1975 early show broadcast from Bottom Line.

Bruce Springsteen -- Thunder Road - Live

20xCD - KP Music (SPRING01) - Europe, 2020

This release contains the 31 Jul 1973 broadcast from My Father's Place, the 03 Mar 1974 late show broadcast from Georgetown University, the 09 Mar 1974 KLOL-FM radio broadcast, the 05 Feb 1975 broadcast from The Main Point, the 15 Aug 1975 early show broadcast from Bottom Line, the 17 Oct 1975 early show broadcast from The Roxy Theatre, the 09 Aug 1978 broadcast from The Agora, the 30 Sep 1978 broadcast from Fox Theatre, the 05 Jun 1992 broadcast from Hollywood, the 20 Aug 1994 show with Joe Grushecky & The Houserockers at Marz American Style, plus some various TV performances from 1992-1995.

Credits

Thanks Jake (ol'catfishinthelake at BTX and Greasy Lake) for the lyrics help.

Available Versions

List of available versions of SPIRIT IN THE NIGHT on this website:

Page last updated: 19 Apr 2011