SPIRIT IN THE NIGHT

Live 13 Feb 1977 version

Aaah!

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?
'Bout a mile down on the dark side of route eighty-eight
Got a bottle of rose, let's try it
We'll pick up Hazy Davy and Killer Joe, I'll take you all out to where gypsy angels go
Built like lights
And they dance like spirits in the night" (all night)
All 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 right up and let it shoot right through you

Now 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, 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 just right, just as soft as a spirit in the night (all night)
All night (all night)
Well, baby don't know what it do to you
Like a spirit in the night (all night)
All night (all night)
Stand up and let it shoot right through you
Big Man!
Aaah!

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

And this kid Hazy Davy got really hurt, he crawled into the lake in just his socks and a shirt
Me and Crazy Janey were makin' love in the dirt, singin' our birthday song
And then Janey said, "Hey, little brother, don't you think it's time that we go?"
Ahoom.
Closed our eyes and said goodbye. (chuckles)
To gypsy angel row, felt just right
Bam!
We moved like spirits in the night (all night)
All night (all night)
Well, baby don't know what it do to you
Like a spirit in the night (all night)
All night (all night)
Stand up and let it shoot right through you
Like a spirit in the night (all night)
All night (all night)
All night (all night)
All night (all night)
All night (all night)
All night (all night)
Yeah
Big Man!
Whoa!
Like a spirit in the night
Like a spirit in the night
Like a spirit in the night

[Spoken outro:] Play Big Man! The saxophone!

Info

The above lyrics are for the live 13 Feb 1977 performance of SPIRIT IN THE NIGHT at Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto, Canada, during what is known as The Lawsuit Tour. The song was played in its traditional full-band arrangement.

Despite the marvelous reception received by both Born To Run and the tour which followed, the relationship between Bruce Springsteen and his now former manager and producer Mike Appel was deteriorating. In July 1976 the storm broke; Mike Appel wrote to Springsteen saying that he would not allow Jon Landau (Springsteen's friend and co-producer of Born To Run) to produce the next album, citing a particular paragraph from their original agreement. Springsteen replied on 27 Jul 1976 by firing manager Mike Appel and suing him and his management company Laurel Canyon Ltd. in Federal Court in Manhattan, claiming fraud, breach of trust, and undue influence. Appel counter-sued on 29 Jul 1976 in New York State Supreme Court, asking the court to prohibit Springsteen and Jon Landau from working together in studio. Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band were slated to enter the studio that year for the recording of a new album, except that on 15 Sep 1976 the judge in the lawsuits case ruled that Springsteen was enjoined from any further recording with Columbia Records until Appel's suit was resolved. This would drag for about a year. Meanwhile, Springsteen continued gigging, and in the process broke his self-imposed rule of not playing the larger arenas. This was basically because he was not able to put a record out, and it was the only way his fans would be able to hear him at all. The tour became known as "The Lawsuit Tour" (62 know dates, August 1976 to March 1977).

The 13 Feb 1977 Show

Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band performed a concert at Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto, Canada, on 13 Feb 1977, during what is known as The Lawsuit Tour. The pass below right shows that this show was rescheduled from 10 Feb 1977.

Ticket stub for the 13 Feb 1977 show at Maple Leaf Gardens, Toronto, Canada
(Thanks Taperboy/JEMS)

Pass for the 13 Feb 1977 show at Maple Leaf Gardens, Toronto, Canada
(Taken from Brucebase)

The 13 Feb 1977 show in Toronto 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 Soul Crusaders - Toronto Broadcast 1977

2xCD - Golden Rain (GRNCD021) - UK, 2018

This release contains the 13 Feb 1977 show in Toronto.

Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band -- The Soul Crusaders - Toronto Broadcast 1977 Volume One

2xLP - Parachute Recording Company (PARA254LP) - UK, 2019

This release contains part 1 of 2 of the 13 Feb 1977 show in Toronto.

Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band -- The Soul Crusaders - Toronto Broadcast 1977 Volume Two

2xLP - Parachute Recording Company (PARA255LP) - UK, 2019

This release contains part 2 of 2 of the 13 Feb 1977 show in Toronto.

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: 18 Jan 2016