THE E STREET SHUFFLE

Live 09 May 1974 (early show) version

[Spoken:] Down on E Street, things slow down sometimes. Let me hear bass!

Sparks light on E Street where the boy prophets walk it handsome and hot
All the little girls' souls grow weak when the man-child gives them a double shot
Yeah, them schoolboy pops pull out all the stops on a Friday night
And them teenage tramps in skin-tight pants do the E Street dance and it's all right, yes
Well down there, they're either out dancin' or hooked up in a scuffle
Dressed in snake-skin suits packed with East Coast muscle
Doin' the E Street Shuffle
How you doin'?

Down a little

Well, now, them E Street brats in twilight duelin', flashlight phantoms in full star stream
Oh, down fire trails on silver nights with blondies pledged sweet sixteen
Well, now, Power Thirteen said it's been bad since he gave a trooper everything that he had in a scuffle
Now, Little Angel's out on the corner, tryin' to keep them crazy boys out of trouble
Well, Little Angel dances the shuffle like she's got no brains
She's deaf in combat down on Lover's Lane
Oh, yeah
And she sings, "Whoa, darling
(Whoa, darling)
Everybody form a line"
She sings, "Ooh, baby
(Ooh, baby)
Everybody form a line"
All right

Sparks light on E Street where the boy-prophets walk it handsome and hot
All the little girls, their souls grow weak when that man-child gives them a double shot
And Little Angel, she works down at Joe's, it's a joint where all the riot squad goes, they're out on the hustle
And on summer nights, them kids are still out on the corner, so loose, so lazy, crazy, doin' that E Street Shuffle
Oh, as summer nights turn into summer dreams
Little Angel picks up Power, he slaps on his jeans
And they move on down to the scene
We're havin' a party (havin' a party)
Havin' a party (havin' a party)
Havin' a party (havin' a party)
Yeah, you can make it, makin' it up (havin' a party)
Oh, we're havin' a party (havin' a party)
Ooh, havin' a party (havin' a party)
Baby, make stuff up!
Yeah
Come on

Info

The above lyrics are for the live 09 May 1974 early show performance of THE E STREET SHUFFLE at Harvard Square Theatre in Cambridge, MA, during what is considered The Wild, The Innocent, & The E Street Shuffle Tour. The song was played in a "hybrid" version with a fast tempo like the 1973 performances but the melody and instrumentation of the 1975 "slow" version. It concluded with a snippet of Sam Cooke's HAVING A PARTY.

Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band performed two shows (07:00 PM and 10:00 PM) on 09 May 1974 at Harvard Square Theatre in Cambridge, MA. These were double bill shows, with Springsteen opening for headliner Bonnie Raitt. On the circulating audience recording of the early show, the MC can be heard using of the name "The E Street Band" in his introduction. This is the earliest appearance of that name on any show audio or promotional material yet unearthed. The "E Street Band" name was conjured up only a few weeks earlier. Critic Jon Landau's much-quoted "I saw rock and roll future and its name is Bruce Springsteen" line emanates from this night; he only attended (and his Real Paper review only covers) the late show.

Promotional ad for the 09 May 1974 shows at Harvard Square Theatre, Cambridge, MA
(Taken from Brucebase)

Ticket stub for the 09 May 1974 early show at Harvard Square Theatre, Cambridge, MA

Credits / References

Thanks Jake (ol'catfishinthelake at BTX and Greasy Lake). The above info about the 09 May 1974 shows is taken from Brucebase.

Available Versions

List of available versions of THE E STREET SHUFFLE on this website:

Page last updated: 10 Sep 2011