BACKSTREETS^©

Live 19 Sep 1978 version

One soft infested summer me and Terry became friends
Trying in vain to breathe the fire we was born in
Catching rides to the outskirts, tying faith between our teeth
Sleeping in that old abandoned beach house, getting wasted in the heat
And hiding on the backstreets, hiding on the backstreets
With a love so hard and filled with defeat, hey!
Running for our lives at night on them backstreets

Slow dancing in the dark on the beach at Stockton's Wing
Where desperate lovers park we sat with the last of the Duke Street Kings
Huddled in our cars waiting for the bells that ring
In the deep heart of the night that set us loose from everything
To go running on the backstreets, running on the backstreets
We swore we'd live forever
On the backstreets we'd take it together

Endless juke joints and Valentino drag
Where dancers scraped the tears up off the streets dressed down in rags
Running into the darkness, some hurt bad some really dying
At night sometimes it seemed you could hear that whole damn city crying
Blame it on the lies that killed us, on the truth that ran us down
Blame it all on me Terry, it don't matter to me now
When the breakdown hit at midnight there was nothing left to say
I hate him and I hated you when you went away
Whoah, say!

Now laying here in the dark, you're like an angel on my chest
Just another tramp of hearts crying tears of faithlessness
Remember all the movies, Terry, we'd go see
Trying to learn how to walk like the heroes we thought we had to be
Well after all this time to find we're just like all the rest
Stranded in the park and forced to confess
To hiding on the backstreets, hiding on the backstreets
We swore forever friends
On the backstreets until the end

Baby, I remember you
Baby, I remember you
Standing on the corner
Standing on the corner
Of Kingsley Avenue
With your hair all up high
With your hair all up high
And making it
With an eye for every boy that was passing by
And I swore that for you, I'd drive
For you, little girl, I'd drive
All night long
Little girl, I'd drive
All night long
Little girl, I'd drive
All night long
Just to buy you some shoes
And to taste your tender charms
To have you hold me in your arms
For just one kiss
And a look from your sad eyes
A look from your sad eyes
You had such lonely sad eyes
And all the time, they was crying
Cry, cry, cry
All the time they was crying
Cry, cry, cry
Little girl, they was crying
And me, I was so ready to be your fool
I thought somehow that I could stop all your crying
Maybe, somehow I could stop your crying
Baby, somehow I could stop your crying
But I didn't know
I didn't know
That baby'd been lying
Baby'd been lying
Little girl, you'd been lying
Didn't you?
Little girl, you'd been lying
Weren't you?
Little girl, you were liiiiiiie
Your pretty li-li-li-li-li-li-lies
All them little li-li-li-li-li-li-lies
And now you're back
Well baby, I'm back too
And I've been off
But I've seen some things
About me
About you
And I found out
We've got to stop
Little girl, we've got to stop
Little girl, we've got to stop
Little girl, we've got to stop
Little girl, we've got to stop
Little girl, we've got to stop
Little girl, we've got to stop
Little girl, we've got to stop
Little girl, we've got to stop

Hiding on the backstreets, hiding on the backstreets
Hiding on the backstreets, hiding on the backstreets
Hiding on the backstreets, hiding on the backstreets
Hiding on the backstreets, hiding on the backstreets
Hiding on the backstreets, hiding on the backstreets
Hiding on the backstreets, hiding on the backstreets
Hiding on the backstreets, hiding on the backstreets
Hiding on the backstreets, hiding on the backstreets
Hiding on the backstreets, hiding on the backstreets
It's alright
We'll go hiding on the backstreets tonight
On the backstreets, on the backstreets
On the backstreets, on the backstreets
On the backstreets, on the backstreets, whoah!

Whoah, oh,oh oh oh oh oh oh oh

Page last updated: 00 Xxx 2008

The above lyrics are for the 19 Sep 1978 performance at Capitol Theater, Passaic, NJ, during the Darkness On The Edge OF Town Tour. This show was broadcast live on the New York radio station WNEW-FM, and soundboard tape and video footage are available.

List of available versions of BACKSTREETS on this website:

• Album's version (more details)

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