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IT'S HARD TO BE A SAINT IN THE CITY 
Live 02 Oct 1975 version
[Spoken intro:] This is a song off, uh, off the, uh, Greetings From Asbury Park
album. It's so hard.
I had skin like leather and the diamond-hard look of a cobra
I was born blue and weathered but I burst just like a supernova
I could walk like Brando right into the sun
And dance like a Casanova
With my blackjack and jacket and hair slicked sweet
Silver star studs on my duds like a Harley in heat
When I strut down the street I could feel its heartbeat
Sisters fell back, said, "Don't that man look pretty"
The cripple on the corner cried out, "Nickels for your pity"
Them downtown boys sure talk gritty
But it's so hard to be a saint in the city
I was the king of the alley, mama, I could talk some trash
I was the pimp's main prophet, crowned downtown at the beggar's bash
I was the pimp's main prophet, I kept everything cool
A backstreet gambler with the luck to lose
And when the heat came down, it was left on the ground
The devil appeared like Jesus through the steam in the street
Showin' me a hand I knew even the cops couldn't beat
I felt his hot breath on my neck as I dove into the heat
And it's so hard to be a saint when you're just a...
And the sages of the subway sit just like the living dead
The tracks clack out the rhythm, their eyes fixed straight ahead
They ride the line of balance and hold on by just a thread
It's too hot in these tunnels, you get hit up by the heat
You get up to get out at your next stop, they push you back down in your seat
Your heart starts beatin' faster as you struggle to your feet
You're out of that hole and back up on the street
Them south side sisters sure look pretty
The cripple on the corner cried out, "Nickels for your pity"
Them downtown boys sure talk gritty
And it's so hard to be a saint in the city
So hard, sir
So, so hard, so hard
Max, play that thing back there, baby, good time!
[Spoken outro:] Thank you!
Page last updated: 03 Jul 2011
Info
The above lyrics are for the live 02 Oct 1975 performance of IT'S HARD TO BE A
SAINT IN THE CITY at Uptown Theatre in Milwaukee, WI, during the Born To Run Tour. The
song was played in its traditional full-band arrangement.
This show is famous for its bomb scare. Just 45 minutes into the concert, a bomb
threat was phoned in to the theatre, and the night's MC Bob Reitman (disc jockey for WQFM) was
forced to take the stage and inform the crowd of the threat, asking them to return in three hours
time. The police searched the theatre and found no bomb, so the band returned at midnight for
another two hours on stage. The band spent its time during the delay in a nearby bar and it's
evident as the show got back underway that Springsteen had a few drinks.
Pass for the 02 Oct 1975 show at Uptown Theatre, Milwaukee, WI
[Taken from Brucebase] |
Available Versions
List of available versions of IT'S HARD TO BE A SAINT IN THE CITY on this
website:
Credits / References
Thanks Jake (ol'catfishinthelake at BTX and Greasy Lake). Some of the above
info is taken from Brucebase.
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