Live 30 Oct 1976 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
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, set you loose from everything
To go running on the backstreets, whoaaah
You swore we'd live forever, hey!
On the backstreets we take it together whoaaahhh
Endless juke joints and Valentino drag
Where dancers scraped the tears up off the street 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 hated him and I hated you when you went away
Whoah, whoahhh
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, that we'd go see
Trying to learn how to walk like the heroes we thought we had to be
After all this time to find we're just like all the rest
Stranded in the park and forced to confess
Hiding on the backstreets, hiding on the backstreets
We swore forever friends
On the backstreets until the end
Till the end
You and me baby
Hmmm
We could steal away
We could steal away
In the morning
Take all my money in the bank
You could quit your job
I could quit my job too
We could slip away
And baby we could steal away
And just wait 'til it's dark
Just wait 'til it's dark
Just wait 'til it's dark
Just wait 'til it's dark
When the kings
When the kings
When the kings
When the kings
When the kings at midnight
When the kings at midnight ring
When the bells at midnight ring
When the bells at midnight ring
When the kings ring the midnight bells
We could slip away
When the bells at midnight ring
We're gonna go!
Whoahhh
When the bells at midnight ring
When the kings ring the midnight bells
We could slip away
We could go
We could go
And if we don't
And if we don't make it
And if we never
And if we never never never
And if we never
And if we never
And if we
And if we never never never never make it
And if we never
And if we never never never
Then so what
Then so what
Just tell 'em so what
You just tell 'em so what
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
Hiding on the backstreets, hiding on the backstreets
Hiding on the backstreets, hiding on the backstreets
We're alright
We go hiding on the backstreets
Whoah
Hiding on the backstreets, on the backstreets
On the backstreets, the backstreets
Whoah, whoah
Whoahhh, whoah whoah
The above lyrics are for the live 30 Oct 1976 performance of BACKSTREETS at Palladium in New York City, NY, during what is known as The Lawsuit Tour.
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).
List of available versions of BACKSTREETS on this website:
BACKSTREETS [Album version]
