Live 31 May 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 them backstreets, hiding on them 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 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-whoah!
Whoah-whoah!
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
And after all this time to find we're just like all the rest
Stranded in the park and forced to confess
To hiding on them backstreets, hiding on them backstreets
We swore forever friends
On the backstreets until the end
Till the end
Just me and you baby
Forever friends
We swore forever friends
And I remember you standing on the corner
In that pretty blue dress
The dress that your baby bought you
You and your sad eyes
You and your sad eyes
They're so lonely lonely lonely lonely lonely
You had me waiting at the station
Baby my bags they were packed
You had me waiting at the station
Baby my bags were all packed
Waiting for you
For you and your sad eyes
How many times
How many times did I hold you in my arms
Baby won't you tell me how many times
Did I see them cry
Baby I know how they cry
I know how they cry
The way they cry
And you know babe
That only me and you
That only me and you know
The way that they lie
The way that they lie
They tell such pretty li-li-li-li-li-li-lies
Such pretty li-li-li-li-li-li-lies
Such pretty li-li-li-li-li-li-lies
Such pretty li-li-li-li-li-li-lies
Such pretty lies
You'd dress 'em up
And baby you know I buy 'em
You know, baby you know how I bought them
Whoa-whoah I
Oh-whoah, I bought them
Such pretty pretty
So pretty pretty
Baby you know I bought them
Baby I wanna know why
I wanna hear you tell me
I wanna know why
I wanna hear you say them words
I wanna know why
I wanna hear you say those words
I wanna know why
I want you to tell me
Baby baby baby
I wanna know why
Whoah-whoah-alright!
Whoah-whoah-alright!
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, ooh-ooh, ooh-ooh, ooh-ooh-ooh
The above lyrics are for the live 31 May 1978 performance of BACKSTREETS at Music Hall in Boston, MA, during the Darkness On The Edge Of Town Tour.
List of available versions of BACKSTREETS on this website:
BACKSTREETS [Album version]