Live 01 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, say!
Running for our lives at night out 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 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
You can 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
But I hated him and I hated you when you went away
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, 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 the backstreets, hiding on the backstreets
We swore forever friends
On the backstreets until the end
Hey, little girl
Hey, little girl
Baby, I remember you
I remember you
It's good to see you back again
And I know you remember me too
From when you were standing on the corner
Baby, you owned that corner down on Richmond Avenue
With your hair up high and that wild look in your eye for every boy that was passing you by
Sweet darling
And back then I swore
Back then I promised
That I'd drive all night
Anytime, anyplace
I'd drive all night
Anytime, anywhere
I'd drive all night
Anytime, anyplace
I'd drive all night
Anytime, anywhere
Just to buy you some shoes
And to taste your tender charms
To have you hold me in your arms
And for just one kiss
Baby, just one kiss
And a look from your sad eyes
A look from your sad eyes
All the time they were crying
Cry-cry-crying
Baby, they were cry-cry-cry-crying
They were cry-cry-cry-crying
And we'd drive outside of town
Andin the middle of abandoned -- in the middle of this field was this stripped down old Cadillac with nothing but the backseat
And baby, down and down, I remember that night because the kids set fire to the old abandoned farmhouse up the road and you got out
You started running across the fields towards the flames
Running across the fields towards the flames
Running across the fields towards the flames
Running across the fields towards the flames
And when you turned around
I could see that you were crying
I could tell that you were crying
I could see that you were crying
I could tell that you were crying
But I didn't know
Baby, I didn't know
That you were lying
All the time you'd been lying
All the time you'd been lying
You were young and you could tell such pretty lies
You'd been lying
Well, now you're back
Well, baby, I'm back too
And I've been out
And I've found out some things
About me
About you
We've got to stop
We've got to stop
We've got to stop
Stop
Stop
Stop
Stop
Stop
Stop
Stop
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
Well alright
We 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, whoah, whoah
The above lyrics are for the live 01 Sep 1978 performance of BACKSTREETS at Masonic Temple Theatre in Detroit, MI, during the Darkness On The Edge Of Town Tour.
Thanks Jake (ol'catfishinthelake at BTX and Greasy Lake) for the lyrics help.
List of available versions of BACKSTREETS on this website:
BACKSTREETS [Album version]