Live 06 Jan 1974 version
Let it go!
(Hey!)
Take a break!
Alright, alright
Whoa!
Ah, madman drummers bummers and Indians in the summer with a teenage diplomat
In the dumps with the mumps as the adolescent pumps his way into his hat
With a boulder on my shoulder, feelin' kinda older I tripped the merry-go-round
With this very unpleasing sneezing and wheezing the calliope crashed to the ground
Some all-hot half-shot was headin' for the hot spot snappin' his fingers clappin' his hands,
Some fleshpot mascot was tied into a lover's knot with a whatnot in her hand
Now young Scott with a slingshot finally found a tender spot and throws his lover in the sand
Some bloodshot forget-me-not whispers, "Daddy's within earshot, save the buckshot, turn up the band"
He was blinded by the light
Cut loose like a deuce another runner in the night
Blinded by the light
He got down but he never got tight, he's gonna make it alright, oh tonight
Some brimstone baritone anti-cyclone rolling stone preacher from the east
Said, "Dethrone the dictaphone, hit it in the funny bone, that's where they expect it least"
Some new-mown chaperone stands in the corner all alone watchin' the young girls dance
And some fresh-sown moonstone is messin' with his frozen zone to remind him of the feeling of romance
He was just blinded by the light
Cut loose like a deuce another runner in the night
Blinded by the light
He got down but he never got tight, he's gonna make it alright, oh tonight
Some silicone sister with her manager's mister told me I got what it takes
She said, "I'll turn you on sonny, to something strong if you'll play that song with the funky break"
Go-cart Mozart was checkin' out the weather chart to see if it was safe to go outside
And little Early-Pearly came by in her curly-wurly, asked me if I needed a ride.
Oh, some hazard from Harvard was skunked on beer playin' backyard bombardier
And Scotland Yard was trying hard, they sent some dude with a calling card, said, "Do what you like, but don't do it here"
So I jumped up, turned around, spit in the air, fell on the ground
Asked him which was the way back home
He said, "Take a right at the light, keep goin' straight until night, and then, boys, you're on your own"
Now in Zanzibar a shootin' star was ridin' in a side car hummin' a lunar tune
The avatar said, "Blow the bar but first remove the cookie jar, we'll teach those boys to laugh too soon"
Some kidnapped handicap was complainin' that he caught the clap from some mousetrap he bought last night,
I unsnapped his skull cap, between his ears I saw a gap and figured he'd be all right
He was just blinded by the light
Cut loose like a deuce another runner in the night
Blinded by the light
He got down but he never got tight, he's gonna make it alright, oh tonight
Oh!
Mama always told me not to look into the sights of the sun
Oh, but mama that's where the fun is
Ooh, yeah
(I was blinded) Alright
(I was blinded) Oh my my
(I was blinded) Oh yeah
(I was blinded) Oh yeah
(I was blinded) Oh yeah
(I was blinded) I was blinded
(I was blinded) I was bli--, I was blinded
(I was blinded) I was blinded
(I was blinded) I was blinded
I was blinded
The above lyrics are for the live 06 Jan 1974 performance of BLINDED BY THE LIGHT at Joe's Place in Cambridge, MA, during what is considered The Wild, The Innocent, & The E Street Shuffle Tour. The song was played in a full-band arrangement, much like the versions from late 1973, including the somewhat more experimental "Dylanesque" vocal, but which also featured a three-to-four minute extended jazzy instrumental opening, perhaps the closest the E Street Band ever came to progressive rock.
Bruce Springsteen was booked for a three-night residency Joe's Place in Cambridge, MA, from 04 to 06 Jan 1974. These were double-bill shows, with Springsteen headlining and Peter Johnson & The Manic Depressives (Joe's Place's unofficial house band) opening. Each of Springsteen's shows consisted of two hour-long sets separated by an intermission. Audience recording of the complete 06 Jan 1974 show and soundboard recording of the second set of that same show are in circulation among fans.
Thanks Jake (ol'catfishinthelake at BTX and Greasy Lake). Info about Springsteen's three-night residency at Max's Kansas City is taken from Brucebase.
List of available versions of BLINDED BY THE LIGHT on this website:
BLINDED BY THE LIGHT [Album version]