Live 07 Apr 1976 version
[chuckles]
Heh
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 a hot spot snappin' his fingers clappin' his hands,
Some fleshpot mascot was tied into a lover's knot with a whatnot in her hand
Well now young Scott with a slingshot finally found a tender spot and throws his lover in the sand
And some bloodshot forget-me-not says, "Daddy's within earshot, save the buckshot, turn up the band"
And we were 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
Some brimstone baritone anti-cyclone rolling stone preacher from the east
He said, "Dethrone the dictaphone, hit it in the funny bone, that's where they expect it least"
And some new-mown chaperone was standin' in the corner all alone watchin' the little girls dance
And some fresh-sown moonstone was messin' with his frozen zone to remind him of the feeling of romance
When 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 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
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"
Well, 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, oh, and then, boys, you're on your own"
Take it!
And we were blinded by the light
Cut loose like a deuce another runner in the night
Blinded by the light
Mama always told me not to look into the sights of the sun
Whoa, but mama that's where the fun is
Ooh, yeah
Oh but mama
(I was blinded) Oh but mama
(I was blinded) I was blinded
(I was blinded) I was bli-I was blinded
I was blinded
I was blinded
I was blinded
(Babe) I was blinded
I was blinded
(Baby) was blinded
The above lyrics are for the live 07 Apr 1976 performance of BLINDED BY THE LIGHT at Allen Theatre in Cleveland, OH, during the so-called Chicken Scratch Tour. The song was played in a full-band album-style arrangement. On this particular performance, Springsteen skipped the "And now in Zanzibar..." verse.
This tour (35 know dates, March to May 1976) was nicknamed the "Chicken Scratch Tour" by the road crew because of the high proportion of secondary markets in the South.
During the so-called Chicken Scratch Tour, Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band performed two consecutive shows at Allen Theatre in Cleveland, OH, on 07 and 08 Apr 1976. Soundboard recordings for both concert are in circulation among collectors. The recording from the second night is incomplete, but the one from the second night is complete and is of higher quality.
The 07 Apr 1976 show at Allen Theatre was commercially released in Europe. Since 2005 some enterprising record labels in Europe (mostly in the UK) have been releasing Bruce Springsteen radio and TV broadcasts (and some soundboard recordings) from the seventies, eighties, and nineties. Though these releases are not authorized by Bruce Springsteen or his record company, they are lawful due to a legal loophole in Europe.
Thanks Jake (ol'catfishinthelake at BTX and Greasy Lake) for the lyrics help.
List of available versions of BLINDED BY THE LIGHT on this website:
BLINDED BY THE LIGHT [Album version]
