Live 26 Feb 1972 version
I remember the first time I saw you
Because I thought to myself
I said oh that woman sure ???
And I prayed to the Lord each night
Told him I knew I had to have you
Because I thought that you would love me like I would want my baby to
Yes and I remember the first time I loved you, it's so true
Yes I gotta have your loving
Yes I gotta have your loving
I gotta have your loving, yes I do
And I remember yeah the first time I touched you
The stars fell from the sky
Glowed down on earth like a thousand giant fireflies
And you've shaken, mama, yeah and I felt my heart breaking on me
And that's when I knew, that's when I knew baby
Oh what happens when I knew, ??? sure I knew
That's when, that's when I knew
Darling when, that's when I knew I had to
That's when I knew, that's when I knew, yeah, yeah
That's when I knew, that's when I remember the first time I loved you
I sear it's so true
Yes I gotta have your loving
Yes I, yes I gotta have your loving
I gotta have your loving, yes I do
Yeah I remember the first time you left me
Well I thought that you were fooling right about till I heard that's how ???
Because I was talking to myself, I said "ah she's so easy and I got her right ???"
She's so easy, Lord I hoped she would come and she was the one
??? she were the one
You were the one
She was the one
You were the one
You were the one
She was the one
You were the one
You were the one
You were the one
She was the one
You were the one
She was the one
You were the one
She was the one
Yes I remember
???
I gotta have your loving now
Yes I, yes I gotta have your loving girl
???
Yes I do, yes I do
Then I saw you walking down the street one day after two long years gone by
I saw you walking down the street one day baby after two long years have gone by
You was walking down the street, you was walking all dressed up
And I thought to myself oh I want you so
You were walking down the street all dressed up
Oh you had that dog on a leash, yeah ???
Oh and all your friends have told you "hey, yeah you got him on a leash"
Oh baby you got him on a leash, ???
And I said "how you doing honey"
You said "I'm doing, I'm doing just fine"
I said "how you've been baby"
You said "been just fine, and I'm still good"
And I said "baby I need you, won't you come on home"
You said "I just can't make it"
And I said "baby I need you, won't you come on home"
And you said "I just can't take it"
I said "honey I want you, I want you to come on home"
You said "no baby"
I said "baby, baby, baby I need you, won't you come back to me, I'm begging"
You said "no I just can't ???"
I said "babe I need you, won't you come on home to me, come on home"
You said "no I just can't make it ???"
Then I said "come on baby I love you, won't you come on home to me"
You just said "I'm coming home"
I said "baby I need you, I love you, won't you come on home to me"
You said "I'm coming home, I'm coming home"
Yes I remember
???
???
yes I gotta have your loving
yes I gotta have your loving
Yes I do, yes I do
Yes I really do girl
Oh don't you know that the stars they told you I do and the sun has told how badly I do
The way you love me, your love is just so frightening
And can't you see how we go together babe, just like thunder and just like lightning
Oh hey!
The above lyrics are for the live 26 Feb 1972 performance of I REMEMBER at The Back Door in Richmond, VA, with The Bruce Springsteen Band (see section below).
The Bruce Springsteen Band played nine shows at The Back Door in Richmond, VA, during three of the four weekends of February 1972 (04, 05, 06, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, and 27 Feb 1972). They played one show each night and they were the sole act on the bill. Soundboard and audience recordings from these shows circulate among collectors.
Soundboard recordings for 8 tracks, taken directly from Tinker West's original reel tapes, are in circulation. The exact dates for the 8 tracks are not known but it is more likely that all of them come from the same show, probably from the final weekend of the residency. Audience recordings for 13 more tracks are also in circulation. The exact dates are not know but it is more likely that most of them come from the final weekend's performances. A soundboard recording consisting of 14 more tracks is currently in very limited circulation. The recording comes from the 25 Feb 1972 show and is likely the complete show. An audience recording consisting of 5 more tracks is also in circulation and, according to Brucebase, can be identified with some confidence to date from the 26 Feb 1972 show.
A reel-to-reel tape containing the soundboard recording of the 25 Feb 1972 show was auctioned in June 2014 on Sotheby's (see photo below). According to the auction house, the tape comes directly from the collection of John Hammond, "perhaps requested in an attempt to ascertain if the performer that he was so taken by as a solo acoustic act could similarly engage a live audience fronting an electric band." The tape features a printed label with hand-written setlist, but some of the songs are misidentified.
Much of the above information about the 1972 residency at The Back Door is taken from Brucebase.
If you have any additional information about this performance, or any corrections to the above lyrics, please contact me via the below form or by email: .
List of available versions of I REMEMBER on this website:
I REMEMBER [Live Nov 1971 version]