Live 07 Apr 1976 version
I had skin like leather and the diamond-hard look of a cobra
I was born blue and weathered but I burst just like a supernova
I could walk like Brando right into the sun
And dance like a Casanova
With my blackjack and jacket and hair slicked sweet
Silver star studs on my duds like a Harley in heat
When I strut down the street I could feel its heartbeat
Sisters fell back, said, "Don't that man look pretty"
The cripple on the corner cried out, "Nickels for your pity"
Them downtown boys sure talk gritty
And it's so hard to be a saint in the city
I was king of the alley, mama, I could talk some trash
Prince of the paupers, crowned downtown at the beggar's bash
The pimp's main prophet, I kept everything cool
Backstreet gambler with the luck to lose
When the heat came down, it was left on the ground
Devil appeared like Jesus through the steam in the street
Showin' me a hand I knew even the cops couldn't beat
I felt his hot breath on my neck as I dove into the heat
And it's hard to be a saint when you're just a boy!
And the sages of the subway sit just like the living dead
The tracks clack out the rhythm, their eyes fixed straight ahead
They ride the line of balance and hold on by just a thread
It's too hot in these tunnels, you get hit up by the heat
You get up to get out at your next stop, they push you back down in your seat
Your heart starts beatin' faster as you struggle to your feet
You're out of that hole and back up on the street
Them south side sisters sure look pretty
The cripple on the corner cries out, "Nickels for your pity"
Them downtown boys sure talk gritty
And it's hard to be a saint in the city
So hard, sir
Now!
The above lyrics are for the live 07 Apr 1976 performance of IT'S HARD TO BE A SAINT IN THE CITY at Allen Theatre in Cleveland, OH, during the so-called Chicken Scratch Tour. The song was played in its traditional full-band arrangement.
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 IT'S HARD TO BE A SAINT IN THE CITY on this website:
IT'S HARD TO BE A SAINT IN THE CITY [Album version]
