Unofficial studio version
Well Janey's got a doctor who tears apart her insides
He investigates her and silently bates her every little sigh
Oh he probes with his fingers but he knows her heart only through his stethoscope
Oh his hands are so old and his instruments so cold
Janey turns him down like dope
And Janey's got a proctor from his marble pulpit he smiles
He provides consolation and an open invitation to confession at any time
Between the pages of his bible he holds from what Janey he hides
With her doors open wide she begs, "Come inside"
But he's too long been content to mess around with the handles on the outside
And Janey needs a shooter
A shooter like this boy on her side
Janey needs a shooter
Someone who knows her style
And I know her style
Well Janey loved a mechanic who owned a gas station down on Route 9
Well she took him to bed and I beat my head on his gas tanks and bled all over his tires
And then he smashed my car with his big tow bar, I got out and asked him why
He said, "'Cause with her it's either you or me, and it's gonna be me"
And I watched Janey silently stand by
Then she flopped with a cop who lived 'round the block, he'd come peek in my window every night
Janey's skin would turn pale as the siren he'd wail outside my house all night long when he knew she was inside
She said his big gun was fun but Janey's small, and sometimes he scared her
So I held her real close, she was more a saint than a ghost
And told her I so long had been prepared for her
And Janey needs a shooter
A shooter just like me on her side
Janey needs a shooter
Somebody who won't let her slide
And I can't let her slide
Woah I'm staying here tonight, baby and I won't let you slide
I'm staying here tonight, woah Janey and I won't let you slide
I'm staying here tonight, baby I'm a-can't let you slide
The above lyrics are for a solo piano version of JANEY NEEDS A SHOOTER likely recorded on 29 or 30 Jan 1973 at 914 Sound Studios in Blauvelt, NY. These sessions were produced by Mike Appel and Jim Cretecos and engineered by Louis Lahav. See the album version for more details.
This version of JANEY NEEDS A SHOOTER can be found on The Unsurpassed Springsteen Volume 6 (Yellow Dog Records) [Track 01] bootleg.
List of available versions of JANEY NEEDS A SHOOTER on this website:
JANEY NEEDS A SHOOTER [Album version]