Live 09 Oct 1976 version
[...] Together, me and her, we could surrender to the justice of something in the night
And I know that nothing is forgotten or forgiven, when its your second time around
And me I got stuff running around my head, I can't live with or without
And all the big boys, the big boys and the players, they stand outside and mumble, about something, something wrong and right
While kids like us rumble baby over something in the night
Now all them folks out on the island, they better lock their doors, take their children by the hand
Because tonight the devil will walk these streets like a man
Better bring along a switchblade, in case that old fool wants to fight
You can tell him I'll be waiting for him in my room with all the lights out, crazy with that something in the night
Woahhh there's something in the night
Woahhh there's something in the night
The above lyrics are for the live 09 Oct 1976 performance of SOMETHING IN THE NIGHT at University Of Notre Dame in South Bend, IN, during what is known as The Lawsuit Tour. The show was held in the University's Athletic & Convocation Center. Unfortunately, the audio recording for the first three verses is cut.
The lyrics for this version are very different from the album version, and have some few similarities to the live 01 Aug 1976 version in the last verse. The "Better bring along a switchblade, in case that old fool wants to fight" line appears on TAKE 'EM AS THEY COME.
Despite the marvelous reception received by both Born To Run and the tour which followed, the relationship between Bruce Springsteen and his now former manager and producer Mike Appel was deteriorating. In July 1976 the storm broke; Mike Appel wrote to Springsteen saying that he would not allow Jon Landau (Springsteen's friend and co-producer of Born To Run) to produce the next album, citing a particular paragraph from their original agreement. Springsteen replied on 27 Jul 1976 by firing manager Mike Appel and suing him and his management company Laurel Canyon Ltd. in Federal Court in Manhattan, claiming fraud, breach of trust, and undue influence. Appel counter-sued on 29 Jul 1976 in New York State Supreme Court, asking the court to prohibit Springsteen and Jon Landau from working together in studio. Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band were slated to enter the studio that year for the recording of a new album, except that on 15 Sep 1976 the judge in the lawsuits case ruled that Springsteen was enjoined from any further recording with Columbia Records until Appel's suit was resolved. This would drag for about a year. Meanwhile, Springsteen continued gigging, and in the process broke his self-imposed rule of not playing the larger arenas. This was basically because he was not able to put a record out, and it was the only way his fans would be able to hear him at all. The tour became known as "The Lawsuit Tour" (62 know dates, August 1976 to March 1977).
List of available versions of SOMETHING IN THE NIGHT on this website:
SOMETHING IN THE NIGHT [Album version]