Live 06 Jan 1974 version
Oh oh oh oh oh oh
Oh, ooh, ah ah ah, oh oh oh, da da da da da da
(Oh oh oh)
Oh, ah da da (Oh oh oh, da da da)
Oh oh oh, da da da (Oh oh oh, da da da)
One, two, three, four!
Oooh, Crazy Janey and her mission man were back in the alley tradin' hands
When along came Wild Billy with his friend G-Man, all duded up for Saturday night
Well, Billy slammed on his coaster brakes
Said, "Anybody wanna go on up to Greasy Lake?
It's about a mile down on the dark side of route eighty-eight
I got a bottle of rose, let's try it
We'll pick up Hazy Davy and Killer Joe, and I'll take you all out to where the gypsy angels go
They're built like light
Ooh, and they dance like spirits in the night" (all night)
In the night (all night)
Oh, baby don't know what she doing to you
She's like a spirit in the night (all night)
Oh, in the night (all night)
Stand right up now and let it shoot through you
All right
Well now this Wild Billy, he was a crazy cat and he shook some dust out of his coonskin cap
Cried, "Trust some of this, it'll show you where you're at, at least it'll help you really feel it"
By the time we made it up to Greasy Lake I had my head out the window; Janey's fingers were in the cake
I think I really dug her; I was too loose to fake
Said, "I'm hurt," she said, "Honey, let me heal it"
We danced all night to a soul fairy band
She kissed me just right like only a lonely angel can
Felt so nice, just as soft as a spirit in the night (all night)
In the night (all night)
Baby don't know what she do to you
Like a spirit in the night (all night)
In the night (all night)
Stand right up now and let it shoot through you
Oh, in the night, dibidi dibidi do
(Ooh ooh ooh ooh ooh ooh ooh ooh ooh ooh
Ooh ooh ooh ooh ooh ooh ooh ooh ooh ooh ooh)
(Ooh ooh ooh ooh ooh ooh ooh ooh ooh ooh
Ooh ooh ooh ooh ooh ooh ooh ooh ooh ooh ooh)
Well now, the night it grew bright and the stars they threw light on Billy and Davy
Dancin' in the moonlight
They were down near the water in a stone mud fight
Killer Joe passed out on the lawn
And this kid Hazy Davy, he got really hurt, he ran into the lake in just his Argyle and a shirt
Me and Crazy Janey was makin' love in the dirt, singin' our birthday songs
And then Janey said, "Hey, little brother, don't you think it's time now that we go?"
So we closed our eyes and said goodbye to gypsy angel row, felt so right
Together we moved like spirits in the night (all night)
In the night (all night)
Whoa, baby don't know what it do to you
Like a spirit in the night (all night)
All the night (all night)
Stand right up now and let it shoot through you
Like a spirit in the night (all night)
All that night (all night)
All night (all night)
All that night (all night)
All night (all night)
All that night (all night)
All ni-i-i-ight, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
Yeah, now, baby, that's right
Like a spirit in the night
Oh, like a spirit in the night
Yeah, like a spirit in the night
Oooh
The above lyrics are for the live 06 Jan 1974 performance of SPIRIT IN THE NIGHT at Joe's Place in Cambridge, MA, during what is considered The Wild, The Innocent, & The E Street Shuffle Tour. The song was played in a full-band, album-style arrangement, and featured a "spooky" introduction including vocalizations by Springsteen.
Bruce Springsteen was booked for a three-night residency Joe's Place in Cambridge, MA, from 04 to 06 Jan 1974. These were double-bill shows, with Springsteen headlining and Peter Johnson & The Manic Depressives (Joe's Place's unofficial house band) opening. Each of Springsteen's shows consisted of two hour-long sets separated by an intermission. Audience recording of the complete 06 Jan 1974 show and soundboard recording of the second set of that same show are in circulation among fans.
Thanks Jake (ol'catfishinthelake at BTX and Greasy Lake) for the lyrics help. Info about Springsteen's three-night residency at Max's Kansas City is taken from Brucebase.
List of available versions of SPIRIT IN THE NIGHT on this website:
SPIRIT IN THE NIGHT [Album version]