IT'S MY LIFE

Live 12 Dec 1975 version



It's a hard world to get a break in
All the good things have been taken
But girl there are ways to make certain things pay
Though I'm dressed in these rags, I'll wear sable someday

Hear what I say
I'm gonna ride the serpent
No more time spent sweatin' rent
I'm breakin' now, it ain't no use
Holdin' me down, stick around

But baby (baby)
Remember (remember)
It's my life and I'll do what I want
It's my mind and I'll think what I want
Show me I'm wrong, hurt me sometime
But someday I'll treat you real fine

There'll be women with their fortunes
Who just want to mother orphans
Are you gonna cry when I'm squeezing them dry
Taking all I can get with no regrets
When I openly lie
And live on their money
Believe me honey, that money
Can you believe that I ain't no saint, no complaints
So get out, don't stop, I shout

'Cause baby (baby)
Remember (remember)
It's my life and I'll do what I want
It's my mind and I'll think what I want
Show me I'm wrong, hurt me sometime
Someday I'll treat you real fine

(It's my life and I'll do what I want) don't push me
(It's my mind and I'll think what I want) it's my life
(It's my life and I'll do what I want) ???
(It's my mind and I'll think what I want)


Info

IT'S MY LIFE is a 1965 song by The Animals. See the original The Animals version for more details.

Live 12 Dec 1975 version

The above lyrics are for the live 12 Dec 1975 performance of IT'S MY LIFE at C.W. Post College in Greenvale, NY, during the Born To Run Tour. The concert was held at the college's Post Dome. That was the first know Springsteen performance of the song, and one of the very few times that he didn't start it with a spoken narrative.

Springsteen and The Animals' Song

Introducing the song during his live concerts, Springsteen mentioned that IT'S MY LIFE is a song he was listening to when he came to New York in the sixties. He began performing it live frequently between late 1975 and 1978, preceding it by a spoken narrative about the troubled relationship between him and his father.

Co-songwriter Carl D'Errico and his wife Didi were Springsteen's VIP guests at the 04 Nov 1976 show at Palladium in New York City, NY. He dedicated IT'S MY LIFE to them (see the live 04 Nov 1976 version) and they met him backstage and invited him to their apartment for a home-cooked Italian dinner. As Carl D'Errico recalls, the dinner took place within a week of the concert. Springsteen's tour schedule in New York suggests that the dinner most probably took place on Sunday, 07 Nov 1976. The two did an acoustic version of IT'S MY LIFE, and, as D'Errico recalled, Springsteen said he would put the song on a live album. Carl signed the original sheet music of IT'S MY LIFE for Bruce (see photo below).

Bruce Springsteen and Carl D'Errico at the D'Errico residence in November 1976 (photo by Didi D'Errico, used with permission)
Bruce Springsteen and Carl D'Errico at the D'Errico residence in November 1976 (photo by Didi D'Errico, used with permission)

In the handwritten lyrics notebook that was reproduced in The Promise: The Darkness On The Edge Of Town Story box set, Springsteen dedicated a page for what looks like a list of potential tracks for his fourth studio album. Titled "Album IV", the list included 15 tracks, with the Animal's cover among them.

"Album IV" list on Springsteen's handwritten lyrics notebook
"Album IV" list on Springsteen's handwritten lyrics notebook

Other Official Releases

Other versions of IT'S MY LIFE were officially released.

Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band -- Tower Theater, Philadelphia 1975
The live 31 Dec 1975 version of IT'S MY LIFE was released on the Tower Theater, Philadelphia 1975 official live download in 2015.
Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band -- Palace Theatre, Albany 1977
The live 07 Feb 1977 version of IT'S MY LIFE was released on the Palace Theatre, Albany 1977 official live download in 2017.
Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band -- Auditorium Theatre, Rochester, NY 1977
The live 08 Feb 1977 version of IT'S MY LIFE was released on the Auditorium Theatre, Rochester, NY 1977 official live download in 2017.
Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band -- Capitol Theatre, Passaic, NJ September 20, 1978
The live 20 Sep 1978 version of IT'S MY LIFE was released on the Capitol Theatre, Passaic, NJ September 20, 1978 official live download in 2017.

Live History

IT'S MY LIFE is known to have been performed at least 5 times during the Born To Run Tour (73 know dates / 81 known shows, July to December 1975). Some of that period's setlists are incomplete or unknown, and therefore, the song may have been played on some more dates during the Born To Run Tour. On this tour, the song always started with a spoken narrative, except for its debut on 12 Dec 1975 in Greenvale, NY. The live 31 Dec 1975 version of IT'S MY LIFE was released on the Tower Theater, Philadelphia 1975 official live download in 2015.

  1. 12 Dec 1975 at C.W. Post College, Greenvale, NY
  2. 27 Dec 1975 at Tower Theater, Upper Darby, PA
  3. 28 Dec 1975 at Tower Theater, Upper Darby, PA
  4. 30 Dec 1975 at Tower Theater, Upper Darby, PA
  5. 31 Dec 1975 at Tower Theater, Upper Darby, PA

IT'S MY LIFE is known to have been performed at least 22 times during the so-called Chicken Scratch Tour (35 know dates, March to May 1976). Some of that period's setlists are incomplete or unknown, and therefore, the song must have been played on some more dates during the Chicken Scratch Tour; it may have been a stable number during the tour. On this tour, among the known performances, the song always started with a spoken narrative.

  1. 25 Mar 1976 at Township Auditorium, Columbia, SC
  2. 26 Mar 1976 at Fox Theatre, Atlanta, GA
  3. 28 Mar 1976 at Duke University, Durham, NC
  4. 29 Mar 1976 at Ovens Auditorium, Charlotte, NC
  5. 02 Apr 1976 at Macauley Theatre, Louisville, KY
  6. 04 Apr 1976 at Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI
  7. 07 Apr 1976 at Allen Theatre, Cleveland, OH
  8. 08 Apr 1976 at Allen Theatre, Cleveland, OH
  9. 09 Apr 1976 at Colgate University, Hamilton, NY
  10. 10 Apr 1976 at Paul Mellon Arts Center, Wallingford, CT
  11. 13 Apr 1976 at Penn State University, University Park, PA
  12. 15 Apr 1976 at Syria Mosque, Pittsburgh, PA
  13. 17 Apr 1976 at University Of Rochester, Rochester, NY
  14. 22 Apr 1976 at Virginia Tech University, Blacksburg, VA
  15. 24 Apr 1976 at Appalachian State University, Boone, NC
  16. 26 Apr 1976 at Soldiers & Sailors Memorial Auditorium, Chattanooga, TN
  17. 29 Apr 1976 at Ellis Auditorium, Memphis, TN
  18. 03 May 1976 at Robinson Auditorium, Little Rock, AR
  19. 11 May 1976 at Auburn University, Auburn, AL
  20. 13 May 1976 at Municipal Auditorium, New Orleans, LA
  21. 27 May 1976 at Eisenhower Hall Auditorium, West Point, NY
  22. 28 May 1976 at Halsey Field House, Annapolis, MD

IT'S MY LIFE is known to have been performed at least 52 times during what is known as The Lawsuit Tour (62 know dates, August 1976 to March 1977). Some of that period's setlists are incomplete or unknown, and therefore, the song may have been played on some more dates during the Lawsuit Tour. On this tour, the song featured a spoken narrative. The live 07 Feb 1977 version of IT'S MY LIFE was released on the Palace Theatre, Albany 1977 official live download in 2017. The live 08 Feb 1977 version of IT'S MY LIFE was released on the Auditorium Theatre, Rochester, NY 1977 official live download in 2017.

  1. 01 Aug 1976 at Monmouth Arts Center, Red Bank, NJ
  2. 02 Aug 1976 at Monmouth Arts Center, Red Bank, NJ
  3. 03 Aug 1976 at Monmouth Arts Center, Red Bank, NJ
  4. 05 Aug 1976 at Monmouth Arts Center, Red Bank, NJ
  5. 06 Aug 1976 at Monmouth Arts Center, Red Bank, NJ
  6. 07 Aug 1976 at Monmouth Arts Center, Red Bank, NJ
  7. 21 Aug 1976 at Palace Theater, Waterbury, CT
  8. 22 Aug 1976 at Springfield Civic Center, Springfield, MA
  9. 26 Sep 1976 at Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Phoenix, AZ
  10. 29 Sep 1976 at Santa Monica Civic Auditorium, Santa Monica, CA
  11. 30 Sep 1976 at Santa Monica Civic Auditorium, Santa Monica, CA
  12. 02 Oct 1976 at Paramount Theatre, Oakland, CA
  13. 05 Oct 1976 at Santa Barbara County Bowl, Santa Barbara, CA
  14. 09 Oct 1976 at University Of Notre Dame, South Bend, IN
  15. 10 Oct 1976 at Miami University, Oxford, OH
  16. 12 Oct 1976 at Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ
  17. 13 Oct 1976 at Kean College, Union, NJ
  18. 16 Oct 1976 at The College Of William And Mary, Williamsburg, VA
  19. 17 Oct 1976 at Georgetown University, Washington, DC
  20. 25 Oct 1976 at Spectrum, Philadelphia, PA
  21. 28 Oct 1976 at Palladium, New York City, NY
  22. 29 Oct 1976 at Palladium, New York City, NY
  23. 30 Oct 1976 at Palladium, New York City, NY
  24. 02 Nov 1976 at Palladium, New York City, NY
  25. 03 Nov 1976 at Palladium, New York City, NY
  26. 04 Nov 1976 at Palladium, New York City, NY
  27. 07 Feb 1977 at Palace Theatre, Albany, NY
  28. 08 Feb 1977 at Auditorium Theatre, Rochester, NY
  29. 09 Feb 1977 at Kleinhans Music Hall, Buffalo, NY
  30. 12 Feb 1977 at Ottawa Civic Centre, Ottawa, Canada
  31. 13 Feb 1977 at Maple Leaf Gardens, Toronto, Canada
  32. 15 Feb 1977 at Masonic Temple Theatre, Detroit, MI
  33. 16 Feb 1977 at Veterans Memorial Auditorium, Columbus, OH
  34. 17 Feb 1977 at Richfield Coliseum, Richfield, OH
  35. 19 Feb 1977 at Saint Paul Civic Center Theatre, Saint Paul, MN
  36. 22 Feb 1977 at Milwaukee Auditorium, Milwaukee, WI
  37. 23 Feb 1977 at Auditorium Theatre, Chicago, IL
  38. 25 Feb 1977 at Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN
  39. 26 Feb 1977 at Indiana Convention Center, Indianapolis, IN
  40. 27 Feb 1977 at Riverfront Coliseum, Cincinnati, OH
  41. 28 Feb 1977 at Fox Theatre, St. Louis, MO
  42. 02 Mar 1977 at Civic Center Auditorium, Atlanta, GA
  43. 04 Mar 1977 at Civic Auditorium, Jacksonville, FL
  44. 05 Mar 1977 at Jai Alai Fronton, Orlando, FL
  45. 06 Mar 1977 at Jai Alai Fronton, Miami, FL
  46. 11 Mar 1977 at Saint Vincent College, Latrobe, PA
  47. 13 Mar 1977 at Towson State University, Towson, MD
  48. 15 Mar 1977 at Broome County Veterans Memorial Arena, Binghamton, NY
  49. 18 Mar 1977 at New Haven Veterans Memorial Coliseum, New Haven, CT
  50. 19 Mar 1977 at Central Maine Youth Center, Lewiston, ME
  51. 20 Mar 1977 at Providence College, Providence, RI
  52. 22 Mar 1977 at Music Hall, Boston, MA

In preparation for the Darkness On The Edge Of Town Tour, IT'S MY LIFE is known to have been practiced on 19 May 1978 at Paramount Theatre in Asbury Park, NJ, during the only known/confirmed private rehearsal prior to the tour's start.

  1. 19 May 1978 at Paramount Theatre, Asbury Park, NJ (private rehearsal)

IT'S MY LIFE is known to have been performed at least 7 times during the Darkness On The Edge Of Town Tour (111 dates, May 1978 to January 1979), all around September 1978. A few of that period's setlists are incomplete or unknown, and therefore, the song may have been played on some more dates during the Darkness On The Edge Of Town Tour. On this tour, the song did not feature a spoken narrative. The live 20 Sep 1978 version of IT'S MY LIFE was released on the Capitol Theatre, Passaic, NJ September 20, 1978 official live download in 2017.

  1. 29 Aug 1978 at Stanley Theatre, Pittsburgh, PA
  2. 30 Aug 1978 at Richfield Coliseum, Richfield, OH
  3. 03 Sep 1978 at Saginaw Civic Center, Saginaw, MI
  4. 05 Sep 1978 at Veterans Memorial Auditorium, Columbus, OH
  5. 09 Sep 1978 at University Of Notre Dame, South Bend, IN
  6. 20 Sep 1978 at Capitol Theatre, Passaic, NJ
  7. 01 Oct 1978 at Fox Theatre, Atlanta, GA

IT'S MY LIFE was sound-checked prior to the 23 Mar 1988 show in Atlanta, GA, (as far as it's known) but it was not performed on any of the Tunnel Of Love Express Tour's regular shows.

Credits

Thanks Carl and Didi D'Errico (Carlderrico.com) for the photo.

Request

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Available Versions

List of available versions of IT'S MY LIFE on this website:

IT'S MY LIFE [Live 12 Dec 1975 version]
IT'S MY LIFE [Live 31 Dec 1975 version]
IT'S MY LIFE [Live 04 Nov 1976 version]
IT'S MY LIFE [Original The Animals version]

Page last updated: 06 Jan 2018