THE E STREET SHUFFLE

Live 29 Oct 1974 version

[Spoken:] Let's bring the beat down, now. Let's pick it up. No more, no more.

Sparks light on E Street where the boy prophets walk it handsome and hot
The little girls' souls grow weak when the man-child gives them a double shot
Them schoolboy pops pull out all the stops on a Friday night
And them teenage tramps in skin-tight pants do the E Street dance and it's all right, yeah
Well, now, they're either out there dancin' or hooked up in a scuffle
Dressed in snake-skin suits packed with East Coast muscle
Doin' the E Street Shuffle

Well, now E Street brats in twilight duel them flashlight phantoms in full star stream
Down fire trails on summer nights chasin' little blondies pledged sweet sixteen
Power Thirteen said it's been bad since he gave the troopers everything he had in a late summer scuffle
Now this girl, Little Angel, she's out there on the corner, tryin' to keep them crazy boys out of trouble
Little Angel dances that shuffle like she's got no brains
She's deaf in combat down on, down on, down on
Way down on Lover's Lane
She drives all the local dudes insane
Yes she does

Oh!

Little Angel says, "Hey, everybody
(Hey, everybody)
Everybody form a line"
Hey, baby
(Hey, baby)
Everybody form a line

Sparks light on E Street where the boy-prophets walk it handsome and hot
And the little girls' souls grow weak when the man-child gives them a double shot
Little Angel works down at Easy Joe's, it's a joint where all the riot squad goes when they're checking in on the hustle
Them boys are still out there on the corner, loose, lazy, uh, crazy, Hazy Davey, doin' that E Street Shuffle
And as summer nights turn into summer dreams
Little Angel picks up Power and he slips on his jeans

[Spoken:] He puts on his tube socks and his sneakers, and he gets some money off the Buick, [Someone in the crowd: "Then he says, 'Boogie!'"], gets out his keys... No, people say that. (laughs) So, he shuts up the door and gets in his car, rolls down the window... [Someone in the crowd: "Then he says, 'Boogie!'"] No, he don't say that yet. He turns, he turns on his stereo as loud as it'll go, rolls down the window [Someone in the crowd: "Then he says, 'Boogie!'"] Not yet... Puts his arm around his girl and... [Someone in the crowd: "Then he says, 'Boogie!'"]

Then he moves on down to the scene
Everybody's dancin'
Makin' love, makin' love, makin' love, makin' love
Says, "We're havin' a party" (havin' a party)
Makin' love, makin' love, makin' love, makin' love
(Havin' a party)
Makin' love at the same party
(Havin' a party)
And, oh, the angel
(Havin' a party)
Come on, havin' a party
(Havin' a party)
Sing it, sing it, sing it
(Havin' a party)
Sing it, sing it, sing it
(Havin' a party)
Everybody's havin' a party
(Havin' a party)
(Havin' a party)
Sing it, sing it, sing it
(Havin' a party)
Oh, yeah

Info

The above lyrics are for the live 29 Oct 1974 performance of THE E STREET SHUFFLE at Music Hall in Boston, MA, during what is considered The Wild, The Innocent, & The E Street Shuffle Tour. The song was played in a "hybrid" version with a fast tempo like the 1973 performances but the melody and instrumentation of the 1975 "slow" version. In all, this version is much closer to the "slow" version. It concluded with a snippet of Sam Cooke's HAVING A PARTY.

Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band were the headliners, and Dr. John was the opening act.

Promotional ad for the 29 Oct 1974 show at Music Hall, Boston, MA

Ticket stub for the 29 Oct 1974 show at Music Hall, Boston, MA

Credits

Thanks Jake (ol'catfishinthelake at BTX and Greasy Lake) for the lyrics help.

Available Versions

List of available versions of THE E STREET SHUFFLE on this website:

Page last updated: 10 Sep 2011