THEME FROM SHAFT

Original Isaac Hayes version

Who's the black private dick that's a sex machine to all the chicks?
(Shaft!)
You're damn right

Who is the man that would risk his neck for his brother man?
(Shaft!)
Can you dig it?

Who's the cat that won't cop out when there's danger all about
(Shaft!)
Right on

You see this cat Shaft is a bad mother--
(Shut your mouth)
I'm talking about Shaft
(Then we can dig it)

He's a complicated man but no one understands him but his woman
(John Shaft!)

Info

THEME FROM SHAFT is a song written and recorded by Isaac Hayes for the Gordon Parks directed 1971 film Shaft. The song was first released on the film's soundtrack album, which was entirely composed and performed by Hayes. The above lyrics are for the original Isaac Hayes version of THEME FEROM SHAFT as released in 1971.

Isaac Hayes -- Shaft

2xLP - Enterprise (ENS-2-5002) - USA, 1971

Bruce Springsteen's Version

Although he has never performed it in full, Bruce Springsteen has often played an instrumental snippet of THEME FROM SHAFT in the midsection of ROSALITA (COME OUT TONIGHT) between October 1974 and March 1977. See the live 18 Nov 1975 version of ROSALITA (COME OUT TONIGHT) for an example.

Springsteen also played an instrumental snippet of THEME FROM SHAFT in the midsection of most performances of AMERICAN LAND in 2009 during the Working On A Dream Tour.

Available Versions

List of available versions of THEME FROM SHAFT on this website:

Page last updated: 13 Nov 2020