BACKSTREETS^©

Live 31 Dec 1977 version

Spoken intro: I don't know if I'll remember all the words to this. It's been so long since we played. We'll give it a try.

Hmmm
Whoa-whoa-whoaaa-whoa
Heyyy-hey
Heyyy-hey
Baby we could steal away
Steal away
In the backstreets
In the backstreets
In the backstreets
Hmmm
Hmmm
I got love
I found a love
I found a love
So sweet and so fine
I swear I'd drive all night
Just to make, just to make, just to make that pretty thing mine
I swear I'd drive all night
Just to buy that, just to buy you baby some shoes
I swear I'd drive all night
Just to taste, just to taste your tender charms
Just to hold you, just to hold you, just to hold you close
Just to hold you in my arms
Yes I would
I swear darling
I promise
I swear I would
I swear I would
I swear I would

Hey, oh! Hey, oh, alright! Hey, alright! Hey, alright! Hey keep it cool! Hey alright! Oh no

One soft infested summer me and Terry became friends
Trying in vain to breathe the fire we were born in
Rockin' to the beat, well now your body'd sway
Getting wasted, and everyone all went
Hiding on the backstreets, hiding on the backstreets
With a love so hard and filled with defeat
Running for our lives at night on them backstreets

Slow dancing in the dark on the beach at Stockton's Wing
Where lovers always park we sat with the last of the Duke Street Kings
Huddled in the dark, with the glory bell that rings
Huddled in the dark, where I thought about the ring
To go running on the backstreets, running on the backstreets
We swore forever friends, say!
On the backstreets until the end
'Til the end

And as you dance and kings out on the streets
Blasting down the streets, on the streets dressed in the drag
Running into the darkness, you would hear somebody cryin'
At night it seemed like you could hear that whole damn city crying
Blame it on the lies that killed us, on the truth that ran us down
Blame it all on me, it don't matter to me now
When the breakdown hit at midnight there was nothing left to say
I hated him and I hated you when you went away
Whoah, whoah

We're layin' in the dark, you're like an angel on my chest
Just another tramp of hearts crying tears of faithlessness
Remember all the movies, Terry, that we'd go see
Trying in vain to move like the heroes we thought we had to be
Well after all this time to find we're just like all the rest
Stranded in the park and forced to confess
To hiding on the backstreets, hiding on the backstreets
We swore we'd live forever
On the backstreets we'd take it together

On the backstreets we'd take it
Mmmhmm
Mmmhmm
Baby I remember
Baby I remember
And I remember in the weekends
Hitchhiking, hitchhiking outside of town
I remember there was this old abandoned, was this old abandoned car all stripped down
I remember when we were stupid kids and we used to go there in the weekends
We used to hitchhike out there
And we used to sit in the backseat
Yeah baby in the backseat
Baby in the backseat
And I remember
I remember the night those kids set fire to that old abandoned farmhouse
And we could see, we could see the flames rushing towards the sky across the fields
As we sat on the hood, we could see the flames rushing towards the sky across the fields
And I remember you told me
You telling me
You said "Baby"
You said "Billy, I shall always be yours
I will never let you go
I will never let you go baby
I will never let you go
I will never let you go"
And I remember watching the flames rushing towards the sky
And I remember us running
Running across the fields
Running through the fields
Running past that big white house on the hill
Running past them iron gates
Running through them iron gates
Running past that big white house that sat on the hill
Running through the fields
I remember and you said "Baby, I shall never let you go
I swear I'll never let you go"
And I remember waiting
I remember waiting
I remember waiting
I remember you were gonna quit your job and I was gonna quit my job too
I remember we were gonna go
And I remember standing in the rain
I remember waiting, standing in the rain
And I remember the rain came tumbling down
And I remember waiting
And I remember rain came tumbling down
And I remember
I remember that
You told me
I remember what you told me
I remember
You lied!
You lied!
You lied!
You lied!

Hiding on the backstreets, hiding on the backstreets
Hiding on the backstreets, hiding on the backstreets
Hiding on the backstreets, hiding on the backstreets
Hiding on the backstreets, hiding on the back, say it!
Hiding on the backstreets, hiding on the backstreets
Hiding on the backstreets, hiding on the backstreets
Hiding on the backstreets, hiding on the backstreets
Hiding on the backstreets, hiding on the backstreets

Hiding on the backstreets tonight, on the backstreets
Hiding on the backstreets, hiding on the backstreets
Hiding on the backstreets, hiding on the backstreets
Hiding on the backstreets, on the backstreets

Yeah!
Yeah, alright!
Ooh, huuhh, whoooaaah, oh, oh

Page last updated: 00 Xxx 2008

The above lyrics are for the 31 Dec 1977 performance at Capitol Theater, Passaic, NJ. BACKSTREETS features the first known version of DRIVE ALL NIGHT as the intro.

Introducing the song, Bruce declares that he "don't know if I'll remember all the words to this. It's been so long since we played." It had been more than nine months since he performed BACKSTREETS, and since this was a unscheduled appearance, the song was not rehearsed. As a result, he forgot much of the song, making up lyrics on the spot!

This new year's eve event at the Capitol Theater was a Southside Johnny & The Asbury Jukes show that was broadcast live on WNEW-FM. Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band made an unscheduled appearance, joining Southside Johnny & The Asbury Jukes onstage during the last four songs of their set, and then kicking into a set of their own.

Note that Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band's own set was not broadcast on radio at the request of Bruce Springsteen personally. Fortunately, an audience tape of this unscheduled portion of the show (which includes BACKSTREETS) is available.

List of available versions of BACKSTREETS on this website:

• Album's version (more details)

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