IF I WAS THE PRIEST

Version 4

Well there's a light on yonder mountain
And it's calling me to shine
There's a girl over by the water fountain
And she's asking to be mine
And ain't that Jesus, he's standing in the doorway
With a buckskin jacket, boots and spurs, so really fine
He says "We need you up in Dodge City, son
'Cause there's oh so many bad boys
Tryin' to work the same line"

Well now if Jesus was the sheriff and I was the priest
If my lady was an heiress and my Mama was a thief
Oh and Papa rode shotgun for the Fargo line
There's still too many bad boys
Tryin' to work the same line

Now old sweet Virgin Mary
She runs the Holy Grail saloon
Where for a nickel they'll give you whiskey
And a personally blessed balloon
And the Holy Ghost, he's the host with the most
He runs the burlesque show
Where they let you in for free
But oh hit you for your soul when you go
And Mary serves Mass on Sunday
And then she sells her body on Monday
To the bootlegger who will pay the highest price
But he don't know he got stuck with a loser
Mary's a stone junkie, what's more she's a boozer
And she's only been made once or twice
By some kind of magic

Well things ain't been the same in Heaven
Ever since big bad Bobby came to town
He's been known to down eleven
And then ask for another round
And me I got scabs on my knees
From kneeling way too long
I gotta take a stand, be the man, up where you belong
And forget about the old friends and the old times
Because there's just too many new boys
Tryin' to work the same line

Well now if Jesus was the sheriff and I were the priest
If my lady was an heiress and my Mama was a thief
Oh and Papa rode shotgun for the Fargo line
There's still too many outlaws
Tryin' to work the same line

Now there's a light on yonder mountain
And it's calling me to shine
There's a girl by the water fountain
And she's asking to be mine
And Jesus, he's standing in the doorway
With his six-guns drawn, and ready to fan
He says "We need you son, up in Dodge City"
But I'm already overdue in Cheyenne

This was the version recorded in Jun-Jul 1972 at Media Sound Studios, Blauvelt, New York, and that later appeared on the semi-legal CD Before The Fame. Version 1, version 2, and version 3 are very similar, it is even hard to spot the differences, but I included them because I am a "gotta have it all" Bruce Springsteen fan.

Covered by Allan Clarke, this demo combines all the strongest themes of Springsteen's early work. As well as being dominated by Catholic imagery, he also manages to once again include the magic of the Wild West and his family in this track. In a change from other early demos, Bruce plays the piano rather than an acoustic guitar as backing, although his playing is not as strong as his efforts on JANEY NEEDS A SHOOTER, or later, THE PROMISE.

Available on:

1. Tribute 1997: One Step Up / Two Steps Back: The Songs Of Bruce Springsteen (disc 2- track 13), performed by Allan Clarke

Liner notes from the One Step Up / Two Steps Back: The Songs Of Bruce Springsteen tribute booklet:

It was a great privilege to be one of the first artists to record a Bruce Springsteen song. From the first hearing of "Born To Run," I was blown away by the power of then unknown talent. I knew then hat Bruce Springsteen was going to be the next generation's hero. So glad I was there at the beginning.

-Allan Clarke