IT'S HARD TO BE A SAINT IN THE CITY

Live 07 Jul 1978 version

I had skin like leather and the diamond-hard look of a cobra
I was born blue and weathered but I burst just like a supernova
I could walk like Brando right into the sun
And dance like a Casanova
With my blackjack and jacket and hair slicked sweet
Silver star studs on my duds like a Harley in heat
When I strut down the street I could feel its heartbeat
The sisters fell back, said, "Don't that man look pretty"
The cripple on the corner cried out, "Nickels for your pity"
Them downtown boys sure talk gritty
But it's so hard to be a saint
In the city!

I was the king of the alley, I could talk some trash
The prince of the paupers crowned downtown at the beggar's bash
The pimp's main prophet, I kept everything cool
A backstreet gambler with the luck to lose
When the heat came down and it was left on the ground
The devil appeared like Jesus through the steam in the street
Showin' me a hand I knew even the cops couldn't beat
I felt his hot breath on my neck as I dove into the heat
Ain't it hard to be a saint when you're just a boy

And the sages of the subway sit just like the living dead
The tracks clack out the rhythm, their eyes fixed straight ahead
They ride the line of balance, hold on by just a thread
It's too hot in these tunnels, you get hit up by the heat
You get up to get out at your next stop, they push you back down in your seat
Your heart starts beatin' faster as you struggle to your feet
And you're out of that hole and back up on the street

South side sisters sure look pretty
Cripple on the corner cried out, "Nickels for your pity"
Them downtown boys sure talk gritty
Well, it's so hard to be a saint
In the city
So hard, sir

So hard!

Page last updated: 12 Jun 2011

Info

The above lyrics are for the live 07 Jul 1978 performance of IT'S HARD TO BE A SAINT IN THE CITY at The Roxy Theatre in West Hollywood, CA, during the Darkness On The Edge Of Town Tour. The song was played in its traditional full-band arrangement.

This concert was originally broadcast live on the now-defunct local KMET-FM radio station, and later became one of the main source concerts for the Live/1975-85 box set which includes eight recordings from this show, including IT'S HARD TO BE A SAINT IN THE CITY.

The Live/1975-85 Box Set

With the Born In The USA album and tour, Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band reached the highest level of rock stardom. Columbia Records was expecting a follow up studio album and tour that would, like it's predecessor, achieve a huge commercial success. Instead, Springsteen released Live/1975-85, an over-three-hours-and-a-half-long live compilation album consisting of 40 tracks recorded at various concerts between 1975 and 1985.

[Click thumbnail to enlarge/reduce artwork]

The set was produced by Jon Landau, Chuck Plotkin, and Bruce Springsteen, and hit the stores on 10 Nov 1986. It was released as a box set with either five vinyl records, three cassettes, or three CDs. Live/1975-85 is the first album to be credited to "Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band" instead of "Bruce Springsteen" only.

The highly-anticipated live album generated advance orders of more than 1.5 million copies, making it the largest dollar-volume pre-order in the history of the record business at the time. Record stores around the country found fans waiting in line on Monday morning before opening and one New York store reportedly sold the album right off the back of the delivery truck. The album debuted at #1 on the Billboard album chart and also became the first five-record set to reach the top 10 and the first to sell over a million copies. Live/1975-85 is the second-best-selling live album in U.S. history based on RIAA certification. It has been certified by the RIAA for 13 times platinum, trailing only Garth Brooks' Double Live.

Live/1975-85 disc 1 track listing (CD format):

THUNDER ROAD [18 Oct 1975 at The Roxy Theatre, West Hollywood, CA]
ADAM RAISE A CAIN [07 Jul 1978 at The Roxy Theatre, West Hollywood, CA]
SPIRIT IN THE NIGHT [07 Jul 1978 at The Roxy Theatre, West Hollywood, CA]
4TH OF JULY, ASBURY PARK (SANDY) [31 Dec 1980 at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Uniondale, NY]
PARADISE BY THE C [07 Jul 1978 at The Roxy Theatre, West Hollywood, CA]
FIRE [16 Dec 1978 at Winterland Ballroom, San Francisco, CA]
GROWIN' UP [07 Jul 1978 at The Roxy Theatre, West Hollywood, CA]
IT'S HARD TO BE A SAINT IN THE CITY [07 Jul 1978 at The Roxy Theatre, West Hollywood, CA]
BACKSTREETS [07 Jul 1978 at The Roxy Theatre, West Hollywood, CA]
ROSALITA (COME OUT TONIGHT) [07 Jul 1978 at The Roxy Theatre, West Hollywood, CA]
RAISE YOUR HAND [07 Jul 1978 at The Roxy Theatre, West Hollywood, CA]
HUNGRY HEART [28 Dec 1980 at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Uniondale, NY]
TWO HEARTS [08 Jul 1981 at Brendan Byrne Arena, East Rutherford, NJ]

Live/1975-85 disc 2 track listing (CD format):

CADILLAC RANCH [06 Jul 1981 at Brendan Byrne Arena, East Rutherford, NJ]
YOU CAN LOOK (BUT YOU BETTER NOT TOUCH) [29 Dec 1980 at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Uniondale, NY]
INDEPENDENCE DAY [06 Jul 1981 at Brendan Byrne Arena, East Rutherford, NJ]
BADLANDS [05 Nov 1980 at Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ]
BECAUSE THE NIGHT [28 Dec 1980 at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Uniondale, NY]
CANDY'S ROOM [08 Jul 1981 at Brendan Byrne Arena, East Rutherford, NJ]
DARKNESS ON THE EDGE OF TOWN [29 Dec 1980 at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Uniondale, NY]
RACING IN THE STREET [06 Jul 1981 at Brendan Byrne Arena, East Rutherford, NJ]
THIS LAND IS YOUR LAND [28 Dec 1980 at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Uniondale, NY]
NEBRASKA [06 Aug 1984 at Brendan Byrne Arena, East Rutherford, NJ]
JOHNNY 99 [18 Aug 1985 at Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, NJ]
REASON TO BELIEVE [19 Aug 1984 at Brendan Byrne Arena, East Rutherford, NJ]
BORN IN THE USA [30 Sep 1985 at Los Angeles Coliseum, Los Angeles, CA]
SEEDS [30 Sep 1985 at Los Angeles Coliseum, Los Angeles, CA]

Live/1975-85 disc 3 track listing (CD format):

THE RIVER [30 Sep 1985 at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles, CA]
WAR [30 Sep 1985 at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles, CA]
DARLINGTON COUNTY [30 Sep 1985 at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles, CA]
WORKING ON THE HIGHWAY [19 Aug 1985 at Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, NJ]
THE PROMISED LAND [30 Sep 1985 at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles, CA]
COVER ME [30 Sep 1985 at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles, CA]
I'M ON FIRE [19 Aug 1985 at Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, NJ]
BOBBY JEAN [21 Aug 1985 at Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, NJ]
MY HOMETOWN [30 Sep 1985 at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles, CA]
BORN TO RUN [19 Aug 1985 at Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, NJ]
NO SURRENDER [06 Aug 1984 at Brendan Byrne Arena, East Rutherford, NJ]
TENTH AVENUE FREEZE-OUT [20 Aug 1984 at Brendan Byrne Arena, East Rutherford, NJ]
JERSEY GIRL [09 Jul 1981 at Brendan Byrne Arena, East Rutherford, NJ]

Other Official Releases

Besides it release on the Live/1975-85 box set, this live 07 Jul 1978 version of IT'S HARD TO BE A SAINT IN THE CITY appears on an official Japanese sampler.

In 2005, the live 07 Jul 1978 version of IT'S HARD TO BE A SAINT IN THE CITY was included on Live 1975-1985 Digest CD, a Japan-only promotional "Digest" CD-R advance sampler tying in with the release of the Japanese 2005 "mini-LP"-style CD album reissue of Live/1975-85. This disc comes in a plain slimline jewel case with no artwork and has no catalogue number.

[Click here to display/hide detailed track listing]

Bruce Springsteen -- Live 1975-1985 Digest CD (2005 Japan promo sampler) [disc]

Available Versions

List of available versions of IT'S HARD TO BE A SAINT IN THE CITY on this website:

Credits

Thanks Jake (ol'catfishinthelake at BTX and Greasy Lake).