KITTY'S BACK

Catlong sighs holding Kitty's black tooth
She left to marry some top cat, ain't it the cold truth
And there hasn't been a tally since Sally left the alley
Since Kitty left with Big Pretty things have got pretty thin yeah yeah
It's tight on this fence since them young dudes are musclin' in

Jack Knife cries 'cause baby's in a bundle
She goes running nightly, lightly through the jungle
And them tin cans are explodin' out in the ninety-degree heat
Cat somehow lost his baby down on Bleecker Street
It's sad but it sure is true
Cat shrugs his shoulders, sits back and sighs
OOh, what can I do, ooh, what can I do?
OOh, what can I do, ooh what can I do?

Catlong lies back bent on a trash can,
Flashing lights cut the night, dude in the white says he's the man
Well you better learn to move fast when you're young or you're not long around
Cat somehow lost his Kitty down in the city pound
So get right, get tight, get down
Well who's that down at the end of the alley?
She's been gone so long

Kitty's back in town (here she comes now)
Kitty's back in town (ooh ooh alright)
Kitty's back in town (here she comes now)
Kitty's back in town (ooh ooh alright)
Kitty's back in town (here she comes now)
Oh Kitty's back in town (ooh ooh alright)
Kitty's back in town (here she comes now)
Kitty's back in town (ooh ooh alright)

Now Cat knows his Kitty's been untrue
And that she left him for a city dude
But she's so soft, she's so blue
When he looks into her eyes
He just sits back and sighs
Ooh, what can I do, ooh, what can I do?
Ooh, what can I do, ooh, what can I do?

(ooh ooh ooooh alright, ooh ooh alright)
(ooh ooh ooooh alright, ooh ooh alright)
(ooh ooh ooooh alright, ooh ooh alright)
(ooh ooh ooooh alright, ooh ooh alright)
(ooh ooh ooooh alright, ooh ooh alright)... [till fade]

Published on The Wild, The Innocent, And The E Street Shuffle. Played regularly from 1973 to 1975, then a few times in the Darkness On The Edge Of Town tour, in Sep 1978. After the last rendering of the eighties (21 Sep 1978 Capitol Theatre), reappeared during the 2000/2001 Dec shows at the Convention Hall shows in Asbury Park. An alternative version was recorded on the same day (28 Jun 1973) at the 914 Sound Studios, Blauvelt, New York City, too.

Appearing on The Wild, The Innocent, And The E Street Shuffle, this is perhaps the closest Springsteen gets to the genre of jazz. This track has a real jazz club, swing feel to it, with lots of horns permeating the air. Like most of The Wild, The Innocent, And The E Street Shuffle catalogue, this song has been neglected on stage for many years.

Available on:

1. The Wild, The Innocent, And The E Street Shuffle (track 3)