SPIRIT IN THE NIGHT

Live 08 Dec 1978 version

Crazy Janey and her mission man were back in the alley tradin' hands
'Long came Wild Billy with his friend G-Man, duded up for Saturday night
Billy slammed on his coaster brakes
Anybody wanna go on up to Greasy Lake?
'Bout a mile down on the dark side of route eighty-eight
Well, I got a bottle of rose, let's try it
We'll pick up Hazy Davy and Killer Joe, I'll take you all out to where the gypsy angels go
Built like light
Ooh, and they dance like spirits in the night (all night)
All night (all night)
Well, baby don't know what they do to you
Like a spirit in the night (all night)
All night (all night)
Stand up and let it shoot right through you
Hey, Big Man!

Well, Wild Billy was a crazy cat and he shook some dust from his coonskin cap
Cried, "Trust some of this, it'll show you where it's at, at least it'll help you really feel it"
Well, by the time we made it up to Greasy Lake I had my head out the window; Janey's fingers in the cake
I think I really dug her; I was too loose to fake
Said, "I'm hurt," she said, "Honey, let me heal it"
We danced all night to a soul fairy band
She kissed me just right like only a lonely angel can
Felt just right, just as sweet as a spirit in the night (all night)
All night (all night)
Well, baby don't know what it do to you
Like a spirit in the night (all night)
All night (all night)
Stand up and let it shoot right through you
Big Man!
Now, just...

Say it again!

The night grew bright, the stars threw light on Billy and Davy
Dancin' in the moonlight
We were down near the water in a stone mud fight
Killer Joe passed out on the lawn

Well, Hazy Davy got really hurt, he crawled into the lake in just his socks and a shirt
Me and Crazy Janey were makin' love in the dirt, singin' our birthday song
And Janey said, "Hey little brother, don't you think it's time that we go?"
We closed our eyes and said (goodbye!) to gypsy angel row, felt just right
Bam!
Together we moved like spirits in the night (all night)
All night (all night)
Well, baby don't know what it do to you
Like a spirit in the night (all night)
All night (all night)
Stand up and let it shoot right through you
Like a spirit in the night (all night)
All night (all night)
All night (all night)
All night (all night)
All night (all night)
All night (all night)

Well, now, baby, that's right
Like a spirit in the night
Like a spirit in the night
Like a spirit in the night

[Spoken outro:] It's combat conditions!

Page last updated: 14 Mar 2012

Info

The above lyrics are for the live 08 Dec 1978 performance of SPIRIT IN THE NIGHT at The Summit in Houston, TX, during the Darkness On The Edge Of Town Tour. The song was played in its traditional full-band arrangement. Video for the complete 08 Dec 1978 concert was released on the Houston '78 Bootleg: House Cut DVD in 2010.


[Click thumbnail to enlarge/reduce snapshot]

The parts in bold are sung by the crowd.

Houston '78: House Cut

Towards the end of the Darkness On The Edge Of Town Tour, Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band performed at The Summit in Houston, TX, on 08 Dec 1978.


Ticket stub for the 08 Dec 1978 show at The Summit, Houston, TX
[Taken from Brucebase]

Reportedly this was the only show of the tour that was filmed in its entirety, and this could be the very reason it was chosen for official release as part of the The Promise: The Darkness On The Edge Of Town Story box set.

The video was produced by Emmy- and Grammy-winner Thom Zimny and the audio was mastered by Bob Ludwig. Houston '78 Bootleg: House Cut was released on 16 Nov 2010 exclusively as part of the The Promise: The Darkness On The Edge Of Town Story box set, in both DVD and Blu-Ray formats. The video clocks at around 176 minutes.

[Click thumbnail to enlarge/reduce artwork]

The video footage was the taken from the in-house video screen at The Summit, which was one of the first arenas in the United States to have this system at the time. This gave the release its title "Houston '78 Bootleg: House Cut". Considering that it was taken from the mono soundboard, the sound is only available in PCM stereo and not in 5.1 surround.

Track list:

  1. BADLANDS
  2. STREETS OF FIRE
  3. IT'S HARD TO BE A SAINT IN THE CITY
  4. DARKNESS ON THE EDGE OF TOWN
  5. SPIRIT IN THE NIGHT
  6. INDEPENDENCE DAY
  7. THE PROMISED LAND
  8. PROVE IT ALL NIGHT
  9. RACING IN THE STREET
  10. THUNDER ROAD
  11. JUNGLELAND
  12. THE TIES THAT BIND
  13. SANTA CLAUS IS COMIN' TOW TOWN
  14. THE FEVER
  15. FIRE
  16. CANDY'S ROOM
  17. BECAUSE THE NIGHT
  18. POINT BLANK
  19. SHE'S THE ONE
  20. BACKSTREETS
  21. ROSALITA (COME OUT TONIGHT)
  22. BORN TO RUN
  23. DETROIT MEDLEY
  24. TENTH AVENUE FREEZE-OUT
  25. YOU CAN'T SIT DOWN
  26. QUARTER TO THREE

Available Versions

List of available versions of SPIRIT IN THE NIGHT on this website:

Credits / References

Thanks Jake (ol'catfishinthelake at BTX and Greasy Lake) and Pete Russell (Peteadmin at Brucebase).
[Back to top] [Back to www.SpringsteenLyrics.com]
[search tips]
Home | Lyrics | Collection | Trading | Artwork | Links | Contact
Lyrics list: # | A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z
Copyright © 2003-2013 - Lebanese Tribute to Bruce Springsteen