Unofficial studio version 1
One, two, three
The runway rushed up at him as he felt the wheels touch down
He stood out on the blacktop and took a taxi into town
He got out down on Main Street and went into a local bar
He bought a drink and found a seat in a corner in the dark
Well she called up her mama to make sure the kids were out of the house
She checked herself out in the dining room mirror and undid an extra button on her blouse
He felt her lying next to him when the clock said four a.m.
He was staring at the ceiling, he couldn't move his hands
Oh mama mama mama come quick
I've got the shakes and I'm gonna be sick
Throw your arms around me in the cold dark night
Hey now mama don't shut out the light
Don't you shut out the light, don't you shut out the light
Don't you shut out the light, don't you shut out the light
Well on his porch they stretched a banner that said "Johnny Welcome Home"
Bobby pulled his Ford out of the garage and they polished up the chrome
His mama said "Johnny oh Johnny, I'm so glad to have you back with me"
His pa said he was sure they'd give him his job back down at the factory
Now every evening, well just after supper time
He'd go into the back bedroom and he'd lock the door behind
He'd lie awake till the morning light stretched out across the chair
Just him and a few bad habits he'd brought back from over there
Oh mama mama mama come quick
I've got the shakes and I'm gonna be sick
Throw your arms around me in the cold dark night
Hey now mama don't shut out the light
Don't you shut out the light, don't you shut out the light
Don't you shut out the light, don't you shut out the light
Well deep in a dark forest, a forest filled with rain
Beyond a stretch of Maryland pines there's a river without a name
In the cold black water now Johnson Lanier stands
He stares across the lights of the city and dreams of where he's been
And a grey moon disappears beyond that town hillside
Stars rise, grow brighter, then gone gone gone in a black and endless sky
Like the others before him he'd gone and done his best
Now he watches the water of that nameless river rise above his chest
Oh mama mama mama come quick
I've got the shakes and I'm gonna be sick
Throw your arms around me in the cold dark night
Hey now mama don't shut out the light
Don't you shut out the light, don't you shut out the light
Don't you shut out the light, don't you shut out the light
Don't you shut out the light, don't you shut out the light
The above lyrics are for a studio version of SHUT OUT THE LIGHT recorded on 19 Jan 1983 at Thrill Hill West, Springsteen's home studio in Beverly Hills, CA. See official studio version 1 for more details.
This version is the same complete, unedited take as official studio version 2, but the mix may be slightly different.
This version of SHUT OUT THE LIGHT was released on The Lost Masters Vol. 16 (Labour Of Love) [track 07] bootleg.
List of available versions of SHUT OUT THE LIGHT on this website:
SHUT OUT THE LIGHT [Official studio version 1]