Live 07 Apr 1976 version
Dark weekends in the sun, out on Chelsea Road
Descending the stairs, Frankie my love
Check your make-up in the mirror, come on, baby, let's go
We'll dance 'round this dirty town, 'till the night is all gone
Let all the finer things sleep alone tonight
Let all the minor kings lose their thrones tonight
Don't worry about me baby, I'll be alright
There's machines and there's fire on the outside of town
Young boys for hire waiting to blow us all down
There are strange flashes in the sky up above
I'll spend the night at the movies with my secret love
At dusk the stars all appear on the screen
Just like they do each night in my dreams
But tonight's no dream, Frankie, I can feel myself too
Living and dying like I was born to do
Yeah!
Walk softly tonight little angel
I wanna be alone with you
Talk softly to me tonight angel
Make all my dream worlds come true
I remember standing in the freezing rain
Reading them "Want" ads out on Chelsea Row
Winging down the street in search of new games
Hustling through the night packs where the actors go
Frankie they're real crazy, let's run and hide
In the darkness there'll be hidden worlds that shine
When all of the fury in this desperate land
Will rise like raindrops in the palm of my hand
Rises like the rain, whoaaa
Whoaaa, whoaaa, whoaaa
Frankie let your sadness rise
Baby let your sadness rise
Baby let your sadness rise, little girl
Little girl, little girl
Little girl, little girl
Little girl
Walk softly tonight little angel
Into the shadows where the lovers go
Talk softly to me tonight angel
Whisper your secrets so soft and low
Walk softly tonight little angel
Into the shadows where the lovers go
Talk softly to me tonight angel
Whisper your secrets so soft and low
Walk softly tonight little angel
Into the shadows where the lovers go
Talk softly to me tonight angel
Whisper your secrets so soft and low
Walk softly tonight little angel
Into the shadows where the lovers go
Talk softly to me tonight angel
Whisper your secrets so soft and low
Walk softly tonight little angel
Into the shadows where the lovers go
Talk softly to me tonight angel
Whisper your secrets so soft and low
Walk softly tonight little angel
Into the shadows where the lovers go
Talk softly to me tonight angel
Whisper your secrets so soft and low
Walk softly tonight little angel
Walk softly tonight little angel
The above lyrics are for the live 07 Apr 1976 performance of FRANKIE at Allen Theatre in Cleveland, OH, during the so-called Chicken Scratch Tour. The line "There's machines and there's fire on the outside of town" also appears in DRIVE ALL NIGHT. The line "In the darkness there'll be hidden worlds that shine" also appears in CANDY'S ROOM.
This tour (35 know dates, March to May 1976) was nicknamed the "Chicken Scratch Tour" by the road crew because of the high proportion of secondary markets in the South.
During the so-called Chicken Scratch Tour, Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band performed two consecutive shows at Allen Theatre in Cleveland, OH, on 07 and 08 Apr 1976. Soundboard recordings for both concert are in circulation among collectors. The recording from the second night is incomplete, but the one from the second night is complete and is of higher quality.
The 07 Apr 1976 show at Allen Theatre was commercially released in Europe. Since 2005 some enterprising record labels in Europe (mostly in the UK) have been releasing Bruce Springsteen radio and TV broadcasts (and some soundboard recordings) from the seventies, eighties, and nineties. Though these releases are not authorized by Bruce Springsteen or his record company, they are lawful due to a legal loophole in Europe.
List of available versions of FRANKIE on this website:
FRANKIE [Official studio version]
