Live 13 Jul 1974 version
Well, Billy, he's down by the railroad tracks
Sitting low in the back seat of his Cadillac
And now, Diamond Jackie, ooh, she's so intact
And she falls like an angel beneath him
Jackie's heels are stacked
Billy's got cleats on his boots
Together they're gonna boogaloo down Broadway
Come back home with their loot
It's midnight in Manhattan, this is no time to get cute, it's a mad dog's promenade
So walk tall
Or don't you walk at all
Fish lady, oh, my fish lady, fish lady, she baits them tenement walls
She don't take corner boys, ah, they got no money, and they're so easy
Well, I call to her, "Hey, baby, I need you, take my arm, waltz with me down Broadway, yeah"
Take my hand, little girl, please move with me down Broadway, yeah
I'm a young man, I talk it real loud, hey, babe, I walk it real proud for you
Shake away, ah, shake it away, oh, shake away your city life, oh, shake away your street life
Come on, hook it up, oh, hook up to the night train
Come on, hook it up, oh, all right, hook it up
Oh, please hook it up
But I know that she just won't take that train, (no, she won't take this train)
Well, she won't take the train, (no, she won't take the train)
No, she won't board that train, (no, she won't take the train)
She's afraid them tracks are gonna slow her down
And when she turns around to rest, I'll gone
Baby, so long
Sometimes, baby, gotta, sometimes you gotta walk on, walk on, walk on, walk
Walk on, one more time
Well, hey, vibes man, hey, easy jazz man down in the alley, play me your serenade
Any deeper blue, you'll be playin', oh, in your grave
Ah, save your notes: don't spend 'em on the simple girls
Hey, save yourself, now: don't get wasted, don't get wasted on the darlin', yearlin' sharp boy
The church note, reach it, vibes man sting a trash can
Listen, listen to your junkman
(Singin')
He's (singin')
Whoa, you can hear him singin'
Oh, you can hear him singin'
You can hear him singin'
Singin', oh, you can hear him singin'
You can hear him singin'
You can hear him sing
Walk on, walk on, ah!
Well, whoa, la, la, la, la, la
Oh, whoa, la, la, ooh
Ooh, ah
And so you sit in that corner
Where you can hear me sing it like a child
Whoa, baby, get back on your feet
Come out in the street
Where our love was once danger, where our love was so...
And now outside or inside, by the rain
I want to take you, I want to take you, I want to take you, I want to take you, I want to take you, I want to take you, I want to take you, I want to take you, I want to take you, I want to take you, I want to take you, I want to take you in my arms, whoa, and down, down and down and down and down and down and down and down and down and down and down and down, all right
Whoa, baby, down and down and down and down and down and down and down and down and down and down and down and down and down, we go
Oh, now, down and down and down and down and down and down and down and down, down, down, down, down, we go
And then we can slip away
And then we can steal away
Baby, we can get away
Baby, we can shake this city life
I'll buy your ticket, hon
Oh, oh, I'll take you down and down
And, you can quit your job
And I'll quit my job, too
And we can slip away
Ah, we can slip away
Baby, we can steal away
Mama, we can get away
Baby, we can slip away
Baby, we can steal away
Baby, we can get away
Mama, we can slip away
Baby, we can steal away
Baby, we can run away
Don't you want to run away?
Don't you want to run away?
Don't you want to run away?
Nobody's gonna miss us
The above lyrics are for the live 13 Jul 1974 performance of NEW YORK CITY SERENADE at The Bottom Line in New York City, NY, during what is considered The Wild, The Innocent, & The E Street Shuffle Tour. The song featured David Sancious on piano (including the introduction) and Ernest "Boom" Carter on drums and was played in an extended arrangement with the "slip away" coda.
Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band performed three nights at The Bottom Line between 12 and 14 Jul 1974. They played two shows each night, an early one at 8:30PM and a late one at 11:30PM. According to pre-concerts advertisements, these were double-bill shows, with Bruce Springsteen headlining and singer-songwriter Jeffrey Comanor opening. Recollections differ, but Comanor may not have appeared at all six shows of the three-night stand. An audience recording from the second night circulates among collectors and is believed to be from the late show, although this hasn't been verified.
Thanks Jake (ol'catfishinthelake at BTX and Greasy Lake) for the lyrics help. Some of the above information is taken from Brucebase.
List of available versions of NEW YORK CITY SERENADE on this website:
NEW YORK CITY SERENADE [Album version]
