Track 9 of Greetings From Asbury Park, N.J., 1973.
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- Greetings From Asbury Park, N.J. (1973)
- Bruce Springsteen: vocals, acoustic guitar
- Vini Lopez: drums
- David Sancious: piano
- Garry Tallent: electric bass
- Tracks (1998)
- Bruce Springsteen: vocals, guitar
Performed live 2 times as a snippet.
Performed multiple times during the following shows:
Released on Greetings From Asbury Park, N.J. (1973) and Tracks (1998).
Live versions are released on Live/1975–85 (1986) (recorded July 7, 1978) and Hammersmith Odeon, London '75 (2006) (recorded November 18, 1975).
Live versions are available on the following 30 official live downloads:
- 2023-04-03 Barclays Center, Brooklyn, NY
- 2017-02-21 AMI Stadium, Christchurch, New Zealand
- 2017-01-27 Perth Arena, Perth, Western Australia, Australia
- 2016-09-14 Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, MA
- 2016-09-11 Consol Energy Center, Pittsburgh, PA
- 2016-09-09 Citizens Bank Park, Philadelphia, PA
- 2016-09-07 Citizens Bank Park, Philadelphia, PA
- 2016-09-05 Veterans United Home Loans Amphitheater, Virginia Beach, VA
- 2016-09-01 Nationals Park, Washington, DC
- 2016-08-30 MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, NJ
- 2016-06-19 Olympiastadion, Berlin, Germany
- 2016-05-29 Croke Park, Dublin, Ireland
- 2016-05-27 Croke Park, Dublin, Ireland
- 2016-02-25 First Niagara Center, Buffalo, NY
- 2014-02-26 Brisbane Entertainment Centre, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
- 2012-09-22 MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, NJ
- 2012-07-28 Ullevi, Gothenburg, Sweden
- 2009-11-22 HSBC Arena, Buffalo, NY
- 2008-04-28 Greensboro Coliseum, Greensboro, NC
- 2005-11-22 Sovereign Bank Arena, Trenton, NJ
- 2005-08-03 Van Andel Arena, Grand Rapids, MI
- 1997-05-18 Palais Des Congrès Acropolis, Nice, France
- 1996-11-26 Paramount Theatre, Asbury Park, NJ
- 1978-12-16 Winterland Ballroom, San Francisco, CA
- 1978-12-08 Summit (The), Houston, TX
- 1978-07-07 Roxy Theatre (The), West Hollywood, CA
- 1975-12-31 Tower Theater, Upper Darby, Philadelphia, PA
- 1975-12-21 Seneca Field House, Seneca College, Toronto, ON
- 1975-12-12 Post Dome, C.W. Post College, Greenvale, NY
- 1975-11-24 Hammersmith Odeon, London, England
One of these recordings is also available on the playlists The Live Series: Songs Of Summer (2020) and The Live Series: Songs Of Introspection (2023).
| IT'S HARD TO BE A SAINT IN THE CITY take 1 - V1 | 3:05 | uncirculating |
| IT'S HARD TO BE A SAINT IN THE CITY take 2 - V2 | 7:08 | uncirculating |
| IT'S HARD TO BE A SAINT IN THE CITY - V3 | 4:18 | uncirculating |
| IT'S HARD TO BE A SAINT IN THE CITY - V4 | 2:50 | TRACKS / US3 / HDT /URT2 / EDR |
| IT'S HARD TO BE A SAINT IN THE CITY - V5 | 2:40 | US4 / EDR |
| IT'S HARD TO BE A SAINT IN THE CITY - V6 | uncirculating | |
| IT'S HARD TO BE A SAINT IN THE CITY - V7a | 3:08 | DDITV / TFTV / SA914 |
| IT'S HARD TO BE A SAINT IN THE CITY - V7b | 3:09 | GREETINGS |
Note: V1 and V2 were recorded at Pocketful of Tunes, 39 West 55th Street, New York, NY on February 14, 1972, at Bruce's audition for Mike Appel and Jim Cretecos. Bruce started off with a new song, "It's Hard To Be A Saint In The City", which was performed a second time at the request of Appel, who was dazzled by the lyrics. V3 was performed at John Hammond's office, CBS Records, 51 West 52nd Street, New York, NY on May 2, 1972. V4 recorded at Studio E Columbia Records building, 6th floor, 49 East 52nd Street, New York City on May 3, 1972 and officially issued on Tracks. V5 likely recorded at Pocketful Of Tunes Studios, New York, NY in May–June, 1972. V6 was an acoustic version recorded on June 26, 1972, or possibly a base track for the band take, V7a, completed the following day, June 27. Bruce's vocal on V7a is faded out several seconds later than on the album release, which reveals that there were a few "street rapping" words spoken by Bruce that were cut from the final version. V7b is the final album track after overdubbing and mixing on October 26.
Studio Sessions: Greetings From Asbury Park
It's Hard To Be A Saint In The City |
I had skin like leather and the diamond-hard look of a cobra
I was born blue and weathered but I burst just like a supernova
I could walk like Brando right into the sun
Dance just like a Casanova
With my blackjack and jacket and hair slicked sweet
Silver star studs on my duds like a Harley in heat
When I strut down the street I could feel its heartbeat
The sisters fell back, said, "Don't that man look pretty"
The cripple on the corner cried out, "Nickels for your pity"
Them gasoline boys downtown sure talk gritty
It's so hard to be a saint in the city
I was the king of the alley, mama, I could talk some trash
I was the prince of the paupers crowned downtown at the beggar's bash
I was the pimp's main prophet, I kept everything cool
Just a backstreet gambler with the luck to lose
And when the heat came down and it was left on the ground
Devil appeared like Jesus through the steam in the street
Showin' me a hand I knew even the cops couldn't beat
I felt his hot breath on my neck as I dove into the heat
It's so hard to be a saint when you're just a boy out on the street
And the sages of the subway sit just like the living dead
As the tracks clack out the rhythm, their eyes fixed straight ahead
They ride the line of balance and hold on by just a thread
But it's too hot in these tunnels, you can get hit up by the heat
You get up to get out at your next stop but they push you back down in your seat
Your heart starts beatin' faster as you struggle to your feet
And you're out of that hole, back up on the street
And them south side sisters sure look pretty
The cripple on the corner cries out, "Nickels for your pity"
Them downtown boys, they sure talk gritty
It's so hard to be a saint in the city
So hard
Whoa, yeah, oh
Walking down some side street
With your back flat jacked up against some wall
| Visit SpringsteenLyrics.com for other versions of this song. |
It's Hard To Be A Saint In The City (Tracks) |
Well, I had skin like leather and the diamond-hard look of a cobra
I was born blue and weathered but I burst just like a supernova
Well, I walked like Brando right into the sun
And danced just like a Casanova
Well, with my blackjack and jacket and hair slicked sweet
Silver star studs on my duds like a Harley in heat
When I bop down the street I could hear its heartbeat
And, oh, the women fell back and said, "Don't that man look pretty?"
The cripple on the corner cries, "Nickels for your pity"
And the gasoline boys downtown, they sure talk gritty
It's so hard to be a saint in the city
Well, I was the king of the alley, I could talk trash
I was the prince of the paupers, crowned downtown at the beggar's bash
And I was the pimp's main prophet, I kept everything cool
Just a backstreet gambler with the luck to lose
And when the heat came down it was left on the ground
The devil appeared like Jesus through the steam in the street
Showin' me a hand I knew even the cops couldn't beat
I felt his hot breath on my neck as I dove into the heat
It's so hard to be a saint when you're just a boy out on the street
Ooh, and the sages of the subway sit just like the living dead
As the tracks clack out the rhythm, their eyes fixed straight ahead
They ride the line of balance and hold on by just a thread
It's too hot in these tunnels, you can get hit up by the heat
I get up to get out at the next stop but they push me down in the seat
My heart starts beatin' faster as I struggle to my feet
And I get out of that hole and I'm back up on the street
And them south side sisters sure look pretty
Oh, and the cripple on the corner knows I don't pay for no pity
And them gasoline boys, yeah, they sure talk gritty
It's so hard to be a saint in the city
Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh
Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh
| Visit SpringsteenLyrics.com for other versions of this song. |
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Graph accurate to the end of the Wrecking Ball Tour, December 2012.
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