Springsteen calls upon the Jersey Devil
Please allow me to quote from my review Thursday of the Little Steven's Underground "Halloween-A-Go-Go" record:
"The only misstep is paying dues to his Boss because there's nothing remotely dark or scary about ‘Restless Nights,' an intrusion at track two. If that's Springsteen's best Halloween entry, he's got work to do."
Well, as the Boss is a faithful reader of the PG (ahem), he got right on it, posting on his web site a free download of a Halloween song "A Night with the Jersey Devil."
OK, it's no "Bela Lugosi's Dead," but it's pretty awesome - a mean, stomping Muddy-style blues song with a nasty distorted vocal and the Boss wailing "16 witches casting 16 spells!" It's a little bit of 16 Horsepower too.
You can download the song here
But you have to see the video of Bruce showing his dark side here.
Here are the words (or at least most of them):
I was born thirteenth child
'Neath the thirteenth moon
Spit out on ???
Born anew
Daddy dragged me to the river
Tied me to a rock, throw me in where it's deep and wide
I go down
I don't die
On the river bottom
I crawl through
Come back, kill six brothers and sisters
Kill papa too
Sway down mama
Sway down low
They gonna know me
Where ever I go
Into my bed with the kerosene my mama creeped
Set my flesh to burn
While I started sleepin'
I burn, burn, burn
'Til my soul burn black
Black ???
I come back
I come back
Get down mama
Get down low
They gonna know me
Where ever I go
Sixteen witches cast sixteen spells
Make me a guitar out of skin and human skull
I'll sing you a song like the wind in the sandy loam
Bring you baby out your happy home
Ram's head
Forked tail
Clove hoof
Loves my trail
I sip on your body
Sip on your blood like wine
Our world theirs
This world mine
So kiss me baby
'Til it hurts
God lost in heaven
We're lost on earth
Sway down mama
Sway down low
They gonna know me
Where ever I go (yeah)
Where ever I go (yeah)
Where ever I go
Well I got a brand new lover
I love her, yes I do
Yeah, she's my one and only
My baby's blue
Now baby, baby, baby
Baby, baby, baby, blue
That's right
Whoah, ha!
Well now baby, baby, baby
Baby, baby, blue