The song lyrics were written by the band Van Halen, as they were asked to write a song for the 1979 movie "Over the Edge" starring Matt Dillon. The movie (and the lyrics, although more obliquely) are about bored, rebellious youth with nothing better to do than get into trouble. If you see the movie, these lyrics will make more sense. It's a great movie if you grew up in the 70s/80s you'll definitely remember some of these characters from your own life. Fun fact, after writing the song, Van Halen decided not to let the movie use it.
Crazy Janey and her mission man
Were back in the alley tradin' hands
'Long came Wild Billy with his friend G-Man
All duded up for Saturday night
Well, Billy slammed on his coaster brakes
And said, "Anybody want to go on up to Greasy Lake?
It's about a mile down on the dark side of Route 88
I got a bottle of rose so let's try it
We'll pick up Hazy Davy and Killer Joe
And I'll take you all out to where the gypsy angels go
They're built like light
Ooh, and they dance like spirits in the night (all night)
In the night (all night)
Oh, you don't know what they can do to you
Spirits in the night (all night)
Oh, in the night (all night)
Stand right up now and let it shoot through you
Well now, Wild Billy was a crazy cat
And he shook some dust out of his coonskin cap
He said, "Trust some of this, it'll show you where you're at
Or at least it'll help you really feel it"
By the time we made it up to Greasy Lake
I had my head out the window and Janey's fingers were in the cake
I think I really dug her 'cause I was too loose to fake
I said, I'm hurt, she said, honey, let me heal it
And we danced all night to a soul fairy band
And she kissed me just right, like only a lonely angel can
She felt so nice
Just as soft as a spirit in the night (all night)
In the night (all night)
Oh, Janey don't know what she do to you
Like a spirit in the night (all night)
All night (all night)
I stand right up and I let her shoot through me
(Ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh)
(Ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh)
(Ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh)
(Ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh)
Now, the night was bright and the stars threw light
On Billy and Davy dancin' in the moonlight
They were down near the water in a stone mud fight
Killer Joe gone passed out on the lawn
Well now, Hazy Davy got really hurt
He ran into the lake in just his socks and his shirt
Me and Crazy Janey was makin' love in the dirt
Singin' our birthday songs
Janey said it was time to go
So we closed our eyes and said goodbye to Gypsy Angel Row
Felt so right
Together we moved like spirits in the night (all night)
In the night (all night)
Oh, you don't know what they can do to you
Them spirits in the night (all night)
All night (all night)
Oh, stand right up and let her shoot through you
Like a spirit in the night (all night)
All night (all night)
All night (all night)
All night (all night)
All night (all night)
All night (all night)
All night
Be-da-ba the night
All night
In the night
In the night
Were back in the alley tradin' hands
'Long came Wild Billy with his friend G-Man
All duded up for Saturday night
Well, Billy slammed on his coaster brakes
And said, "Anybody want to go on up to Greasy Lake?
It's about a mile down on the dark side of Route 88
I got a bottle of rose so let's try it
We'll pick up Hazy Davy and Killer Joe
And I'll take you all out to where the gypsy angels go
They're built like light
Ooh, and they dance like spirits in the night (all night)
In the night (all night)
Oh, you don't know what they can do to you
Spirits in the night (all night)
Oh, in the night (all night)
Stand right up now and let it shoot through you
Well now, Wild Billy was a crazy cat
And he shook some dust out of his coonskin cap
He said, "Trust some of this, it'll show you where you're at
Or at least it'll help you really feel it"
By the time we made it up to Greasy Lake
I had my head out the window and Janey's fingers were in the cake
I think I really dug her 'cause I was too loose to fake
I said, I'm hurt, she said, honey, let me heal it
And we danced all night to a soul fairy band
And she kissed me just right, like only a lonely angel can
She felt so nice
Just as soft as a spirit in the night (all night)
In the night (all night)
Oh, Janey don't know what she do to you
Like a spirit in the night (all night)
All night (all night)
I stand right up and I let her shoot through me
(Ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh)
(Ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh)
(Ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh)
(Ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh)
Now, the night was bright and the stars threw light
On Billy and Davy dancin' in the moonlight
They were down near the water in a stone mud fight
Killer Joe gone passed out on the lawn
Well now, Hazy Davy got really hurt
He ran into the lake in just his socks and his shirt
Me and Crazy Janey was makin' love in the dirt
Singin' our birthday songs
Janey said it was time to go
So we closed our eyes and said goodbye to Gypsy Angel Row
Felt so right
Together we moved like spirits in the night (all night)
In the night (all night)
Oh, you don't know what they can do to you
Them spirits in the night (all night)
All night (all night)
Oh, stand right up and let her shoot through you
Like a spirit in the night (all night)
All night (all night)
All night (all night)
All night (all night)
All night (all night)
All night (all night)
All night
Be-da-ba the night
All night
In the night
In the night
Lyrics submitted by SongMeanings
Spirit in the Night Lyrics as written by Bruce Springsteen
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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Before a live performance on the EP Five Stories Falling, Geoff states “It’s about the last time I went to visit my grandmother in Columbus, and I saw that she was dying and it was the last time I was going to see her. It is about realizing how young you are, but how quickly you can go.”
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I hope I can continue my comment. The dark side of Rte 88 is obvious. Bottle of rose can be slang for drugs in addition to alcohol. Let it shoot through you again not a far stretch.Neither are, shook the dust out of his coonskin cap- I'm hurt"she" said honey let me heal you. She may not refer to an actual she.Pretty sure most people have had a blissful high and been taken to an ethereal spiritual place. At least for a while. The others in the song perhaps not so blessed an event.The line, baby don't know what they can do to you. I don't usually read drugs into creative art. Hell, I don't know the true meaning of "Puff the Magic Dragon". I did not write it. You can take any type of art and make a case for your own interpretation. A certain ambiguity allows for subjective thought and debate.That'ts what makes it art. Thank you for reading. feel free to disagree.
I'm sorry.This is the first half of my comment. Comes before the previous one above.I too love "spirits in the night.It's always had an eroticism filled with youthful hazy good old fashioned fun and searching.The music is so alluring. I could sing along, drive people crazy and not quite catch all the words. After reading the lyrics, I realized I had overlooked so many obvious metaphors.The drug references seemed to pop out at me.The names of the others in the song were relevant to behaviors and issues.At the start is"mission man...in the alley changing hands, as in a drug buy- dark side of rt.88 is obvious.