It was a hot and steamy night,
Then Frankie pulled his gun in sight.
He said, "Now Susie, don't you lie.
Did Stevie, did he catch you with another guy?"
Standing in the line of fire it's gonna shoot ya.
Standing in the line of fire it's comin' to ya,
It's goin' through ya.
He told her that he had been true,
And that he'd never made her blue, no.
So don't go sayin' Stevie's a liar,
Girl, I've got my finger on a hair-trigger wire.
Standing in the line of fire it's gonna shoot ya.
Standing in the line of fire it's comin' to ya,
It's goin' through ya.
Bye, bye, bye, Susie.
So long girl.
Those gunshots echoed through the town.
Oh Frankie threw his shotgun down.
That roof had moonlight shinin' through.
She said she'd never, never, never, make him blue,
yeah.
Standing in the line of fire it's gonna shoot ya.
Standing in the line of fire it's comin' to ya,
Standing in the line of fire it's gonna shoot ya.
It's goin' through ya.
Bye, bye, bye, Susie.
So long.
This song of the week can be heard on Departure.
Inspired by the sound effect that opened the Junior Walker hit, Steve Perry wanted to include a shotgun
blast on top of this Schon-driven rocker, an incidental touch that consumed considerable studio time to accomplish in the end.
© Time 3 liner notes
