GIMME THAT WINE

Live 10 Mar 1974 (late show) version

[Bruce Springsteen (spoken):] Operation "emergency surgery" on my guitar, but stich 'em up. ??? intestinal track. You folks are here for a treat while I'm changing this string. ??? come on!

[Clarence Clemons (spoken):] ??? on this.

[Clarence Clemons:]

Well my wife got tired and me running around, so she tried to keep me at home
You know she bust my nose and hid my clothes, but I continued to roam
She tries finally hit my weak spot, threatened to throw my bottle out
From the basement to the rooftop, everybody could hear me shout

Gimme that wine
Gimme that wine
Gimme that wine
You know I can't cut lose without my juice
Dum dum dum dum dum

Well one day when I was walking home staggering home to bed
A bandit jumped from the shadows, put a blackjack aside my head
That cat took my watch, my ring, my money and I didn't make a sound
But when he reached in for my bottle Jim, you could hear for blocks around

Gimme that wine
Gimme that wine
Gimme that wine
Beat my head out of shape, but leave my grape
Dum dum dum dum dum

Well one day when I was laying down awful napping
When I woke up everything was burning with a snap, and a crackle and a pop
You know the fireman chopped up my TV set and tore my apartment apart
But when he raised his axe on my bottle, Jim, I had screamed with all my heart

Gimme that wine
Gimme that wine
Gimme that wine
Let me take one toast before I roast
Dum dum dum dum dum

Well one day when I was crossing the avenue, a big car knocked me down
When I was laying out tying up traffic, crowd came from blocks around
You know the policemen were searching my pockets before they took me to the funeral parlor
When he reached in for my bottle, Jim, I jumped straight up and commenced to holler

Gimme that wine
Gimme that wine
Gimme that wine
You know I can't get well without muscatel

You know you can take all them Hollywood glamour girls, Rita Haywood, Bridgette Bardot, Lana Turner
And put 'em upside the wall
Put a gigantic bottle beside 'em, and tell me to take my choice
Well there'd be no doubt 'bout the one I chose the minute I raise my voice

Gimme that wine
Gimme that wine
Gimme that wine
Well them chicks look fine but I love my wine

Now some folks like money, some like to dance and dine
But I'll be happy if you give me that wine, alright
Can I have that bottle baby
Oh muscatel or half and half

[Clarence Clemons (spoken outro):] Thank you all. I don't really drink wine, really. It make ???.

Info

GIVE ME THAT WINE is a 1960 song by Lambert, Hendricks, & Ross. See the original Lambert, Hendricks, & Ross version for more details.

Live 31 Oct 1973 (late show) version

The above lyrics are for the live 10 Mar 1974 (late show) performance of GIMME THAT WINE at Liberty Hall in Houston, TX, during what is considered The Wild, The Innocent, & The E Street Shuffle Tour. The song was played with Clarence Clemons on lead vocals while Bruce Springsteen was repairing his guitar string which he broke during the previous song.

The 10 Mar 1974 Late Show

Bruce Springsteen was booked for four nights from 07 to 10 Mar 1974 at the 300-seat capacity Liberty Hall in Houston, TX, during what is considered The Wild, The Innocent, & The E Street Shuffle Tour. He and his band were the headliners, and singer-songwriter Jimmy Spheeris was the opening act. As advertising for the Liberty Hall residency states, one show (8:00 PM) was scheduled on the first and fourth night and two shows (08:00 PM and 11:00 PM) on the second and third night. However due to strong demand a second (late) show was added on the fourth night at the very last moment.

According to Brucebase, the first night's show was broadcast by radio station KPFT-FM as part of its "Every Thursday Night" broadcast segment from Liberty Hall. Current evidence suggests that the third night's late show and the fourth night's late show were not simulcast live at the time. Instead, they were first broadcast in bits and pieces (rather than in one complete program segment) in November 1974 to promote Springsteen's tour's return to Texas.

There is no circulating audio from the first night's broadcast, making this the only verified Springsteen radio broadcast that has yet to surface. Almost complete (or possibly complete) recordings from the remaining two broadcasts are in circulation among collectors. No soundboard or audience tapes have are known to exist from the remaining shows.

Promotional poster for the March 1974 four-night residency at Liberty Hall, Houston, TX

Live History

GIVE ME THAT WINE is known to have been performed at least 4 times during The Wild, The Innocent, & The E Street Shuffle Tour. Some of that period's setlists are incomplete or unknown, and therefore, the song may have been played on some more dates. On this tour, the song was played with Clarence Clemons on lead vocals while Bruce Springsteen was repairing his guitar string which he broke during the previous song.

GIVE ME THAT WINE is known to have been performed at least once times during the Born To Run Tour: one time during the 1st leg (73 know dates / 81 known shows, between July and December 1975) and zero times during the 2nd leg (35 know dates, between March and May 1976). The 1976 portion of the tour would soon be nicknamed the "Chicken Scratch Tour" by the road crew because of the high proportion of secondary market, southern state locations. Some of that period's setlists are incomplete or unknown, and therefore, the song may have been played on some more dates during the Born To Run Tour. On this tour, the song was played with Clarence Clemons on lead vocals while Bruce Springsteen was repairing his guitar string which he broke during the previous song.

Available Versions

List of available versions of GIMME THAT WINE on this website:

Page last updated: 06 Aug 2015