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Live 26 Jan 1981 version
[Spoken intro:] I already told you about that, I can't tell that story! Oh! Alright, I like that one. (laughs)
Well I stood stone-like at midnight suspended in my masquerade
And I combed my hair till it was just right and commanded the night brigade
I was open to pain and crossed by the rain, I kept a stubborn crutch
I drove all alone through... (Crowd: Came out with my soul untouched!)
I hid in the clouded wrath of the crowd, when they said "sit down" I stood up
Ooh, ooh, growin' up
Well now, the flag of piracy flew from my mast, and my sails were set wing to wing
Well I had a jukebox graduate for first mate, she couldn't sail but she sure could sing
Well I pushed B-52, bombed 'em with the blues with my gear set stubborn on standing
I broke all the rules, strafed my old high school, never once gave thought to landing
I hid in the clouded wrath of the crowd, when they said "come down" I threw up!
Ooh, ooh, growin' up
Big Man!
[Spoken:] Now there we was! It was me, and Steve, Clarence. It was way back, and I remember it was the days we were first putting our band together, but we didn't have enough money for the right instruments. So... It's gonna be a sad story now! So, uh, we were all out driving down this dark back road. And all of a sudden we got a flat. "Impossible," you say... but true. So, it was real dark, we all hopped in the front seat, we heard these strange sounds coming from the woods. We were trying to decide who was gonna go out and fix that thing. See, I figured that I didn't have to go out because I'm the Boss! Clarence, Clarence don't have to go out, 'cause he's bigger than Steve! So just as we were pushing Steve through the vent-window, all of a sudden, just like in that movie Close Encounters of the Third Kind, we see this big flashing light come out over the top of the car. I looked up. With one hand, with one hand on my rosary just in case. It was not Him! Instead, it was this cherry-red flying saucer with Cadillac fins, Hooker headers, and on the side it said, "Little Melvin and the Invaders -- we play weddings, parties, frat parties, and bar Mitzvahs." So this cat stuck his head out, he said, "Oh, how do we get back to the New Jersey Turnpike?" Now, we don't give out that kind of information to just anybody. So I said, "Okay, mister spaceman, I'll tell you what you wanna know, but first you gotta give us a wish." But before I even got a chance to say it, way over on the dark side of the road, something started to appear.
And when we touched...
I took month-long vacations in the stratosphere, and you know it's really hard to hold your breath
I swear I've lost everything I ever loved or feared, I was the cosmic kid
My feet they finally took root in the earth, but I got me a nice little place in the stars
And I swear I found the key to the universe in the engine of an old parked car
I hid in the clouded wrath of the crowd, when they said "come down" I threw up
Ooh, ooh, growin' up
Yeah, yeah, growin' up
[Spoken outro:] And that's how we're here tonight.
The above lyrics are for the live 26 Jan 1981 performance of GROWIN' UP at University Of Notre Dame in South Bend, IN, during The River Tour. The song was played in a full-band, album-style arrangement, and featured a story in the break.
Thanks Jake (ol'catfishinthelake at BTX and Greasy Lake) for the lyrics help.
List of available versions of GROWIN' UP on this website:
GROWIN' UP [Album version]
