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Live 04 Apr 1976 version
[Spoken intro:] Rosie, wherever you are, come out tonight!
Spread out now, Rosie, doctor come cut loose her mama's reins
You know playin' blind man's bluff is a little baby's game
You pick up Little Dynamite and I'm gonna pick up Little Gun
Together we're gonna go out tonight, we'll make that highway run
You don't have to call me lieutenant, Rosie, I don't want to be your son
The only lover I'm ever gonna need's your soft sweet little girl's tongue
You're the one!
Dynamite's in the belfry, baby, playin' with the bats
Little Gun's downtown in front of Woolworth's, tryin' out his attitude on all the cats
Papa's in the corner, waiting for the bus
And Mama, she's home in the window, waitin' up there for us
She'll be there in that chair when they wrestle her upstairs, you know we ain't gonna come
I ain't here on business, Rosie, only here for fun
You're the one!
Rosalita, jump a little lighter
Senorita, come sit by my fire
I just want to be your lover, ain't no liar
Rosie, you're my stone desire
Jack the Rabbit, Weak Knees Willie, you know they're gonna be there
It's gonna be Sloppy Sue, Big Bones Billy, be comin' up for air
Gonna play some pool, skip some school, act real cool
Stay out all night, it's gonna feel all right
Rosie, come out tonight, baby, come out tonight
Windows are for cheaters, chimneys for the poor
Closets are for hangers, winners use the door
Use it, Rosie!
Rosalita, jump a little lighter
Senorita, come sit by my fire
I just want to be your love, ain't no lie
Rosie, you're my stone desire
Whoa!
[Spoken:] On the piano, Professor Roy Bittan! Please say please. Play it, Roy! On the guitar, Miami Steve! Play it, Stevie! On the bass, the Ace on Bass, Mr. Garry W. Tallent! Play it, Garry! On the drums, The Mighty Max! On the organ, Phantom Dan Federici! Play it, Dan! Last but not least, on the saxophone, His Majesty Clarence Clemons!
Bring it up!
I know your mama, she don't like me 'cause I play in a rock and roll band
I know your pop don't dig me, he never did understand
Papa lowered the boom, locked you in your room
I'm coming to lend a hand
Riding to liberate you, confiscate you, I want to be your man
Someday we'll look back on this and it will all seem funny, da, da, da
Now you're sad, mama's mad
(Your papa says he knows that I don't have any money)
Your (papa says he knows that I don't have any money)
(Papa says he knows that I don't have any money)
Well, tell him now is his last chance, Rosie, tell him I ain't no freak
'Cause I got my picture on the cover of Time and Newsweek!
My tires were slashed, I almost crashed, the Lord had mercy
My machine, she's a dud, out stuck in the mud somewhere in the swamps of Jersey
Hold on tight, stay up all night, Rosie, I'm comin' on strong
By the time we meet the morning light, I will hold you in my arms
I know a pretty little place in Southern California down San Diego way
A little café, they play guitars all night and day
You can see 'em in the back room strummin'
Hold tight, baby, don't you know I'm coming
Everybody sing
Ohhhh!
Rosalita, jump a little lighter
Senorita, come sit by my fire
I just want to be your lover, ain't no liar
Rosie, you're my stone desire
All right
(Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey!)
[Spoken outro:] Thank you! Clarence Clemons! Little Steven!
The above lyrics are for the live 04 Apr 1976 performance of ROSALITA (COME OUT TONIGHT) at Michigan State University in East Lansing, MI, during the so-called Chicken Scratch Tour. The show was held in the university's MSU Auditorium. The song was played in a full-band arrangement, featuring band introductions, with an instrumental snippet of Isaac Hayes' THEME FROM SHAFT in the midsection, and also featuring an extended mariachi-style musical introduction. In this version, Springsteen replaced the "This is his last chance to get his daughter in a fine romance / The record company, Rosie, gave me a big advance" lines with "This is his last chance, tell him, Rosie, I ain't no freak / 'Cause I got my picture on the cover of Time and Newsweek!" — this is a reference to his appearance on the covers of both Time and Newsweek magazines in the same week, on 27 Oct 1975.
This tour (35 know dates, March to May 1976) was nicknamed the "Chicken Scratch Tour" by the road crew because of the high proportion of secondary markets in the South.
Thanks Jake (ol'catfishinthelake at BTX and Greasy Lake) for the lyrics help.
List of available versions of ROSALITA (COME OUT TONIGHT) on this website:
ROSALITA (COME OUT TONIGHT) [Album version]