ROSALITA (COME OUT TONIGHT)

Live 20 Aug 1981 version

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, well, 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, but don't call me Boss!
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, babe, playin' with the bats
Little Gun's downtown in front of Woolworth's, tryin' out his attitude on all the cats
Papa's on the corner, waiting for the bus
Mama's home in the window, waitin' up there for us
She'll be there in that chair 'til they wrestle her upstairs, you know we ain't gonna come
'Cause I ain't here on business, I'm only here for
[Crowd:] Fun!
You guessed it, baby!

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, they'll be comin' up for air
And we're gonna
[Crowd:] Play some pool
Yeah?
[Crowd:] Skip some school
Yeah?
[Crowd:] Act real cool
Yeah?
[Crowd:] Stay out all night
Yeah?
[Crowd:] It's gonna feel all right
Who said?
Rosie, come out tonight, come out tonight
Windows are for cheaters, chimneys for the poor
Closets are for hangers, winners use the door
Come on Stevie! Ladies and gentlemen, Miami Steve!

Rosalita, jump a little lighter
Senorita, come sit by my fire
I just want to be your lover, ain't no liar
Hey, Rosie, you're my stone desire

[Spoken:] Bring it down, now, boys! All right, ladies and gentlemen, now we're gonna come to the most interesting part of the show: the band introductions! Oh! This is the most important part. First, I've been playing with these guys a pretty long time, and I got a confession. They kind of got close to my heart. And so I'm sure they won't mind a hundred-dollars-a-week decrease in pay. No, listen, listen, first, first I'd like to introduce Roy! Now, Roy's so close to my heart, I got a poem for Roy. R stands for Roy, 'cause that's his name. O stands for piano, 'cause that's his game. Y? Because he likes it! Roy Bittan on the piano, ladies and gentlemen! Now, Miami, I ain't got a poem for him yet, so let me just say, he's the Poet of the Soul, the Master of Rock and Roll, the man who brought ou such great hits as I Don't Want To Go Home, Sweeter Than Honey, This Time It's For Real, Some Things Just Don't Change, Daddy's Come Home, Trapped Again, the great Miami Steve Van Zandt! On the bass guitar, we got handsome, debonair, ain't he now the top of the field, now, all the way from Neptune, New Jersey, Mr. Garry W. Tallent! On the drums, we got the King of the Big Beat, I'm talking about The Mighty One, Mighty Max Weinberg on the drums! Hang on a minute. On the organ, we got a man, now you see him, now you don't, we call him the Phantom, come all the way from Flemington, New Jersey to play for you here in Los Angeles tonight, I'm talking about Phantom Dan Federici! Now, here comes my tour de force. I don't have to tell you who I'm gonna introduce next! I don't blame you for being excited. Ladies and gentlemen: C is for cool, which only a foolish man would dispute! L is for lean and mean and lodaliloo! A is 'cause he's the ace of the saxophone! R is 'cause he's a regular guy, even though he's world renowned! E is for his everlasting love, which I hold so dear! N is for nasty — mess with him, and your face he will spin! C is for that C-note he's owed me since last year! And E is for everything else! You put that all together, what's that spell? What's that spell? What's that spell?

Spotlight on the Big Man (yeah, yeah)
Go on and look around, now (yeah, yeah)
He's the king of them all, now (yeah, yeah)
Oh, yeah (yeah, yeah)
Ooh, yeah (yeah, yeah)
Oh, yeah (yeah, yeah)
Oh, yeah (yeah, yeah)
Oh, yeah (yeah, yeah)
Oh, yeah (yeah, yeah)

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
I want to liberate you, confiscate you, I want to be your man
Someday we'll look back on this and it will all seem funny
But now you're sad, mama's mad
(Your papa says he knows that I don't have any money)
He says what?
(Papa says he knows that I don't have any money)
He says who?
(Papa says he knows that I don't have any money)

This is his last chance, baby, to get his daughter in some high finance
'Cause the record company, honey, just gave me the big smacaroonis!
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 see 'em in the back room strummin'
Hold tight, baby, don't you know I'm coming
Everybody say
(Ohhhh!)
Keep it up, now!
Whoa!

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

(Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey!)

[Spoken outro:] Thank you!

Info

The above lyrics are for the live 20 Aug 1981 performance of ROSALITA (COME OUT TONIGHT) at Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena in Los Angeles, CA, during The River Tour. The song was played in a full-band arrangement and features band introductions and a snippet of Arthur Conley's SWEET SOUL MUSIC during the band introductions. 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, baby, to get his daughter in some high finance / 'Cause the record company, honey, just gave me the big smacaroonis!".

Promotional poster for the 20 Aug 1981 show at Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena, Los Angeles, CA

Promotional ad for the August 1981 six-night stand at Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena, Los Angeles, CA

Ticket stub for the 20 Aug 1981 show at Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena, Los Angeles, CA

Pass for the 20 Aug 1981 show at Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena, Los Angeles, CA

Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band performed a series of six concerts in August 1981 at Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena. At first four concerts were announced (20, 21, 23, and 24 Aug 1981) and two more were later added (27 and 28 Aug 1981). The first of the six shows was a benefit concert in support of the Vietnam Veterans Of America, an organization founded by former U.S. Marine lieutenant and disabled Vietnam veteran Bobby Muller.

Credits

Thanks Jake (ol'catfishinthelake at BTX and Greasy Lake) for the lyrics help.

Available Versions

List of available versions of ROSALITA (COME OUT TONIGHT) on this website:

Page last updated: 14 Apr 2012