ROSE

Live 17 Dec 2000 version

Sha na na na na na
Sha na na na na na
Rose was a waitress for twenty years or more
Packing in the pocket change, she was heaven sent
She taught me how to balance trays when I didn't know what to do
And I learned to turn enough tables to make my rent
She said "keep your eye on the work clock
Keep a quarter in the jukebox
There's some top shelf whiskey behind the coffee machine
Don't talk to the boss, he's got a taste for trucker
And a temper that's cross
He's a working definition of what it is to be mean"

I'm going out on the streets of the city boy
Spend my money tonight
I'm going out on the streets of the city
Rose you're pushing fifty, but you sure look alright now
Sha na na na na na
Sha na na na na na

Now there's this Spanish guy who speaks no English
And he does the dishes by hand
And you know his case it never slides
I said "Rose he must be one of god's own children"
She just laughs at me and says "yeah, god's got him doing the dishes
All night out the back"
Oh but he keeps smiling and those dinner plates keep pilin'
Up so high, seems he can't make a dent
Me I'm just bitching by the service station
Cause I'm tired of waitin' on all these jokers
For a lousy ten per cent

I'm going out on the streets of the city boy
Spend my money tonight
I'm going out on the streets of the city
Rose you're pushing fifty, but you sure look alright now
Sha na na na na na
Sha na na na na na

Oh I traveled once with this rock and roll band
And my baby was a hero to every small town local man
And I watched that golden summer of Chelsea 88
Pass through the rear view mirror of his rented car
Oh but don't you learn real young and fast
That the good times they aren't meant to last
Sweet love, ain't it the first to disappear
Rose sometimes you know I get so frightened
That I'm gonna be spending the rest of my life
Working on the graveyard shift here

I'm going out on the streets of the city boy
Spend my money tonight
I'm going out on the streets of the city
Rose you're pushing fifty, but you sure look alright now
Sha na na na na na
Sha na na na na na
Sha na na na na na
Sha na na na na na

Info

The above lyrics are for the live 17 Dec 2000 performance of ROSE at Convention Hall in Asbury Park, NJ, during the first of the two 2000 Asbury Park holiday shows. The song was performed with Patti Scialfa on vocals backed by Bruce Springsteen and the Max Weinberg 7.

Ticket stub for the 17 Dec 2000 show at Convention Hall, Asbury Park, NJ
(Taken from Brucebase)

Bruce Springsteen performed two Asbury Park holiday shows in 2000 (17 and 18 December). These concerts were billed as "Bruce Springsteen with The Max Weinberg 7 and Friends", with The Max Weinberg 7 serving as the house band, and Springsteen bringing guests on and off the stage throughout the shows.

Credits

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

Available Versions

List of available versions of ROSE on this website:

Page last updated: 20 Dec 2015