GROWIN' UP^©

Live 07 Jul 1978 version

[spoken intro part 1]

Well I stood stone-like at midnight suspended in my masquerade
Then I combed my hair till it looked just right and commanded the night brigade
Well I was open to pain and crossed by the rain, I walked on a crooked crutch
I strolled all alone through a fallout zone and came out with my soul untouched
Hid in the clouded wrath of the crowd, when they said "sit down" I stood up
Ooooh, growin' up

Well the flag of piracy flew from my mast, my sails were set wing to wing
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, my gear set stubborn on standing
I broke all the rules, strafed my old high school, never once gave thought to landing
Hid in the clouded wrath of the crowd, when they said "come down" I threw up
Ooooh, growin' up

Big Man, assist me please!

[spoken intro part 2]

I took month-long vacations in the stratosphere, you know it's really hard to hold your breath
I swear I 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
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 "sit down" I stood up
Ooooh, growin' up
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
Growin' up
Yeah!

It was bye bye New Jersey, we were airborne!*

These lyrics refer to the live 07 Jul 1978 performance at The Roxy Theater, Los Angeles, CA. It is the version that was included on the Live 1975-85 box set.

* This line doesn't exist on the original source tape. I seems to be dropped in on the live box set from some other show, most probably a Born In the USA tour show.

Check also the album's version (more details), the Tracks version, and the alternative version. The live versions are all pretty similar, and have no important lyrics variations. Only the spoken intro differs. Check them out: 10 Aug 1972, 31 Oct 1973, 05 Feb 1975, 30 Dec 1975, 07 Apr 1976, 27 Oct 1976, 04 Nov 1976, 23 Mar 1977, 24 Mar 1977, 31 May 1978, 25 Jun 1978, 05 Jul 1978, 04 Aug 1978, 09 Aug 1978, 20 Aug 1984, 14 Sep 1984, 22 Sep 1992, 24 Sep 1999, 19 Feb 2003, and 22 Jun 2003.

Spoken intro on 07 Jul 1978 at The Roxy Theater, Los Angeles, CA:

Part 1: This is for a fellow sent me a note backstage. Said he's here with his son who's six years old. Are you here anyplace? The cat that sent the note? Is that you? It was a fine note, and this was his son's first rock show or something, rock concert? I forgot his name (chuckles). It was Jason or something. And uh, this is for him and this is for everybody else that's still growing up. There I was... Gotta get my buttons straight, there, I got it. There I was one night, just a normal guy. And then, there I was the next night, goddamnit I was still just a normal guy. I was...

Part 2: I think, I ain't sure, but I think my mother and father and my sister, they're here again tonight. Hey, are you guys out there? You're over there? For six years, they've been following me around California, trying to get me to come back home. Hey Ma, give it up, Ma? Give me a break! They're still (chuckles) (someone in the crowd: where are they?) I don't know. They're over there somewhere. But, (audience voice: get them to take a bow) you know, they're still trying to get me to go back to college. Every time I come in the house, "you know, it's not too late, you can still go back to college" they tell me. I say, "alright, alright, Ma". But it's funny 'cause when I was growin' up, there were two things that were unpopular in my house. One was me, and the other one was my guitar. And my father, he used to sit in the kitchen. And we had this grate, like the heat's supposed to come through, except it wasn't hooked up to any, any like, heating ducts. It was just open, straight down to the kitchen. And there was a gas stove right underneath it. And when I used to start playing, he used to turn on the gas jets and try to smoke me out of my room. I'd end up out on the, out on the roof or something, you know. And he used to always refer to this guitar, you know, never "Fender guitar", "Gibson guitar", it was always the "God Damned guitar", you know. Whenever he stuck his head in my door, that's all I hear "turn down the goddamned guitar." You know. He used to try to get me to be a lawyer. And it was unny 'cause I was in a motorcycle accident when I was 17. And like this cat just, you know, ran head on into me and then got out and yelled at me for ruining his Cadillac. And we had like a suit, a legal suit. And my father took me down to this lawyer in town. He said "oh man, I gotta defend this?" I looked about, just about exactly the same way that I look right now. And uh, and I can remember, we were going to court, right? The day of the suit. Like I got, I'm like in the wreck. I just got hit and my leg's messed up. And I remember my lawyer telling me, "if I was the judge, I'd find you guilty." You know? I don't know for what. For being, just for being there, I guess, you know, ???. But anyway, my father always said "you know, you should be a lawyer. You know, you get, get a little something for yourself." You know? And my mother, you know, she used to say "no, no, no, no. He should be, he should be an author. He should write books. You know, you should... That's a good life, you can get a little something for yourself." Well, what they didn't understand was, was that I wanted everything. (some woman in the crowd: you got it) And so you guys, one of you guys wanted a lawyer, and the other one wanted an author. Well, tonight, youse are both just gonna have to settle for Rock 'N' Roll.