GROWIN' UP^©

Live 27 Oct 1976 version

[spoken intro part 1]

Well I stood stone-like at midnight suspended in my masquerade
And I combed my hair till it looked just right and commanded the night brigade, whoa!
I was open to pain and crossed by the rain and I walked on a crooked crutch
I strolled all alone through a fallout zone and came out with my soul untouched
I 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 wouldn't sail but she sure could sing
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
I hid in the clouded wrath of the crowd, they said "come down" I threw up
Growin' up

Big Man!
Give me all that job now!

[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 mother breast of the crowd, they said "pull down" I pulled up
Yeah, growin' up
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, growin' up

[spoken intro part 3]

These lyrics refer to the live 27 Oct 1976 performance at The Spectrum, Philadelphia, PA.

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, 04 Nov 1976, 23 Mar 1977, 24 Mar 1977, 31 May 1978, 25 Jun 1978, 05 Jul 1978, 07 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 27 Oct 1976 at The Spectrum, Philadelphia, PA:

Part 1: This is a song, this is a song for people, people send stuff backstage all the time. But most of the time they send like, they send like flowers and stuff. Whoa, then what am I gonna do with flowers? It's like... send socks, tube socks, preferably (chuckles). What've you been doing? Hey, this is the dude that counted off New Year's Eve, this guy (chuckles)... This cat jumps up onstage New Year's Eve, right? This dude over here. Mr. spotlight spotlight this guy. Can you spotlight this guy now? This guy (chuckles). Now you missed him ???, Ok (chuckles). This guy (chuckles) I'm sorry. This guy jumps up onstage New Year's Eve, right? And I say "what time is it?", you know, like "how much time do we have?". He goes like "30 seconds". Right now we're playing and stuff, like, you know, trying to figure out so I get to this part on New Year's Eve, so he says "30 seconds" and then he goes "10, 9, 8", and like everybody like he counted off like a kind of a myth or some urban time. Hey! ??? trash in my face, give me a break. This is for, this is for this guy, that crazy guy (chuckles). Professor, please.

Part 2: I remember when I was back, my mother made me go to this Catholic school. Right? And the nuns, I remember the nuns used to chase me around, in the church, to make me go to communion on Fridays, right? And like, I remember, my first, when I made my first confession, it took me so long, that they sent everybody home and from then on, they used to, the class used to go on one day, they used to send me by myself on this other day, 'cause I'd be in there. And, I remember one time we were sitting in the class and this sister said, she said "Ok, boys and girls, and I, I want you all to line up around the room and I want youse to tell me just what youse wanna be when you grow up", right? And sister says, she says "Johnny, what do you wanna be?", and Johnny says "sister, I wanna be a, I wanna be a... policeman", and she says "Mary, what do you wanna be?", she says "I wanna be a nurse", and she says "Ed Sciaky, what do you wanna be when you grow up?", and Ed said "well sister, I wanna be a cheeseburger", and then she came to me and she said "hey Bruce, what do you wanna be?", I said "sister", I said "sister, sister, I wanna be... I wanna be... a Rock 'N' Roll star".

Part 3: Whose these socks? Whose throwing me socks? They're your socks? What is this? This is junk, it's junk, I was kidding here, alright? This is real, you know, but thanks. These aren't the right kind, these...