MAN AT THE TOP

Live 12 Jul 1984 version

[Spoken intro:] Thanks. ??? (chuckles). This is uh, this is a song for an election year. Alright, here we go.

Here comes a lawyer, here comes a cop
Here comes a rich, here comes a car-hop
Been going on forever and ain't ever gonna stop
Everybody wants to be the man at the top

Everybody wants to be the man at the top
Everybody wants to be the man at the top now
Aim your gun, son, shoot your shot
Everybody wants to be the man at the top

Now rich man, poor man, beggar man, thief
Doctor, lawyer, Indian chief
The movie star to the astronaut
Everybody wants to be the man at the top

Everybody wants to be the man at the top
Everybody wants to be the man at the top now
Aim your gun, son, shoot your shot
Everybody wants to be the man at the top

Alright now (oh oh alright)
Oh yeah (oh oh oh yeah)
Alright now (oh oh alright)
Oh yeah (oh oh oh yeah)

Man at the top says it's lonely up there
If it is, man, I don't care
From the big white house to the parking lot
Everybody wants to be the man at the top

Here comes a banker, here comes a businessman
Here comes a kid with a guitar in his hand
Dreaming of his record in the number one spot
Everybody wants to be the man at the top

Everybody wants to be the man at the top now
Everybody wants to be the man at the top
Aim your gun, son, and shoot your shot
Everybody wants to be the man at the top

Say yeah now (oh oh alright)
Say right now (oh oh oh yeah)
Who's the man at the top (oh oh alright)
Alright now (oh oh oh yeah)
Who's the man at the top (oh oh alright)
Who's the man at the top now (oh oh oh yeah)
I just wanna know, whoa whoa (oh oh alright)
Whoa whoa oh oh ah (oh oh oh yeah)
Who's the man at the top now (oh oh alright)
Yeah I just wanna know (oh oh oh yeah)
Who's the man at the top now (oh oh alright)
Yeah I just wanna know (oh oh oh yeah)

Info

The above lyrics are for the live 12 Jul 1984 performance of MAN AT THE TOP at Alpine Valley Music Theatre in East Troy, WI, during the Born In The U.S.A. Tour. Bruce Springsteen played the song in a slowed down acoustic guitar arrangement, accompanied only by backing vocals. This was the song's world premiere.

Ticket stub for the 12 Jul 1984 show at Alpine Valley Music Theatre, East Troy, WI

Available Versions

List of available versions of MAN AT THE TOP on this website:

Page last updated: 10 Jan 2016