Live 21 Aug 2008 version
[Spoken intro:] Alright! This says, "Play Growin' Up and tell us a story about that goddamn guitar." Alright.
(laughs) Yeah! Wait a second! (laughs) Alright, here we go. Alright, Roy!
Well I stood stone-like at midnight, suspended in my masquerade
I combed my hair till it was just right and commanded the night brigade, hey!
I was open to pain and crossed by the rain, I walked on a crooked crutch
Strode all alone into a fallout zone, came out with my soul untouched
Hid in the clouded wrath of the crowd, when they said "sit down" I stood up
Ooh, ooh, growin' up
The flag of piracy flew from my mast, my sails were set wing to wing
I had a jukebox graduate for a first mate, she couldn't sail but she sure could sing
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, when they said "come down" I threw up
Ooh, ooh, growin' up
Whoa!
[Spoken:] Well there I was. It was Christmas Eve, Nineteen... Sixty... Four. And I was standing with my mother in front of Kiazo's Music Store, down in a little part of town that they called Texas. And we'd had one of those real wet, slushy snows, and I stood looking through the window at this Kent guitar. It was sixty bucks, and you got a little amplifier with a ten-inch speaker with it. To get the Kent guitar, I had to sell this pool table that I had in my bedroom. And it was logistically placed because I could tell my folks I was going upstairs to play pool with my girlfriends, and the table was right by the bed, so I just had to reach over and s'knock the balls around every once in a while. Thank you. Smart! Smart. But the pool table went, sold it for thirty-five dollars and my mother came up with thirty bucks and we got the guitar. Now I started to play it, play it, play it, play it, play it, play it. And then of course came my father's immortal words, about a month or two after I got it. Which was, "Turn down that goddamn guitar!" I'll make this story very short. That lasted for many years. Until it became, "Turn down that god-blessed guitar." That was a big transition. Here's to ya, Pops.
I took month-long vacations in the stratosphere, and 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, 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
Ooh, ooh, growin' up
Whoa, whoa, whoa, growin' up
[Spoken outro:] Good luck, guitar players!
The above lyrics are for the live 21 Aug 2008 performance of GROWIN' UP at Sommet Center in Nashville, TN, during the Magic Tour. The song was played in a full-band, album-style arrangement, and featured a spoken story in the break. The song was played in honor for a sign request asking for "a story about the goddamn guitar" along with the song. This was the only performance of GROWIN' UP on the tour to feature a true story in the break.
Thanks Jake (ol'catfishinthelake at BTX and Greasy Lake) for the lyrics help.
List of available versions of GROWIN' UP on this website:
GROWIN' UP [Album version]
