Live 09 Nov 1980 version
Spread out now, Rosie, doctor come cut loose her mama's reins
You know playin' blind man's bluff is a little baby's game
You pick up Little Dynamite and I'm gonna pick up Little Gun
Together we're gonna go out tonight, we'll make that highway run
Now, you don't have to call me The Boss, and I don't want to be your son
The only lover I'm ever gonna need's your soft sweet little girl's tongue
You're the one!
Dynamite's in the belfry, baby, playin' with the bats
Little Gun's downtown in front of Woolworth's, tryin' out his attitude on all the cats
Papa's on the corner, waiting for the bus
Mama's home in the window, waitin' up there for us
She'll be there in that chair 'til they wrestle her upstairs, you know we ain't gonna come
I ain't here on business, I'm only here for fun
Rosalita, jump a little lighter
Senorita, come sit by my fire
I just want to be your lover, ain't no liar
Rosie, you're my stone desire
Jack the Rabbit, Weak Knees Willie, you know they're gonna be there
Gonna be Sloppy Sue and Big Bones Billy, they'll be comin' up for air
Hey!
We're gonna
[Crowd:] Play some pool
Yeah?
[Crowd:] Skip some school
Yeah?
[Crowd:] Act real cool
Yeah?
[Crowd:] Stay out all night
Yeah?
[Crowd:] It's gonna feel all right
Yeah, yeah, yeah, Rosie, come out tonight, Rosie, come out tonight
Windows are for cheaters, chimneys for the poor
Closets are for hangers, winners use the, use the door!
Rosalita, jump a little lighter
Senorita, come sit by my fire
I just want to be your lover, ain't no liar
Rosie, you're my stone desire
[Spoken:] On piano, Professor Roy Bittan! On guitar, Miami Steve Van Zandt! On the bass, Garry W. Tallent! On the drums, The Mighty Max! On the organ, Dan Federici! And on the saxophone, King of the World, Master of the Universe, Big Man Clarence Clemons!
Bring it up!
I know your mama, she don't like me 'cause I play in a rock and roll band
I know your papa don't dig me, he never did understand
Papa lowered the boom, locked you in your room
I'm coming to lend a hand
I'm gonna liberate you, confiscate you, I want to be your man
Someday we'll look back on this and it will all seem funny
Now your mama's mad, mama's mad
(And your papa says he knows that I don't have any money)
He said what?
(Papa says he knows that I don't have any money)
He said what?
(Papa says he knows that I don't have any money)
But yeah!
This is his last chance to get his daughter to have some fun
'Cause my brand new record, Rosie, is gonna be number one!
My tires were slashed and I almost crashed, the Lord had mercy
My machine, she's a dud, out stuck in the mud somewhere in the swamps of Jersey
Hold on tight, stay up all night, Rosie, I'm comin' on strong
By the time we meet the morning light, I will hold you in my arms
I know a pretty little place in Southern California down San Diego way
A little café, they play guitars all night and day
You hear 'em in the back room strummin'
Hold tight, baby, don't you know I'm coming
Everybody say
(Ohhhh!)
Whoa!
Rosalita, jump a little lighter
Senorita, come sit by my fire
I just want to be your lover, ain't no liar
Rosalita, you're my stone desire
(Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey!)
Come over here!
The above lyrics are for the live 09 Nov 1980 performance of ROSALITA (COME OUT TONIGHT) at University Of Texas in Austin, TX, during The River Tour. The show took place in the university's Special Eevents Center. The song was played in a full-band arrangement and features band introductions and appropriately an instrumental snippet of the traditional song THE YELLOW ROSE OF TEXAS in the introduction. In this version, Springsteen replaced the "You don't have to call me lieutenant, Rosie, and I don't want to be your son" line with "Now, you don't have to call me The Boss, and I don't want to be your son". He also replaced the "This is his last chance to get his daughter in a fine romance / The record company, Rosie, gave me a big advance" lines with "This is his last chance to get his daughter to have some fun / 'Cause my brand new record, Rosie, is gonna be number one!" — this is a reference to Springsteen's The River album which reached #1 on the Billboard 200 chart the previous week, and would keep that position for three more weeks.
Thanks Jake (ol'catfishinthelake at BTX and Greasy Lake) for the lyrics help.
List of available versions of ROSALITA (COME OUT TONIGHT) on this website:
ROSALITA (COME OUT TONIGHT) [Album version]