Live 05 Apr 2007 version
| Bruce Springsteen: | One, two, a-one, two, three, four! |
| Bruce Springsteen: | Whoa! |
| Craig Finn: | Spread out now, cut loose her mama's reins |
| You know playing blind man's bluff is a little baby's game | |
| You pick up Little Dynamite, I'm gonna pick up Little Gun | |
| Together we're gonna go out tonight, and we'll make that highway run | |
| And you don't have to call me lieutenant, Rosie, and I, I don't want to be your son | |
| The only lover I'm ever gonna need's your soft sweet little girl's tongue | |
| Oh, Rosie, you're the one! | |
| Badly Drawn Boy: | Dynamite's in the belfry, babe, playing with the bats |
| Little Gun's downtown in front of Woolworth's, trying out his attitude on all the cats | |
| Papa's on the corner, waiting for the bus | |
| Mama, she's home in the window, waiting up for us | |
| She'll be there in that chair 'til they wrestle her upstairs, she knows we ain't gonna come | |
| I ain't here on business, I'm only here for fun! | |
| Springsteen and Badly Drawn Boy: | Rosalita, jump a little lighter |
| Senorita, come sit by my fire | |
| I just want to be your lover, ain't no liar | |
| Oh, Rosie, you're my stone desire | |
| Jesse Malin: | Yeah, bring it down! |
| Jack the Rabbit and Weak Knees Willie, don't you know they're gonna be there too | |
| Sloppy Sue, Big Bones Billy, they're coming up for air | |
| We're gonna play some pool, skip some school, we'll act real cool | |
| Stay out all night, it's gonna feel all right | |
| Don't you know it, baby | |
| Rosie, come out tonight | |
| Windows are for cheaters, chimneys for the poor | |
| Closets are for hangers, winners use the door | |
| Use it, Rosie, that's why it's there! | |
| Springsteen and Malin: | Rosalita, jump a little lighter |
| Senorita, come sit by my fire | |
| I just want to be your lover, ain't no liar | |
| Oh, Rosie, you're my stone desire | |
| Bruce Springsteen: | Let's hear the band! |
| Bruce Springsteen: | Well, I know your mama, she don't like me 'cause I play in a rock and roll band |
| I know your daddy, he don't dig me, he never did understand | |
| Craig Finn: | Papa lowered the boom and locked you in your room |
| I'm coming to lend a hand | |
| I want to liberate you, confiscate you, I want to be your man | |
| Someday we'll look back on all this, it will all seem funny | |
| But now you're sad, your mama's mad | |
| Your papa says he knows that I don't have any money | |
| (Papa says he knows that I don't have any money) | |
| (Papa says he knows that I don't have any money) | |
| Craig Finn: | This is his last chance to get his daughter in a fine romance |
| 'Cause the record company just gave me a big advance! | |
| All: | My tires were slashed and I almost crashed, the Lord had mercy |
| Bruce Springsteen: | 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 coming on strong | |
| All: | 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 | |
| There's a little café, they play guitars all night and day | |
| Craig Finn: | You can hear 'em in the back room strumming |
| Hold tight, baby, don't you know that daddy's coming | |
| (Ohhh!) | |
| Bruce Springsteen: | One, two, three, four! |
| All: | 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 | |
| Bruce Springsteen: | Whoa! |
| (Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey!) | |
| Bruce Springsteen (spoken outro): | Thank you, New York! Thank you! |
The above lyrics are for the live 05 Apr 2007 performance of ROSALITA (COME OUT TONIGHT) at Carnegie Hall in New York City, NY, during "The Music of Bruce Springsteen" benefit/tribute concert.
Bruce Springsteen made an unannounced appearance at the show held in his honor and benefiting the UJA-Federation of New York's Music for Youth. He performed a solo acoustic rendition of THE PROMISED LAND followed by a unique rendition of ROSALITA (COME OUT TONIGHT) wherein he first played much of the song on solo acoustic guitar, then told a mid-section story, and then the full cast of the night joined in to play the song all over again as an all-star finale with Craig Finn of The Hold Steady, Badly Drawn Boy, and Jesse Malin pitching in on shared lead vocals, backed by house band Elysian Fields.
Audio does not circulate for the full show — the above lyrics are transcribed from only the "full cast" part of ROSALITA (COME OUT TONIGHT). According to Backstreets magazine (Spring 2007 issue), the crowd sang and clapped earnestly through each verse, until Springsteen abruptly stopped. At first it seemed that he decided to bring the song to a premature end and he jokingly said, "well, it's getting late, I've run out of lyrics!" He continued with a funny monologue about how "Rosie went off with our hero and got married," and how "our hero" wound up in tabloid stories and broke up his band and "wrote songs about being happy, which nobody liked..." Then there seemed to be some discussion onstage as to which song Springsteen had in mind for the grand sing-along finale. Elysian Fields told Springsteen that they knew how to play ROSALITA (COME OUT TONIGHT). He called volunteers onstage to join him for the song, and as might have been expected, the song was loose and sloppy and chaotic, with every artist onstage that night angling for their moment to stand next to Springsteen and sing.
Thanks Jake (ol'catfishinthelake at BTX and Greasy Lake) for the lyrics help.
If you have a complete audio or video recording please contact me via the below form or by email: .
List of available versions of ROSALITA (COME OUT TONIGHT) on this website:
ROSALITA (COME OUT TONIGHT) [Album version]