Live 07 May 2008 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, oh, I'm gonna pick up Little Gun
Together we're gonna go out tonight, make that highway run
You don't have to call me lieutenant, Rosie, 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, babe, 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, only here for
Fun!
You're the one!
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
Whoa!
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
We're gonna
Play some pool
What?
Skip some school
What?
Act real cool
What?
Stay out all night
What?
It's gonna feel all right
Ro-ro-ro-rosie, come out tonight, Rosie, come out tonight
Windows are for cheaters, chimneys for the poor
Closets are for hangers, winners... use 'em 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
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 want to liberate you, confiscate you, I want to be your man
Someday we'll
[Clarence Clemons:] Look back on this and it will all seem funny
Now you're sad, mama's mad
(And your papa says he knows that I don't have any money)
Say?
(Your papa says he knows that I don't have any money)
Say what?
(Your daddy says he knows that I don't have any money)
This is his last chance to get his daughter in a fine romance
Record company, Rosie, gave me a big advance!
My tires were slashed, 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
Hear 'em in the back room strumming
Hold tight, baby, don't you know daddy's coming
Everybody say
(Ohhh!) Whoa! Whoa! Whoa! Ooh! Ooh! Ooh! Ooh! Ooh! Ooh! Ooh!
Whoa!
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
Whoa!
Come on, band!
(Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey!)
The above lyrics are for the live 07 May 2008 performance of ROSALITA (COME OUT TONIGHT) at Count Basie Theatre in Red Bank, NJ, during a benefit show for the Count Basie Theatre. The song was played in a full-band arrangement featuring a horns section. The parts in bold are sung by the crowd.
On 07 May 2008, during a break in the Magic Tour between a North American and a European leg, Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band played a benefit show for the 82-year-old Count Basie Theatre in Red Bank, NJ. The concert was significant for venue, raising alone over $3 million for its restoration fund.
For the very first time ever Springsteen and the band played, not one, but two complete albums from their catalog: Darkness On The Edge Of Town and Born To Run, live and in sequence. Springsteen said that they "decided to do something we've never done before, and that you're not going to see someplace else." However, performances of entire albums would later become a feature of the last two months of the Working On A Dream Tour.
To wrap the night up, Springsteen and the band played a four-song encore featuring a full horn section. "The Mighty Max Horns," as Springsteen later called them, consisted of Mark Pender on trumpet, Richie "LaBamba" Rosenberg on trombone, and Jerry Vivino and Ed Manion on saxophones.
The theatre opened as the Carlton Theater in 1926, was renamed the Monmouth Arts Center in 1973, and in 1984 it was renamed the Count Basie Theatre, in memory to the recently deceased jazz pianist, bandleader, composer, and Red Bank native William "Count" Basie. The theatre had been hosting Bruce Springsteen since the mid-seventies -- he played there during The Wild, The Innocent & The E Street Shuffle Tour in 1974, the Born To Run Tour in 1975, and the Lawsuit Tour in 1976. He has since outgrown the small venue, but he kept making surprise appearances over the years.
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]