Live 17 Jun 2000 version
[Spoken intro:] Is there anybody alive in New York City tonight? They're much louder in New Jersey. Is there anybody alive in New York City tonight? Let 'em hear you over in Jersey! Is there anybody alive out there?
One, two, three!
One, two, three, four!
Teardrops on the city
Bad Scooter searching for his groove
The whole world walking pretty
And you can't find the room to move
Everybody better move over, that's all
Running on the bad side
With my back to the wall, now
(Tenth Avenue freeze-out)
Say it again!
(Tenth Avenue freeze-out)
I was stranded in the jungle
Taking all the heat they were giving
Yeah, now, the night is dark and the sidewalk's bright
And lined with the light of the living
From a tenement window a transistor blast
Turn around the corner things got real quiet real fast
(Tenth Avenue freeze-out)
Say it again
(Tenth Avenue freeze-out)
Well, I'm all alone, I'm on my own
[Clarence Clemons:] Now, kid, you'd better get the picture!
I'm on my own, I'm all alone
Oh, and I can't find my way back home, now
Sister!
Yes, baby?
Yes, sugar?
Yes, honey?
Max!
C!
[Spoken:] Hey, Harry! Hey, Max! You don't want to go first... You got to dance![SPOKEN]
Hey!
[SPOKEN][Spoken:] Look at them go! Whoa! The Mighty One! Come on, baby! We've got to have equal time for the ladies... Come on, girls!
Max!
It's all right (it's all right)
It's all right, now (it's all right, now)
It's all right (it's all right)
It's all right, now (it's all right, now)
It's all right to have a good time (it's all right to have a good time)
Yeah, it's all right to have a good time (it's all right to have a good time)
Oh, take me to the river (take me to the river)
Wash me in the water (wash me in the water)
Take me to the river (take me to the river)
Wash me in the water (wash me in the water)
Take me to the river (take me to the river)
Wash me in the water (wash me in the water)
Yeah, take me to the river (take me to the river)
Wash me in the water
I said, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
Take me to the river tonight
I said, I want you to, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
Take me to the river tonight
Ah, I said, I got you to, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
Please
I said, please
I said
Take me to the river tonight
[Spoken:] Oh, that's right. That's where I want to go tonight. I want to go to the riverside. I want to go to the river of life! And that river of hope. That river of faith. I want to find that, that river sanctification and of transformation, where you can go, and you can be changed, if you want to. And I want to find that river of resurrection, where everybody gets a second chance. I want to find that river of sexual healing tonight. And companionship. That river of understanding that leads to that river of joy and of happiness. That's where I want to go tonight. And what I want to know is, are you ready to go with me? What I need to know is, are you ready to go with me? Because I need to go with you! That's why I'm here, that's why we're here. Because you can't get there by yourself. You can't get to those things, all those things that make life meaningful, by yourself. No, sir. No, sir. That's why tonight I want to throw a rock and roll baptism! A rock and roll exorcism! And a rock and roll bar mitzvah! We're gonna do it all tonight! I want to be washed in those waters and I want to be set free again. But once I stood, I stood one evening as a young man before a dark grove of trees, and like a little child, I was frightened to pass through those trees, even though I knew that on the other side was the river of life, cold beer at a reasonable price, no more fucking cell phones! But still, I found myself paralyzed. Till a gypsy woman called me forth, she said, "Son, what you need is, you need help. You need somebody to walk with you through those trees. What's your line?" And I told her what I did, and she said, "Well, then, what you need, what you need is a band." That's why tonight here in Madison Square Garden with the main event, I want to introduce on the piano, secretary of intelligence, the Long Island Piano Pounder, Professor Roy Bittan! On the guitar, minister of faith and friendship, keeper of all that is righteous on E Street, and star of the Sopranos television show, Little Steven Van Zandt! Stand with me, brother. On the bass guitar, the foundation of the E Street nation, Mr. Garry W. Tallent! On the drums, the man that brings the power night after night after night, the mighty, mighty, mighty, mighty, mighty, star of late night television, Mighty Max! A dancing fool! And on the guitar, secretary of heart and of spirit, the godfather of the guitar, the great Nils Lofgren! Stand with me, brother, at the riverside. On the Hammond B3 organ and accordion, brother Dan Federici!
Yeah, well, I said, brunettes are fine, now, and blondes are fun
But when it come, come to getting a dirty job done
It take a
(Red headed woman)
I'm looking for my baby
(Red headed woman)
I got to find my girl, now
(Red headed woman)
Searching for my sweet thing
(Red headed woman)
(chuckles)
[Patti Scialfa:] Baby, take a walk in toy land
[Patti Scialfa:] Be my hero, play the part
[Patti Scialfa:] I'm falling down hard from salvation
[Patti Scialfa:] Come protect this china heart
[Patti Scialfa:] Though my party dress is torn, I still
[Patti Scialfa:] Walk and talk and cry and crawl
[Patti Scialfa:] I've got no one on my arm
[Patti Scialfa:] I am just a rumble doll
[Spoken:] Whoa! The first lady of love on the guitar and vocals, Miss Patti Scialfa! Thank you, baby! And now, let the healing begin! And now, last but not least, I'm talking about the minister of soul, secretary of the brotherhood, next senator from the state of New York City, in this corner, weighing it at heavier than you, you wish you could be like him but you can't, New York City, are you ready to rumble? Well, do I have to say his name? Do I have to say his name? Say who? Say who? Say who? Say who? Say who? Say who? Say who? Say who?
Well, they made that change uptown
And the Big Man joined the band
From the coastline to the city
The little pretties raise their hand
I'm gonna sit back right easy and laugh
When Scooter and the Big Man bust this city in half
(Tenth Avenue freeze-out)
Say it again
(Tenth Avenue freeze-out)
One more time
(Tenth Avenue freeze-out)
One more time
(Tenth Avenue freeze-out)
Everybody form a line
(Tenth Avenue freeze-out)
Everybody form a line
(Tenth Avenue freeze-out)
Everybody form a line
(Tenth Avenue freeze-out)
Everybody form a line
(Tenth Avenue freeze-out)
Hey! Say, say, say, say, say, say, say, say, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey!
Whoa!
Oh, yeah, it's all right, now
It's all right (it's all right)
It's all right (it's all right)
It's all right (it's all right)
It's all right (it's all right)
It's all right, now
It's all right
I said, it's all right
The E Street Band! The E Street Band! The house-rocking, heart-stopping, earth-quaking, history-making, legendary E Street Band!
Say yeah! Yeah! Yeah! Yeah! Yeah! Yeah! Yeah! Say amen, somebody!
[Spoken outro:] Whoa!
The above lyrics are for the live 17 Jun 2000 performance of TENTH AVENUE FREEZE-OUT at Madison Square Garden in New York City, NY, during The Reunion Tour. The song was played in a heavily extended full-band version including band introductions and a variety of interpolated songs and song snippets: The Impressions' IT'S ALRIGHT, Al Green's TAKE ME TO THE RIVER, RED HEADED WOMAN and Patti Scialfa's RUMBLE DOLL.
Thanks Jake (ol'catfishinthelake at BTX and Greasy Lake) for the lyrics help.
List of available versions of TENTH AVENUE FREEZE-OUT on this website:
TENTH AVENUE FREEZE-OUT [Album version]
