Live 22 Jun 2000 version
[Spoken intro:] Is there anybody alive out there? Is there anybody really alive? Come on, New York, prove it to me!
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
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 all alone
[Clarence Clemons:] Now, kid, you'd better get the picture!
I'm on my own, I'm on my own
Oh, and I can't find my way back home, now
Say!
[Spoken:] I don't know. I don't know, that suit scared me a little bit, but I, I, I... I, I... Ah, I'm, I'm, I'm a humble guy, I, I can't do that. Well, then, I... I, if you insist, I...
Max!
[Spoken:] Oh, oh! How embarrassing.
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)
Yeah, 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)
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
I said, I want you to, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
[Spoken:] Oh, man! Oh, my, man! Let's do that one more time, get everybody else doing it!
I said, I want you to, 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
I, I said, I've got you to, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
Please
Take me to the river tonight
[Spoken:] That's right. That's right. That's where I want to go tonight. I want to go on a pilgrimage! I want to go on a journey tonight! I want to find that river, that river of life! I want to go on a pilgrimage to that river of love, where you can go and be sanctified. I want to find that river of faith, and that river of hope. I want to find that river of transformation, where you can go, and you can change yourself. I want to find that river of resurrection, where everybody gets a second chance. I want to find that river of understanding. I want to find that river of sexual healing and companionship. Let the healing begin, girls! That's right. (chuckles) That's where I want to go tonight, to that river of joy and happiness. Tonight, that's where I want to go. And what I want to know now is, are you ready to go with me? I said, are you ready to go with me? Because I need to go with you. Because I can't get there by myself! You can't get to those things by yourself. That's why we're here tonight, and that's why tonight I want to throw, I want to throw a rock and roll baptism! A rock and roll exorcism! A rock and roll bar mitzvah! We're gonna do it all! And I want to wash myself in those waters, and set myself free. But once I stood as a young man, one evening before a dark grove of trees, and just like a little child, I was frightened to pass through those trees, even though I knew on the other side the river of life was waiting. There were no fucking cell phones, either! And cold beer that was sold at a reasonable price. But I couldn't get there, 'cause I was paralyzed! And then a gypsy woman called me onward, and she said, "Son, what you've got to understand — what's your line?" "Well, I play music." "But what, what you need now, what you've got to understand is, you need some help. What you need is, you need a band." Oh, but not just any band! That's why tonight here in Madison Square Garden in New York City I want to introduce Professor Roy Bittan on the piano! On the guitar, the minister of faith and friendship, keeper of all that is righteous, and star of the Sopranos television show, Little Steven Van Zandt! Stand with me, brother, at the riverside. The foundation of the E Street nation, Mr. Garry W. Tallent! The man that brings the power night after night after night after night after night and star of late night television, the mighty, mighty, mighty, mighty, Mighty Max Weinberg! On the guitar, the secretary of heart and spirit, godfather of the guitar, the great Nils Lofgren! On the organ, the man of mystery, minister of all things unfathomable on E Street, on the organ B3 and accordion, brother Dan Federici! That's right. And now, on this side, we've got the first lady of love! Come on, baby, sing it!
[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
[Patti Scialfa:] I still 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! First lady of love, Miss Patti Scialfa on the guitar and vocals! My own personal savior! Thank you, baby, thank you. And now, last but not least, last but not least, oh my Lord! I'm talking to you tonight about the minster of soul, the secretary of the brotherhood, the Socrates of the saxophone, 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? 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)
Say it again
(Tenth Avenue freeze-out)
Everybody form a line
(Tenth Avenue freeze-out)
Everybody form a line, now
(Tenth Avenue freeze-out)
Everybody form a line
(Tenth Avenue freeze-out)
Come on, C! Everybody...
(Tenth Avenue freeze-out)
Say, say, say, say, say, say, say, say, say, say, say, say, say, say, say, say, say, say, say, say, say, say, say, say, say, say, say, say, say, say
Whoa, ooh!
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 (it's all right)
It's all right (it's all right)
Well, it's all right, now
It's all right
I said, it's, I said, it's, I said, it's, I said it's all right, hoo, ooh, ooh, ooh
The E Street Band! The E Street Band! The E Street Band! The heart-stopping, house-rocking, earth-quaking, heartbreaking, house-shaking, legendary, history-making, E Street Band!
Yeah! Yeah! Yeah! Yeah! Yeah! Yeah! Yeah! Yeah! Yeah! Yeah! Yeah! Say amen, somebody![/SPOKEN]
The above lyrics are for the live 22 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, 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]
