Live 29 Jun 2000 version
[Spoken intro:] Come on New York! Come on New York! Are you ready to rumble?
One, two, three
Oh oh-oh, oh oh-oh, oh oh-oh
Oh oh-oh, oh oh-oh, oh oh-oh
Oh oh-oh, oh oh-oh, oh oh-oh
Oh oh-oh, oh oh-oh, oh oh-oh
Oh oh-oh, oh oh-oh, oh oh-oh
Oh oh-oh, oh oh-oh, oh oh-oh
Oh oh-oh, oh oh-oh, oh oh-oh
Oh oh-oh, oh oh-oh, oh oh-oh
Oh oh-oh, oh oh-oh, oh oh-oh
Oh oh-oh, oh oh-oh, oh oh-oh
Oh oh-oh, oh oh-oh, oh oh-oh
Oh oh-oh, oh oh-oh, oh oh-oh
Oh oh-oh, oh oh-oh, oh oh-oh
Oh oh-oh, oh oh-oh, oh oh-oh
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
And now the night is dark, the sidewalk's bright, lined with the light of the living
From a tenement window a transistor blasts
Turn around the corner, things got real quiet real fast
(Tenth Avenue freeze-out)
Say it again
(Tenth Avenue freeze-out)
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
And I can't find my way back home, now
[Spoken:] Hold on girls, I'm only one man. Help me out, Steve. Come on man. Hey man, man. Sugar pie, sweetie, honey baby, oh sugar mam, sweet baby, please baby ???.
Are you ready band? Now! Whoa! Thank you band members.
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
Wash me in the water
Take me to the river
Wash me in the water
Take me to the river
Wash me in the water
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've got to say, yeah, (yeah, yeah,) yeah, yeah
Yeee!
Take me to the river tonight
[Spoken:] That's right. That's where I wanna go tonight. I wanna go to that riverside. I wanna find that river of life. I wanna find that river of love. I wanna find that river of faith. And that river of hope. Tonight I wanna go to that river of transformation where you can go and you can be changed, but you got to work at it. That's right. I wanna go to that river to sanctification where all life's graces and blessings can fall down upon you like rain, but you've got to work at it. I wanna go, I wanna go to that river or resurrection where everybody gets a second chance, but you've got to work at it. Tonight I wanna go to that river of sexual healing and companionship. I wanna find that river of joy and that river of happiness. I'm not bullshitting back here. But you just don't stumble onto those things, you don't find those places by accident. You've got to seek them out and search after them. And that's why we're here night after night after night after night because you can't get to those things by yourself. You got to have help. But that's where I wanna go tonight and I want you to go with me. Because I need to go with you. That's why I'm here. And tonight I wanna throw a rock and roll exorcism! A rock and roll baptism! And a rock and roll bar mitzvah! That's right, we're gonna do it all tonight, everything, right here. I want them waters to fall down on me and set me free, set you free. But I stood one evening as a young man before a dark grove of trees, and I was frightened to pass through those trees even though I knew that on the other side the river of life was waiting. And there was cold beer at a reasonable price, and there were no fucking cellphones either. Pizza for everybody. But I stood paralyzed by my own fears. And then a gypsy woman called me onward, and she said, "Son, come here, let me help you. What you need... What's your line?" And I told her what, what I did for a living, and then she said, "Well, then what you need is, you need a band. You need some help." And that's why I'm so glad to introduce here tonight on the piano, the secretary of intelligence, the dean of the university of musical perversity, Professor Roy Bittan on the piano. And now I wanna introduce the 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 on the guitar. I wanna introduce the foundation of the E Street nation, the Tennessee Terror, Mister Garry W. Tallent. And on the drums, the man that bring the power night after night after night after night, the minister of the big beat and star of late night television, the mighty, mighty Max Weinberg. On the guitar, the godfather of the guitar, the minister of heart and spirit, the great, great, Nils Lofgren. And on the organ, on the Hammond B3 organ and accordion, hailing from Flemington, New Jersey, the minister of mystery, brother Dan Federici.
And now, and now, and now, brunettes are fine, and blondes are fun
But when it comes to getting a dirty job done
It takes a red headed woman
Yeah, I said, I'm looking for a red headed woman
I'm searching for my baby, red headed woman
I'm begging baby please, red headed woman
I'm down upon knees, red headed woman
In supplication, red headed woman
In sexification, red headed woman
In the love education, red headed woman
Come on!
[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
Whoa!
[Spoken:] The first lady of love on the guitar and vocals, Miss Patti Scialfa. Now last but not least. That's right, last but not least. I'm talking about the minister of soul, secretary of the brotherhood, the next senator from the state of New York. Do I have to say his name? No. Do I have to say his name? No. Say who? Clarence. Say who? Clarence. Say who? Clarence. Say who? Clarence. Say who? Clarence. Say who? Clarence. Say who? Clarence. Say who? Clarence. Say who? Clarence. Say who? Clarence.
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
[Clarence Clemons:] Tenth Avenue freeze-out
Say it again
[Clarence Clemons:] Tenth Avenue freeze-out
One more time
[Clarence Clemons:] Tenth Avenue freeze-out
Say it again
[Clarence Clemons:] Tenth Avenue freeze-out
Everybody form a line
(Tenth Avenue freeze-out)
Everybody form a line
(Tenth Avenue freeze-out)
Everybody form a line now
(Tenth Avenue freeze-out)
Come on, help me out, C!
(Tenth Avenue freeze-out)
I said say
[Clarence Clemons:] Yeah
Say
[Clarence Clemons:] Yeah
Say
[Clarence Clemons:] Yeah
Say
[Clarence Clemons:] Yeah
Say
[Clarence Clemons:] Yeah
Say
[Clarence Clemons:] Yeah
Say
[Clarence Clemons:] Yeah
Say
[Clarence Clemons:] Yeah
Hey
[Clarence Clemons:] Yeah
Hey
[Clarence Clemons:] Yeah
Hey
[Clarence Clemons:] Yeah
Hey
[Clarence Clemons:] Yeah
Say
[Clarence Clemons:] Yeah
Say
[Clarence Clemons:] Yeah
Weee-hooo
Oh yeah, it's all right now
And 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)
Say it's alright now, (it's all right)
Say it's all, say it's all right
[Spoken:] The E Street Band! The E Street Band! The heart-stopping, earth-shocking, earth-quaking, heartbreaking, air-conditioner-shaking, history-making, legendary E Street Band!
Right to you!
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
Say amen, somebody!
[Spoken outro:] Yes, indeed.
The above lyrics are for the live 29 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. The parts in bold are sung by the crowd.
A mix of the live 29 Jun 2000 version and the live 01 Jul 2000 version of TENTH AVENUE FREEZE-OUT was released on the Live In New York City album and home video in 2001. See the live 29 Jun 2000 / 01 Jul 2000 version for more details.
The 29 Jun 2000 show at Madison Square Garden in New York City, NY, was the ninth of ten consecutive shows at the arena that concluded The Reunion Tour. Some of this show aired as part of HBO's Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band: Live In New York City TV special and was subsequently included on the Live In New York City album and home video in 2001.
List of available versions of TENTH AVENUE FREEZE-OUT on this website:
TENTH AVENUE FREEZE-OUT [Album version]
