Skip to content
Bruce Springsteen The Wild, the Innocent, and the E Street Shuffle front cover
Track

Rosalita (Come Out Tonight)

Label
Columbia Records
Release Date
11 September 1973
Lyrics

Spread out now Rosie, doctor come cut loose her mama’s reins
You know playin’ blindman’s bluff is a little baby’s game
You pick up Little Dynamite, I’m gonna pick up Little Gun
And together we’re gonna go out tonight and make that highway run
You don’t have to call me lieutenant Rosie and I don’t want to be your son
The only lover I’m ever gonna need’s your soft sweet little girl’s tongue
Rosie you’re the one
Dynamite’s in the belfry 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 waitin’ for the bus
Mama she’s home in the window waitin’ up for us
She’ll be there in that chair when they wrestle her upstairs
‘Cause you know we ain’t gonna come
I ain’t here for business
I’m only here for fun
And Rosie you’re the one

Rosalita jump a little lighter
Senorita come sit by my fire
I just want to be your love, ain’t no lie
Rosalita you’re my stone desire

Jack the Rabbit and Weak Knees Willie, you know they’re gonna be there
Ah, sloppy Sue and Big Bones Billie, they’ll be comin’ up for air
We’re gonna play some pool, skip some school, act real cool
Stay out all night, it’s gonna feel all right
So Rosie come out tonight, baby come out tonight
Windows are for cheaters, chimneys for the poor
Closets are for hangers, winners use the door
So use it Rosie, that’s what it’s there for

Rosalita jump a little lighter
Senorita come sit by my fire
I just want to be your love, ain’t no lie
Rosalita you’re my stone desire

Now I know your mama she don’t like me ’cause I play in a rock and roll band
And I know your daddy he don’t dig me but he never did understand
Papa lowered the boom, he locked you in your room
I’m comin’ to lend a hand
I’m comin’ to liberate you, confiscate you, I want to be your man
Someday we’ll look back on this and it will all seem funny
But now you’re sad, your mama’s mad
And your papa says he knows that I don’t have any money
Tell him this is his last chance to get his daughter in a fine romance
Because the record company, Rosie, just gave me a big advance
My tires were slashed and I almost crashed but the Lord had mercy
My machine she’s a dud, I’m stuck in the mud somewhere in the swamps of Jersey
Hold on tight, stay up all night ’cause 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
There’s a little cafe where they play guitars all night and day
You can hear them in the back room strummin’
So hold tight baby ’cause don’t you know daddy’s comin’

X
Save On Apple Music Save On Deezer Save On Spotify
X
X

We're sorry, a Spotify Premium account is required to use this service. Start your free trial here.

We're sorry, this service doesn't work with Spotify on mobile devices yet. Please use the Spotify app instead.

X

You're signed in! About the streaming player:

Songs play if you keep the player window open. The music stops if you close the window. To keep the music playing while you visit other pages, two options:

  1. In top row of the player, click Pop-Up Player button to open player in a new window.
  2. Keep player open in a browser tab. Visit other pages in a separate tab.
X

We're sorry, this service doesn't work with Spotify on mobile devices yet. Please use the Spotify app instead.

You're signed in! About the streaming player:

Songs play if you keep the player window open. The music stops if you close the window. To keep the music playing while you visit other pages, two options:

  1. In top row of the player, click Pop-Up Player button to open player in a new window.
  2. Keep player open in a browser tab. Visit other pages in a separate tab.