Bruce Springsteen lyrics -- Bruce Springsteen shows -- Bruce Springsteen records

Song title: Open all night


Open all night

Well, I had the carburator, baby, cleaned and checked
With her line blown out she’s hummin’ like a turbojet
Propped her up in the backyard on concrete blocks
For a new clutch plate and a new set of shocks
Took her down to the carwash, check the plugs and point
Well, I’m goin’ out tonight. I’m gonna rock that joint

Early north Jersey industrial skyline
I’m a all-set cobra jet creepin’ through the nighttime
Gotta find a gas station, gotta find a pay phone
This turnpike sure is spooky at night when you’re all alone
Gotta hit the gas, baby. I’m running late
This New Jersey in the mornin’ like a lunar landscape

Now, the boss don’t dig me, so he put me on the night shift
It’s an all-night run to get back to where my baby lives
In the wee, wee hours your mind gets hazy
Radio relays towers, won’t you lead me to my baby?
Underneath the overpass, trooper hits his party light switch
Good night, good luck. One, two power shift

I met Wanda when she was employed
Behind the counter at Route Sixty Bob’s Big Boy Fried Chicken
On the front seat, she’s sittin’ in my lap
We’re wipin’ our fingers on a Texaco road map
I remember Wanda up on scrap metal hill
With them big brown eyes that make your heart stand still

Well, at five a.m., oil pressure’s sinkin’ fast
I make a pit stop, wipe the windshield, check the gas
Gotta call my baby on the telephone
Let her know that her daddy’s comin’ on home
Sit tight, little mama, I’m comin’ `round
I got three more hours, but I’m coverin’ ground

Your eyes get itchy in the wee, wee hours
Sun’s just a red ball risin’ over them refinery towers
Radio’s jammed up with gospel stations
Lost souls callin’ long distance salvation
Hey, mister deejay, won’tcha hear my last prayer?[1]
Hey, ho, rock’n’roll, deliver me from nowhere

Notes: [1] This part is nearly identical in State trooper and other verses recall Living on the edge of the world

Statistics from the KILLING FLOOR (www.brucespringsteen.it) database

Published on the following official releases:

First known live performance: 03/10/1982 Stone Pony, Asbury Park,NJ ,USA
Last known live performance: 08/02/2014 Perth Arena, Perth ,Australia

Song 'history':


Published on the solo album NEBRASKA, in 1982
Played once in the whole 1982-1984 period, during which Bruce played, with various small groups or guesting, in a number of bars and small clubs of the New Jersey area (03/10/1982 Stone Pony, Asbury Park,NJ ,USA)
Played during the Born in the U.S.A. tour (18 times)
Two only performances during the Human Touch tour (25/07/1992 Meadowlands Arena, E.Rutherford,NJ ,USA and 30/07/1992 Meadowlands Arena, E.Rutherford,NJ ,USA)
One only performance during the Ghost of Tom Joad tour (08/11/1996 St. Rose of Lima School, Freehold,NJ ,USA)
It only saw the light less than a dozen times in the whole Devils and Dust tour
Played during the rehearsals for the We shall overcome / The Seeger session tour, in Mar/Apr 2006.
During the The Seeger Session tour, the song was regularly included in every show
Bruce inserted it 17 times in the setlists of the Wrecking Ball tour
Played only a couple of times in the whole High Hopes tour (28/01/2014 Bellville Velodrome, Cape Town ,South Africa and 08/02/2014 Perth Arena, Perth ,Australia)

The song was also played in informal happenings or off-tour appearances
Data from the www.brucespringsteen.it database