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

Song title: Stand on it


Stand on it

Well, Jimmy Lee was hookin’ ‘round the fan turn
of a funky Southern Florida dirt track.
He had mud caked on his goggles and a screamin’ three fifty
stacked up on his back.
Well, as he passed the stands, he feeling all tuckered out,
when through the roar of his engine he heard somebody shout.
“Stand on it. Come on, boy, stand on it.”

Mary Beth started to shift, she hit the shift,
but she just couldn’t get a hand on it.
She was racin’ some red hill boys she had the deed to the ranch
and a grand on it.
With eight grand blowin’ hot on the red line,
she blew past a hitchhiker out on Route 39. He hollered,
“Stand on it. Come on, baby, stand on it.”

Chorus:
Well, now when in doubt and you can’t figure it out,
Just stand on it.
Well, if your mind’s confused you don’t know what you’re gonna do,
Well buddy, stand on it!
Well, if you’ve lost control of the situation at hand,
Go grab a girl, go see a rock ‘n roll band,
and stand on it.
Come on, man, stand on it!

Well now, Columbus, he discovered America
even though he hadn’t planned on it.
He got lost and woke up one morning
when he’s about to land on it.
He wouldn’t have got out of Italy, man, that’s for sure,
without Queen Isabella standing on the shore shouting,
“Stand on it! Go ahead, man, stand on it.”

(Chorus)

Bobby was leadin’ the pack, he settled back and he got ready for the long haul
Well fifty yards from the finish line somebody roared up and they blew him into the wall
Well he rolled over twice, lucky to survive
Layin’ in the back of the ambulance more dead than alive
Somebody shouted “Man, you call that drivin’?
Why didn’t you stand on it”[1]

Notes: This last verse appears only in some takes, including the "Tracks" version.


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


Published on the following official releases:

First known live performance: 31/08/1985 Giants Stadium, E.Rutherford,NJ ,USA
Last known live performance: 22/04/2014 Consol Energy Center, Pittsburgh,PA ,USA

Song 'history':


Recorded during the BITUSA sessions (late 1982-mid 1984), but then not included on the album.
Bruce inserted it 14 times in the setlists of the Born in the U.S.A. tour
Played during the '1987 bar tour', which is the name under which I group the 1987 shows Bruce played with various small bands, or guesting, in small NJ clubs.
The TRACKS studio out-take collection included for the first (official) time this song.
12 perfomances were given during the Reunion tour
Played once in the whole Rising tour (18/10/2002 Palamalaguti, Bologne ,Italy)
Bruce gave this song only two shots through the Magic tour (18/06/2008 Amsterdam Arena, Amsterdam ,Netherlands and 18/08/2008 Richmond Coliseum, Richmond,VA ,USA)
Played once in the whole Working on a Dream tour (02/11/2009 Verizon Center, Washington,DC ,USA)
Not much used during the Wrecking Ball tour, deserving only 3 renderings
One only performance during the High Hopes tour (22/04/2014 Consol Energy Center, Pittsburgh,PA ,USA)

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