Released: September 11, 1973

Songwriter: Bruce Springsteen

Producer: Jim Cretecos Mike Appel

[Verse 1]
Spread out now, Rosie, doctor come cut loose her mama's reins
You know playin' blind man'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
Ah, Rosie, you're the one

[Verse 2]
Dynamite's in the belfry, baby, 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
Ah, I ain't here on business, baby, I'm only here for fun
And Rosie, you're the one

[Chorus]
Rosalita, jump a little lighter
Señorita, come sit by my fire
I just want to be your lover, ain't no liar
Rosalita, you're my stone desire

[Verse 3]
Jack the Rabbit and Weak Knees Willie, don't you know they're gonna be there
Ah, Sloppy Sue and Big Bones Billy, 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, oh, baby, come out tonight
Windows are for cheaters, chimneys for the poor
Oh, closets are for hangers, winners use the door
So use it Rosie, that's what it's there for

[Chorus]
Rosalita, jump a little lighter
Señorita, come sit by my fire
I just want to be your lover, ain't no liar
Rosalita, you're my stone desire
All right

[Bridge]
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
Your papa lowered the boom, he locked you in your room
I'm coming to lend a hand
I'm coming 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)
Whoa, your papa says he knows (that I don't have any money)
Whoa, so your daddy says he knows I don't have (Papa says he knows that I don't have any money)
Well, 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

[Verse 4]
And my tires were slashed and I almost crashed, but the Lord had mercy
And my machine, she's a dud, I'm stuck in the mud somewhere in the swamps of Jersey
Well, 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 café where they play guitars all night and all day
You can hear 'em in the back room strummin'
So hold tight, baby, cause don't you know daddy's comin'
Oh, everybody, so!

[Chorus]
Rosalita, jump a little lighter
Señorita, come sit by my fire
I just want to be your lover, ain't no liar
Rosalita, you're my stone desire
Oh, yeah

Bruce Springsteen

Bruce Springsteen is a rock ‘n’ roll icon from the great state of New Jersey. Nicknamed “The Boss,” he’s known for spirited sax-powered anthems about working-class people making their way in the world. Backed by the trusty E Street Band, he’s sold more than 120 million records, won numerous awards (including 20 Grammys and an Oscar), sold out stadiums around the globe, and earned a place alongside his teenage heroes in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Although he’s a living legend who ranks among the most important artists in rock history, Springsteen wasn’t an overnight success. Around the time of his first album, 1973’s Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J., he was dismissed as just another “new Dylan"—some scruffy folk singer with a decent vocabulary looking to follow in Bob’s footsteps. In the decade that followed, Springsteen proved himself to be much more.

His breakthrough came with his third album, 1975’s Born to Run. The record hit No. 3 on the Billboard 200 and landed the singer-songwriter on the cover of both Time and Newsweek. Bruce nabbed his first chart-topping album five years later with The River, and in 1984, he went global with Born in the U.S.A., a critical and commercial smash that produced seven Top 10 singles.