Open All Night Lyrics

[Verse 1]
I had the carburetor 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 points
I'm goin' out tonight, I'm gonna rock that joint

[Verse 2]
Early north Jersey industrial skyline
I'm a all-set cobra jet creepin' through the nighttime
Gotta find a gas station, gotta find a payphone
This turnpike sure is spooky at night when you're all alone
Gotta hit the gas, baby, I'm runnin' late
This New Jersey in the mornin' like a lunar landscape

[Verse 3]
The boss don't dig me, so he put me on the nightshift
It takes me two hours to get back to where my baby lives
In the wee wee hours, your mind gets hazy
Radio relay towers, won't you lead me to my baby?

Underneath the overpass, trooper hits his party light switch
Goodnight, good luck, one two powershift

[Verse 4]
I met Wanda when she was employed
Behind the counter at the Route 60 Bob's Big Boy
Fried chicken on the front seat, she's sittin' in my lap
We're wipin' our fingers on a Texaco roadmap
I remember Wanda up on scrap metal hill
With them big brown eyes that make your heart stand still
[Instrumental break]
Hey

[Verse 5]
Well, 5 A.M., oil pressure's sinkin' fast
I make a pitstop, 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

[Verse 6]
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 Mr. DJ, won't you hear my last prayer?
Hey ho, rock 'n' roll, deliver me from nowhere

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About

Genius Annotation

The eighth track on Springsteen’s 1982 album ‘Nebraska’ ‘Open All Night’ is another song that takes on the American ideal of having the self attached to vehicle. A trend across the album and a lot of Springsteen’s career, cars were central to most of his character’s stories.

“Open All Night” can be seen as the positive flip-side to the earlier “Nebraska” track “State Trooper”: the two songs share a number of lyrics, but whereas the narrator of “State Trooper” is a desperate man on the verge of violence, the narrator of “Open All Night” is joyful and upbeat, happy to be off work and heading home to his baby.

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