Bruce Springsteen – Open All Night

Well, I had the carburetor, 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 points
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 payphone 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 nightshift
It's an all night run 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 power shift

I met Wanda when she was employed behind the counter at 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

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, woncha hear my last prayer hey, ho, rock'n'roll, deliver me from nowhere



Lyrics submitted by oofus

Open All Night song meanings
Add your thoughts

7 Comments

sort form View by:
  • 0
    General CommentI think this song is an odd one on Nebraska and one of the many stand out classics on the album. Out of context its a good ol' dark folk'n'roll drivinbg song, but in context of the album it seems to have much more to it. To me it gives a feeling of a song on the radio while driving down a long road on a dark night, rather than actually hearingit purely as a song from a CD. It seems displaced slightly. Also noteworthy that it is no doubt connected to State Trooper. There are various reasons for this, for a start both are clearly about driving to some goal, most likely both in night time. Another strong connection is the lyrical content. look at these similar lines:

    "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, woncha hear my last prayer hey, ho, rock'n'roll, deliver me from nowhere" (OAN)

    "In the wee wee hours your mind gets hazy, radio relay towers lead me to my baby
    Radio's jammed up with talk show stations
    It's just talk, talk, talk, talk, till you lose your patience
    Mister state trooper, please don't stop me

    Hey, somebody out there, listen to my last prayer
    Hiho silver-o, deliver me from nowhere" (ST)

    There are some clear similarities as you may see. However, whereas State Trooper is relatively slow and down-beat, Open All Night seems happy and up-beat witha fast pace. I think the idea was that State Trooper is about a depressed man, driving along to a dark end, maybe across the border avoiding the police, maybe to commit suicide, maybe to some other dark means, whereas in Open All Night the main character is moving towards a happy end, namely his girl friend. Springsteen now doubt planned this as the two "opposites" to driving down a road at night, and the possibilities of the world. Or maybe the characters in State Trooper and Open All Night met at some point, maybe just passing eachother by. I would love to see some more comments on this song to see other people's opinions.
    Thesmellyoneon September 09, 2005   Link
    • 1 Reply

Add your thoughts

Log in now to tell us what you think this song means.

Don’t have an account? Create an account with SongMeanings to post comments, submit lyrics, and more. It’s super easy, we promise!

Back to top