Live 15 Mar 2012 (Moody Theater) version
[Spoken intro (Bruce Springsteen):] So, during my speech today, I was talking about The Animals. I wouldn't have thought that it'd happen. I said it was all about — give me that, Garry. [Garry Tallent starts playing the song's opening bass riff]. So, somewhere out there over in the Tweeterverse, in the Tweeterverse wherever that is, messages came flying though the air. And as hard as it was to believe, the very man I was talking about was in Austin, Texas. What are the odds? My long lost hero in Austin, Texas. The man that I stole every song I ever wrote after this hit, including my whole new fucking album, was in Austin, Texas. Eric! Oh yeah.
[Spoken (Eric Burdon):] I told you this...
[Spoken (Bruce Springsteen):] Mr. Eric Burdon.
| Eric Burdon: | In this dirty old part of the city |
| Where the sun refused to shine | |
| Tell me there ain't no use in trying, no no no no | |
| Eric Burdon: | In this dirty old part of the city |
| Where the sun refused to shine | |
| Tell me there ain't no use in trying, no no no no | |
| Eric Burdon: | My little girl, you're so young and pretty |
| And one thing I know is true, yeah | |
| You're dead before your time is due, yeah | |
| Eric Burdon: | I seen my daddy in bed, dying |
| Seen his hair turning grey | |
| I know he's been working and slaving and slaving and working, working and slaving | |
| All: | Work, yeah |
| Work | |
| Work, work, work, work | |
| All: | We gotta get out of this place |
| If it's the last thing we ever do | |
| We gotta get out of this place | |
| Eric Burdon: | Girl, there's a better way, there's a better way, let me know, let me know, whoa! |
| It don't, you don't, it don't, you don't | |
| Let's go! Oh! | |
| Eric Burdon: | My little girl, you're so young and pretty |
| One thing I know is true | |
| You'll be dead before your time is due, yeah | |
| Oh! | |
| Eric Burdon: | Seen my daddy in bed a-dyin' |
| See his hair turning grey | |
| I know he's been working and slaving, working, working, yeah | |
| All: | Work |
| Work | |
| Work | |
| Work, work, work, work | |
| All: | We gotta get out of this place |
| If it's the last thing we ever do | |
| We gotta get out of this place | |
| Eric Burdon: | Girl, there's a better life for me and you |
| Me and you, baby | |
| All: | We gotta get out of this place |
| If it's the last thing we ever do | |
| We gotta get out of this place | |
| Eric Burdon: | Girl, there's a better way, better, better way, let me know, let me know |
| Baby, don't you know | |
| Baby, don't you know | |
| I can get you out of this place | |
| Oh, oh, out of this place | |
| Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah! |
[Spoken outro (Bruce Springsteen):] Eric Burdon!
The above lyrics are for the live 15 Mar 2012 performance of WE GOTTA GET OUT OF THIS PLACE at Moody Theater in Austin, TX, during an intimate concert following Bruce Springsteen's keynote speech at the South By Southwest (SXSW) music festival. The song was played with the E Street Band and featured a guest appearance by The Animals' Eric Burdon.
Eric Burdon's guest appearance was unrehearsed; he sang all the lyrics, though messing much of them, while Springsteen and the band provided backup. This was the first time that Springsteen has performed with Burdon. His appearance was reportedly arranged following Springsteen's speech earlier that day, in which he talked in length about The Animals' influence on his music and sang a truncated version of WE GOTTA GET OUT OF THIS PLACE. See the live 15 Mar 2012 (Austin Convention Center) version for more details.
Thanks Jake (ol'catfishinthelake at BTX and Greasy Lake) for the lyrics help.
List of available versions of WE GOTTA GET OUT OF THIS PLACE on this website:
WE GOTTA GET OUT OF THIS PLACE [Live 04 Nov 1976 version]