The Load Out/Stay
[Browne, spoken:]
Thank you, I'd like to do a song I,
I never played in public before, it's a
brand new song, it's sort of a tribute to, ah,
friends of mine that come out
here on the road and to you too.
[Browne, sung:]
Now the seats are all empty,
Let the roadies take the stage.
Pack it up and tear it down.
They’re the first to come,
And the last to leave.
Working for that minimum wage.
They’ll set it up in another town.
Tonight the people were so fine.
They waited there in line,
And when they got up on their feet
They made the show.
And that was sweet but I can hear the sound,
Of slamming doors and folding chairs.
And that’s a sound they’ll never know.
Now roll them cases out and lift them amps.
Haul them trusses down and get’em up them ramps.
'Cause when it comes to movin' me,
You know, you guys are the champs.
But when that last guitar’s been packed away,
You know I still want to play.
So just make sure you got it all set to go,
Before you come for this piano.
[Instrumental break, cheering & whistling, featuring steel guitar]
But the band’s on the bus,
And they’re ready to go.
We’ve got to drive all night,
And do a show in Chicago.
Or Detroit, I don’t know,
We do so many shows in a row.
And these towns all look the same.
We just pass the time in the hotel rooms,
And wander ’round backstage.
Till those lights come up,
And we hear that crowd,
And we remember why we came.
[Instrumental break, featuring steel guitar and full band]
Now, we got country and western on the bus, R & B.
We got disco and 8-tracks,
And cassettes in stereo.
We’ve got rural scenes and magazines,
And we’ve got truckers on CB.
And we got Richard Pryor on the video.
We got time to think of the ones we love,
While the miles roll away.
But the only time that seems too short,
Is the time that we get to play.
People you’ve got the power,
Over what we do,
You can sit there and wait,
Or you can pull us through.
Come along, sing the song,
You know that you can’t go wrong.
'Cause when that morning sun comes beatin' down,
You’re going to wake up in your town.
But we’ll be scheduled to appear,
A thousand miles away from here.
People stay just a little bit longer.
We want to play just a little bit longer.
[Browne & Lindley:]
Now, the promoter don't mind.
And the union don't mind.
If we take a little time,
And we leave it all behind,
And sing (one more song)
[This is the end of "The Load-Out" and the beginning of
the full version of "Stay"]
[Butler:]
Oh, oh, won't you stay
Just a little bit longer
Please, please, please, say you will.
(Say you will)
[Instrumental break]
[Lindley:]
Oh, won't you stay
Just a little bit longer.
Oh, oh, won't you stay
Just a little bit more.
[Browne:] Ay-ee-ay-ee-ay.
[Lindley:] Wooo
[Browne:]
Now, the promoter don't mind.
And the roadies don't mind.
If we take a little time,
And we leave this all behind,
And sing one more song.
[Instrumental coda featuring Lindley on steel guitar]
[Browne, spoken:]
Thank you all again.
[Applause, whistling, fade]
