In a dark horse town, in the middle of the west
Where Friday takes so long to arrive
Johnny wakes up dreaming and turns on the radio

The he jumps up playin' his guitar in the mirror
Starts his day with a rock and roll pulse
Tonight's the night that Suzy and he
Are goin' to a rock and roll show

Tonight, I'm gonna see some rock and roll
Yeah, my favorite group is playin'
Tonight, I'm gonna see some rock and roll

Well it's showtime, and he's caught up in the crowd
He hates the crush, but he loves the music loud
He reaches out, but Suzy's disappeared,

Now Johnny's standin' on a corner, after the show
Lookin' for his Suzy dear
But there goes his Suzy in the band's limousine, yeah
Well that's the way it goes at these rock and roll shows

That's the way it goes
It's rock and roll
Well, that's the way it goes
It's rock and roll

Now Suzy's gone, and Johnny hears a thunder
As he rolls another number and he counts
He counts the times he's dreamt himself to be the hero

'Cause then when Suzy (was a bore??)
He's heard about adventure
As he looks into the mirror now he knows
He must be the star and play guitar like thunder
And find Suzy at his rock and roll show

Boy, if I only had a good guitar and a big amp
Boy, it wouldn't be somebody else takin' my girl away
I tell ya, I know what I should do
I'll put an ad in the paper, and get a few other guys
Who want to play as much as I do
I tell ya, I ain't playin' no surf music
I'm gonna play some heavy music
I'm gonna play bad, I'm gonna play loud
I know just what I want it to sound like
It's gonna sound like, it's gonna sound like -

(...guitar solo...)
This is Don Kirshner
And tonight on Don Kirshner's Rock Concert
A new phenomenon in the music world
With six million albums to his credit in just two short years
My good friend, here's Johnny

Now Johnny became a legend in his time
Found it easier to live in pain
Half-a-hero in a hard-hearted game

Now it's showtime, and he's caught up in the glow
He hates the rush but he needs the music so
Still he reaches out, but Suzy's disappeared
Well that's the way it goes at these rock and roll shows
It's rock and roll

That's the way it goes, it's rock and roll (repeat)

Writer : ROESER/BOUCHARD/BOUCHARD/BLOOM/LANIER
Copyright : Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC