Songfacts®:

• A ramrod is a metal stick used to load a bullet (typically a lead ball) in old musket guns. It's also a phallic symbol, which is how Springsteen uses it here. There's little doubt what he has on his mind when he tells the girl, "I want to ramrod with you honey, 'til half-past dawn."
• Springsteen started writing "Ramrod" in 1977 and recorded an early version with the E Street Band that year during sessions for the 1978 album Darkness On The Edge Of Town. It didn't make the cut, but he kept developing the song and included it on the double album The River, where the lusty rocker offsets the more somber, introspective songs.
• "Ramrod" is one of Springsteen's live favorites, energizing the audience every time. Other uptempo tracks from the album, like "Cadillac Ranch," "Two Hearts" and "I'm A Rocker," also served this purpose, but "Ramrod" was the most enduring, played on many of his later tours as well.
• When Springsteen performs this live, it's often as part of the encore. He'll typically start it off by dragging his guitar across the microphone stand, and then extend it well past 10 minutes. Sometimes Roy Bittan plays a number on the piano while the rest of the band leaves the stage. >>

  Suggestion credit:
  Kyle - Belleville, Canada