WASHINGTON — SOS to Bruuuuuuce.

The entertainer Bruce Springsteen had said he planned to stay out of the 2012 election, but these are worrying times and the race is getting closer. So the Boss will be coming back to rally support for President Barack Obama, Obama's campaign announced Saturday.

Springsteen will join former President Bill Clinton at an appearance in Parma, in the swing state of Ohio, on Thursday. An Obama campaign news release said Clinton would "lay out a clear picture of the economic choice" Americans face in this election.

And the Boss? "His appearance will help with our get-out-the vote effort in these critical swing states, and we are thrilled with his ongoing support," Jim Messina, the president's campaign manager, said.

Springsteen campaigned for Sen. John Kerry during his presidential bid in 2004, and he came out again, to better results, for Obama in 2008. But he said afterward that he would stay out of the 2012 cycle.

Few people believed him, not only because Springsteen performed during the inauguration festivities for Obama in 2009, but also because his presence has been felt this year at every single Obama campaign rally.

The tunes of the rock hero, who cut his teeth with odes to working Americans and the power of redemption, are a staple on the Obama playlist, and "We Take Care of Our Own," from the latest Springsteen album, "Wrecking Ball," greets the end of every Obama campaign speech.

Lately, another Springsteen song has been played at campaign rallies — Springsteen can be heard belting out "meet me in a land of hope and dreams," from the song "Land of Hope and Dreams, while Obama works the rope line after his speeches.

Now rallygoers, at least in Ohio, will be able to hear Springsteen do it in person.