THE GHOST OF TOM JOAD 
Live 27 Nov 1995 (NBC Studios) version
Men walking 'long the railroad tracks
Going someplace and there's no going back
Highway patrol choppers coming up over the ridge
Hot soup on a campfire under the bridge
Shelter line stretching 'round the corner
Welcome to the new world order
Families sleeping in their cars in the southwest
No home, no job, no peace, no rest
Well the highway is alive tonight
But nobody's kidding nobody about where it goes
I'm sitting down here in the campfire light
Waiting on the ghost of Tom Joad
He pulls a prayer book out of his sleeping bag
Preacher lights up a butt and takes a drag
Waiting on when the last shall be first and the first shall be last
In a cardboard box 'neath the underpass
You got a one-way ticket to the promised land
You got a hole in your belly and a gun in your hand
Sleeping on a pillow of solid rock
Bathing in the city aqueduct
Well the highway is alive tonight
Where it's headed everybody knows
I'm sitting down here in the campfire light
Searching for the ghost of Tom Joad
Well now Tom said, "Ma, wherever there's a cop beating a guy
Wherever a hungry newborn baby cries
Where there's a fight against the blood and hatred in the air
Look for me, Mom, I'll be there
Where there's somebody fighting for a place to stand
Or a decent job or a helping hand
Wherever somebody's struggling to be free
Look in their eyes, Mom, you'll see me"
Well the highway is alive tonight
But nobody's kidding nobody about where it goes
I'm sitting down here in the campfire light
With the ghost of old Tom Joad
Info
The above lyrics are for the live 27 Nov 1995 performance of THE GHOST OF TOM JOAD at NBC Studios in Burbank, CA, during the taping of an episode of The Tonight Show With Jay Leno. The song was played in a solo acoustic guitar and harmonica arrangement.
Video of the live 27 Nov 1995 version of THE GHOST OF TOM JOAD was included on the The Complete Video Anthology / 1978-2000 home video and the Japanese Singles Collection -Greatest Hits- compilation album.
Video Anthology Home Video
Video Anthology / 1978-88 is a collection of 18 Bruce Springsteen music videos and concert performances, released on VHS on 31 Jan 1989. The home video was also released on LaserDisc.
Bruce Springsteen -- Video Anthology / 1978-88 (USA VHS cover art)
Bruce Springsteen -- Video Anthology / 1978-88 (USA LaserDisc cover art)
Bruce Springsteen -- Video Anthology / 1978-88 (Japan LaserDisc cover art)
- ROSALITA (COME OUT TONIGHT) [Live 08 Jul 1978 version] — originally released in 1978, directed by Arnold Levine
- THE RIVER [Live 21 Sep 1979 version] — originally released in 1980, directed by Danny Goldberg, Julian Schlossberg, Anthony Potenza
- THUNDER ROAD [Mix of live 21 Sep 1979 version and live 22 Sep 1979 version] — originally released in 1980, directed by Danny Goldberg, Julian Schlossberg, Anthony Potenza
- ATLANTIC CITY — originally released in 1982, directed by Arnold Levine
- DANCING IN THE DARK — originally released in 1984, directed by Brian De Palma
- BORN IN THE U.S.A. — originally released in 1984, directed by John Sayles
- I'M ON FIRE — originally released in 1985, directed by John Sayles
- GLORY DAYS — originally released in 1985, directed by John Sayles
- MY HOMETOWN [Live 30 Sep 1985 version] — originally released in 1985, directed by Arthur Rosato
- WAR [Live 30 Sep 1985 version] — originally released in 1986, directed by Arthur Rosato
- FIRE [Live 13 Oct 1986 version] — originally released in 1986
- BORN TO RUN [Live 19 Aug 1985 version] — originally released in 1987, directed by Arthur Rosato
- BRILLIANT DISGUISE — originally released in 1987, directed by Meiert Avis
- TUNNEL OF LOVE — originally released in 1987, directed by Meiert Avis
- ONE STEP UP — originally released in 1988, directed by Meiert Avis
- TOUGHER THAN THE REST [Live 27 Apr 1988 version] — originally released in1988, directed by Meiert Avis
- SPARE PARTS [Live 10 Jul 1988 version] — originally released in 1988, directed by Carol Dodds
- BORN TO RUN [Live 27 Apr 1988 version] — originally released in 1988, directed by Meiert Avis
Sonny reissued the video on DVD on 16 Jan 2001. Titled The Complete Video Anthology / 1978-2000, the new expanded release added a second disc with 15 additional music video, concert performances, and television appearances.
Bruce Springsteen -- The Complete Video Anthology / 1978-2000 (DVD cover art)
Disc 1:
- ROSALITA (COME OUT TONIGHT) [Live 08 Jul 1978 version] — originally released in 1978, directed by Arnold Levine
- THE RIVER [Live 21 Sep 1979 version] — originally released in 1980, directed by Danny Goldberg, Julian Schlossberg, Anthony Potenza
- THUNDER ROAD [Mix of live 21 Sep 1979 version and live 22 Sep 1979 version] — originally released in 1980, directed by Danny Goldberg, Julian Schlossberg, Anthony Potenza
- ATLANTIC CITY — originally released in 1982, directed by Arnold Levine
- DANCING IN THE DARK — originally released in 1984, directed by Brian De Palma
- BORN IN THE U.S.A. — originally released in 1984, directed by John Sayles
- I'M ON FIRE — originally released in 1985, directed by John Sayles
- GLORY DAYS — originally released in 1985, directed by John Sayles
- MY HOMETOWN [Live 30 Sep 1985 version] — originally released in 1985, directed by Arthur Rosato
- WAR [Live 30 Sep 1985 version] — originally released in 1986, directed by Arthur Rosato
- FIRE [Live 13 Oct 1986 version] — originally released in 1986
- BORN TO RUN [Live 19 Aug 1985 version] — originally released in 1987, directed by Arthur Rosato
- BRILLIANT DISGUISE — originally released in 1987, directed by Meiert Avis
- TUNNEL OF LOVE — originally released in 1987, directed by Meiert Avis
- ONE STEP UP — originally released in 1988, directed by Meiert Avis
- TOUGHER THAN THE REST [Live 27 Apr 1988 version] — originally released in1988, directed by Meiert Avis
- SPARE PARTS [Live 10 Jul 1988 version] — originally released in 1988, directed by Carol Dodds
- BORN TO RUN [Live 27 Apr 1988 version] — originally released in 1988, directed by Meiert Avis
Disc 2:
- HUMAN TOUCH — originally released in 1992, directed by Meiert Avis
- BETTER DAYS — originally released in 1992, directed by Meiert Avis
- 57 CHANNELS (AND NOTHIN' ON) — originally released in 1992, directed by Adam Bernstein
- LEAP OF FAITH [Live 06 Aug 1992 version] — originally released in 1992, directed by Meiert Avis
- STREETS OF PHILADELPHIA — originally released in 1993, directed by Jonathan Demme and Ted Demme
- MURDER INCORPORATED — originally released in 1995, directed by Jonathan Demme
- SECRET GARDEN — originally released in 1995, directed by Peter Care
- HUNGRY HEART [Live 09 Jul 1995 version] — originally released in 1995, directed by Rudi Dolezal and Hannes Rossacher
- DEAD MAN WALKIN' — originally released in 1196, directed by Tim Robbins
- THE GHOST OF TOM JOAD — originally released in 1996, directed by Arnold Levine
- THE GHOST OF TOM JOAD [Live 27 Nov 1995 version] — from The Tonight Show With Jay Leno
- HIGHWAY PATROLMAN — previously unreleased, directed by Sean Penn
- IF I SHOULD FALL BEHIND [25 Sep 1999 sound-check version] — previously unreleased, directed by Jonathan Demme
- BORN IN THE U.S.A. [Live 20 Nov 1998 version] — from The Charlie Rose Show
- LIFT ME UP — audio only, plays over end credits
- SECRET GARDEN [with Strings] — previously unreleased, directed by Peter Care
Japanese Singles Collection -Greatest Hits-
Japanese Singles Collection -Greatest Hits- is a Bruce Springsteen compilation album released by Sony Music Japan in 2023. The compilation, which was exclusively released in Japan, consists of previously released 35 audio tracks and 62 video tracks. The collection is part of a 26-title reissue campaign to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Bruce Springsteen's debut album. The series, issued in three waves (25 Oct 2023, 22 Nov 2023, and 20 Dec 2023), includes 25 albums originally released between 1973 and 2014 plus a new compilation album that includes all of Springsteen's singles released in Japan from 1975 to 1999. All audio CD's were manufactured using Sony Japan's Blu-spec CD2 format.
Bruce Springsteen -- Japanese Singles Collection -Greatest Hits-
Available Versions
List of available versions of THE GHOST OF TOM JOAD on this website:
THE GHOST OF TOM JOAD [1995 album version]
THE GHOST OF TOM JOAD [2006 studio version]
THE GHOST OF TOM JOAD [2009 (first) studio version]
THE GHOST OF TOM JOAD [2009 (second) studio version]
THE GHOST OF TOM JOAD [2014 album version]
THE GHOST OF TOM JOAD [Live 28 Oct 1995 version]
THE GHOST OF TOM JOAD [Live 27 Nov 1995 (NBC Studios) version]
THE GHOST OF TOM JOAD [Live 09 Dec 1995 version]
THE GHOST OF TOM JOAD [Live 20 Feb 1996 version]
THE GHOST OF TOM JOAD [Live 23 Feb 1996 version]
THE GHOST OF TOM JOAD [Live 19 Mar 1996 version]
THE GHOST OF TOM JOAD [Live 27 Apr 1996 version]
THE GHOST OF TOM JOAD [Live 26 Feb 1997 version]
THE GHOST OF TOM JOAD [Live 05 May 1997 version]
THE GHOST OF TOM JOAD [Live 22 Jan 1998 version]
THE GHOST OF TOM JOAD [Live 10 Dec 1998 version]
THE GHOST OF TOM JOAD [Live 19 Mar 1999 version]
THE GHOST OF TOM JOAD [Live 10 Mar 2000 version]
THE GHOST OF TOM JOAD [26 Jun 2000 rehearsal version]
THE GHOST OF TOM JOAD [Live 19 Feb 2003 version]
THE GHOST OF TOM JOAD [Live 16 Sep 2003 version]
THE GHOST OF TOM JOAD [Live 14 May 2005 version]
THE GHOST OF TOM JOAD [Live 19 Nov 2006 version]
THE GHOST OF TOM JOAD [Live 07 Apr 2008 version]
THE GHOST OF TOM JOAD [Live 04 Oct 2008 version]
THE GHOST OF TOM JOAD [Live 05 Oct 2008 version]
THE GHOST OF TOM JOAD [Live 06 Oct 2008 version]
THE GHOST OF TOM JOAD [Live 15 Apr 2009 version]
THE GHOST OF TOM JOAD [Live 03 May 2009 version]
THE GHOST OF TOM JOAD [Live 07 May 2009 version]
THE GHOST OF TOM JOAD [Live 29 Oct 2009 version]
THE GHOST OF TOM JOAD [Live 15 Mar 2012 version]
THE GHOST OF TOM JOAD [Live 26 Apr 2012 version]
THE GHOST OF TOM JOAD [Live 11 Jul 2012 version]
THE GHOST OF TOM JOAD [Live 11 Feb 2014 version]
THE GHOST OF TOM JOAD [Live 16 Jul 2016 version]
THE GHOST OF TOM JOAD [Live 25 Aug 2016 version]
THE GHOST OF TOM JOAD [Live July 2018 version]
THE GHOST OF TOM JOAD [Rage Against The Machine's cover version]
Page last updated: 07 Sep 2016
