THE GHOST OF TOM JOAD

Live 22 Jan 1998 version

One, two, one two three four

Men walking 'long the railroad tracks
Going someplace, 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
Searching for the ghost of Tom Joad

He pulls a prayer book out of his sleeping bag
Preacher lights up a butt and he takes a drag
Waiting for 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

The highway is alive tonight
Where it's headed everybody knows
I'm sitting down here in the campfire light
Waiting on the ghost of Tom Joad

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 song lyrics are for the live 22 Jan 1998 performance of THE GHOST OF JOAD at Sony Music Studios in New York City, NY, during the taping for the Where It's At: The Rolling Stone State Of The Union documentary. The song was played in its full-band album arrangement.

Where It's At: The Rolling Stone State Of The Union is a TV documentary celebrating Rolling Stone magazine's 30th anniversary. The two-hour special includes interview snippets with Bruce Springsteen as well as full-band performances of THE GHOST OF TOM JOAD and ACROSS THE BORDER. This was the live premiere of the full-band version of both songs. Springsteen was backed by musicians from The Ghost Of Tom Joad album sessions: Danny Federici on keyboards (on THE GHOST OF TOM JOAD) and accordion (on ACROSS THE BORDER), Jim Hanson on bass, Marty Rifkin on pedal steel guitar, and Gary Mallaber on drums. His interview and performances were filmed by director Joe Berlinger on 22 Jan 1998 at Sony Music Studios in New York City, NY.

Where It's At: The Rolling Stone State Of The Union premiered on ABC on 21 May 1998 and was later aired on MTV and VH-1. It was not commercially released on home video but it was promotionally distributed on VHS.

Various artists -- Where It's At: The Rolling Stone State Of The Union

VHS - Rolling Stone (no catalog number) - USA, 1998

This is a promotional release.

Available Versions

List of available versions of THE GHOST OF TOM JOAD on this website:

Page last updated: 18 Sep 2016