DARK AND BLOODY GROUND [Album's version]

This land was ours far as the eye could see
We took it from the Cherokee with a scalping knife
And a white man's disease
When the smallpox ravaged their towns
We came in and burnt them down
And took this dark and bloody ground
This dark and bloody ground
This dark and bloody ground
I took a prisoner 'cause I needed a wife
I broke her will she gave me a son I spared her life
It was a fate much worse than death
Yeah we were kissed by the devil's breath
Set down on this dark and bloody ground
This dark and bloody ground
This dark and bloody ground
We'll lay our bodies down
Put 'em six feet in the ground
And when the long cold winter ends
Oh the sun comes shinin' in
The crops will grow again
In this dark and bloody ground
They gave me three hundred dollars
Put a pen in my hand
I was drunk on corn liquor
I signed the rights away to my land
The coal company tore my homestead down
Ripped the black gold from the ground
Left a hole in this dark and bloody ground
This dark and bloody ground
This dark and bloody ground
If Jesus was born in Kentucky
They'd make him pay for his nails
Worse yet he'd have to work off his debt
Down here in this hell
Where they pay you off in company scrip
And your life it don't mean shit
Just a piece of this dark and bloody ground
This dark and bloody ground
This dark and bloody ground
I will lay my body down
Put me six feet in the ground
And when the long cold winter ends
The sun comes shinin' in
And the crops will grow again

Page last updated: 15 Feb 2010

Intro

DARK AND BLOODY GROUND is a song co-written by Joe Grushecky and Bruce Springsteen in mid 1994, with Springsteen providing most of the music and Grushecky most of the lyrics. The song is "about the fighting for the land in Kentucky," as Grushecky described it. It was released on Joe Grushecky & The Houserockers' 1995 album American Babylon. Bruce Springsteen produced all the album except the title track, and he participated in the recording of most of the songs. He plays guitars and shares harmony vocals on this particular one. It is unknown if a Springsteen studio vocal rendition of the song has been recorded.

Recording Sessions

In late October and early November 1993, Bruce Springsteen (with Toby Scott recording and Bob Clearmountain mixing) produced a recording session for Joe Grushecky at Thrill Hill West, Springsteen's home studio in Beverly Hills, CA. Off the session, two tracks would be released on Grushecky's next album, American Babylon: CHAIN SMOKIN' and NEVER BE ENOUGH TIME. Springsteen played guitars, keyboard, and percussion on the first track, and guitar on the second. In addition to him, Grushecky's backing band for this session consisted of musicians organized by Springsteen that he is believed to have utilized for some of his own scattered studio sessions during the period: Zack Alford on drums, Jerome Smith on bass, and Leon Pendarvis on keyboards. Although originally planned as a "one-off", this session with Grushecky turned out to be the start of a major side project undertaking for Springsteen.

Around February 1994, Springsteen (with Toby Scott recording and Bob Clearmountain mixing) produced a further recording session for Joe Grushecky at Thrill Hill West. Off the session, one track would be released on American Babylon: HOMESTEAD, a song Springsteen and Grushecky had co-written together during the previous few months. Springsteen played guitar, harmonica, and mandolin on the track. In addition to him, Grushecky's backing band for this session consisted of musicians organized by Springsteen that he was utilizing for his own scattered studio sessions of the period: Shayne Fontaine on guitar, Zack Alford on drums, TM Stevens on bass, and Leon Pendarvis on keyboards.

Around August 1994, Springsteen (with Toby Scott recording and mixing) produced a further recording session for Joe Grushecky at Thrill Hill East, Springsteen's home studio in Rumson, NJ. Off the session, five tracks would be released on American Babylon: DARK AND BLOODY GROUND (with Bruce playing guitars and sharing harmony vocals), LABOUR OF LOVE (with Bruce playing guitars and mandolin), WHAT DID YOU DO IN THE WAR (with Bruce playing guitar), BILLY'S WALTZ (with Bruce playing mandolin), and ONLY LOVERS LEFT ALIVE (with Bruce playing guitar). The first song has been co-written by Springsteen and Grushecky together. In addition to Springsteen, unlike the previous two sessions held on the west coast, the backing musicians for the east coast sessions consisted of The Houserockers, Grushecky's own Pittsburgh-based band.

Around October 1994, Springsteen (with Toby Scott recording and mixing) produced a further recording session for Joe Grushecky at Thrill Hill East. Off the session, three tracks would be released on American Babylon: COMIN' DOWN MARIA, TALK SHOW, and NO STRINGS ATTACHED. The Houserockers were again the session's backing band. But contrary to previous sessions, Springsteen did not play on any of these three recordings, although his wife Patti Scialfa provided backing vocals on the first track.

Although the album was essentially completed at this stage, and filed with the US Copyright Office on 13 Dec 1994, Grushecky had trouble finding an interested record company. "We got turned down by everybody, I mean everybody. That's another reason why it took so long [for release]; I didn't have any funding," Grushecky commented in an interview. "Right around the turn of the year [Dec 1994 - Jan 1995] Pinnacle UK became involved and we knew we had a home for the project".

The final overdubbing/mixing sessions for American Babylon took place around April 1995 in Thrill Hill East, and the album was released in October 1995 on Pinnacle, and reissued in 2004. The album's title track, AMERICAN BABYLON, is the only one not produced by Bruce Springsteen.

Excerpts from all American Babylon tracks (except TALK SHOW and BILLY'S WALTZ) appear on American Babylon In Conversation, a UK-only promotional CD featuring interviews with both Grushecky and Springsteen recorded on 29 Aug 1995 at Cheers Bar, Long Branch, NJ.

Live History

Bruce Springsteen performed DARK AND BLOODY GROUND live for the first time on 22 Jul 1995 at the Tradewinds in Sea Bright, NJ, with Joe Grushecky & The Houserockers.

In October 1995, Joe Grushecky & The Houserockers kicked off the release of their American Babylon album with a six-stop tour dubbed the "October Assault." Introduced as "honorary Houserocker of the week" on the first night, Springsteen joined the band for the majority of the set on all six dates, playing guitar and sharing vocals with Grushecky. At each show, Springsteen came out for American Babylon's WHAT DID YOU DO IN THE WAR and remained on stage for the rest of the set. DARK AND BLOODY GROUND was performed every night during the Springsteen portion of the set.

By the time this page was last updated, Springsteen had performed DARK AND BLOODY GROUND live a total of 7 times as far as it's known.

22 Jul 1995 at the Tradewinds, Sea Bright, NJ
17 Oct 1995 at the Stone Pony, Asbury Park, NJ
18 Oct 1995 at Tramps Night Club, New York City, NY
19 Oct 1995 at The Electric Factory, Philadelphia, PA
20 Oct 1995 at Nick's Fat City, Pittsburgh, PA
21 Oct 1995 at Nick's Fat City, Pittsburgh, PA
24 Oct 1995 at Park West, Chicago, IL

Other Official Releases

DARK AND BLOODY GROUND was also released on American Babylon Sampler, a 1995 UK-only promotional CD EP containing 4 tracks from American Babylon.

The song was also released on a 1995 U.S. 2-track promotional CD single (Razor & Tie, cat# RTS 717) and a 1995 Sweden 2-track promotional CD single (Pinnacle / Virgin, cat# LC 3098).

Credits / References

Most info on the recording sessions taken from Brucebase. Info on the October Assault Tour taken from Backstreets Magazine issue #50/51. Thanks Jyrki for the Swedish "Chain Smokin'" single scan.

Request

If you have scans for the above-mentioned 1995 U.S. promo CD single, or if you have any corrections or additional info about this song or the American Babylon recording sessions, please contact me via the below form or by email: . You will be credited. Thanks in advance.