HIGHWAY 29 [Album's version]

I slipped on her shoe, she was a perfect size seven
I said "there's no smokin' in the store ma'am"
She crossed her legs and then
We made some small talk, that's where it should have stopped
She slipped me a number, I put it in my pocket
My hand slipped up her skirt, everything slipped my mind
In that little roadhouse on highway 29

It was a small town bank, it was a mess
Well I had a gun, you know the rest
Money on the floorboards, shirt was covered in blood and she was cryin'
Her and me we headed south on highway 29

In a little desert motel, the air was hot and clean
l slept the sleep of the dead, I didn't dream
I woke in the morning, washed my face in the sink
We headed into the Sierra Madres 'cross the borderline
The winter sun, shot through the black trees
I told myself it was all something in her
But as we drove I knew it was something in me
Something had been comin' for a long long time
And something that was here with me now on highway 29

The road was filled with broken glass and gasoline
She wasn't sayin' nothin', it was just a dream
Wind come silent through the windshield
All I could see was snow and sky and pines
I closed my eyes and I was runnin'
And I was runnin' then I was flyin'

Page last updated: 21 Jul 2010

Intro

Music and lyrics by Bruce Springsteen, HIGHWAY 29 was released in Nov 1995 on Springsteen's solo album The Ghost Of Tom Joad. The story in HIGHWAY 29 seems to be very similar to the one in LOSIN' KIND.

The Ghost Of Tom Joad

Following the Jan-Feb 1995 studio reunion with the E Street Band and the release of Greatest Hits, Bruce Springsteen writing activity increased significantly. Between March and September 1995, Springsteen wrote and recorded about two-albums worth of new songs. From the scattered comments made by Springsteen and other session participants, it would seem that over an album's worth of solo material and over an album's worth of band material were recorded during these sessions. The Ghost Of Tom Joad album consist of 7 solo tracks and 5 band tracks. The songs Bruce recorded solo may have spanned the entire session period and the band sessions appear to have been split into 2 or 3 phases during the spring and summer of 1995.

The Ghost Of Tom Joad was released on Columbia Records on 21 Nov 1995. It was produced by Bruce Springsteen and Chuck Plotkin.

Recording

HIGHWAY 29 was recorded between March and August 1995 at Thrill Hill West, Bruce's home studio in Los Angeles, CA. On this track, Springsteen handles guitar, keyboards, and vocals.

Other Official Releases

In addition to its release on The Ghost Of Tom Joad album, HIGHWAY 29 was also included on the Dead Man Walkin' European EP in 1996.

HIGHWAY 29 also appeared on Interview With Bruce Springsteen, an extremely scarce promotion 2-CD set released in Germany in 1996. This release features 16 full-length Springsteen music tracks interspersed with segments from an exclusive interview for German radio station "Radio Eins" conducted in Los Angeles in February 1996.

Live History

Bruce Springsteen performed HIGHWAY 29 a total of 126 times on during the 128-shows-long The Ghost Of Tom Joad Solo Acoustic Tour. The song was only absent on 24 and 26 Nov 1996 at the Paramount Theater in Asbury Park, NJ.

21 Nov 1995 at State Theater, New Brunswick, NJ
22 Nov 1995 at Count Basie Theater, Red Bank, NJ
26 Nov 1995 at Wiltern Theater, Los Angeles, CA
27 Nov 1995 at Wiltern Theater, Los Angeles, CA
29 Nov 1995 at Berkeley Community Theater, Berkeley, CA
30 Nov 1995 at Berkeley Community Theater, Berkeley, CA
03 Dec 1995 at The Rosemont, Chicago, IL
05 Dec 1995 at Constitutional Hall, Washington, DC
06 Dec 1995 at Constitutional Hall, Washington, DC
08 Dec 1995 at Tower Theater, Philadelphia, PA
09 Dec 1995 at Tower Theater, Philadelphia, PA
12 Dec 1995 at The Beacon Theater, New York City, NY
13 Dec 1995 at The Beacon Theater, New York City, NY
15 Dec 1995 at The Orpheum, Boston, MA
16 Dec 1995 at The Orpheum, Boston, MA
17 Dec 1995 at The Beacon Theater, New York City, NY
07 Jan 1996 at Place des Artes, Montreal, Canada
08 Jan 1996 at Massey Hall, Toronto, Canada
10 Jan 1996 at Fox Theater, Detroit, MI
11 Jan 1996 at Fox Theater, Detroit, MI
12 Jan 1996 at Stambaugh Theater, Youngstown, OH
16 Jan 1996 at Music Hall, Cleveland, OH
17 Jan 1996 at Music Hall, Cleveland, OH
18 Jan 1996 at Fox Theater, St. Louis, MO
22 Jan 1996 at The Sangor Theater, New Orleans, LA
23 Jan 1996 at Jones Hall, Houston, TX
25 Jan 1996 at Music Hall, Austin, TX
26 Jan 1996 at Bronco Bowl, Dallas, TX
28 Jan 1996 at Fox Theater, Atlanta, GA
12 Feb 1996 at Alte Opera, Frankfurt, Germany
14 Feb 1996 at Kulturpalst, Dresden, Germany
15 Feb 1996 at Rudi-Sedimayer-Halle, Munich, Germany
17 Feb 1996 at Congress Centrum Hamburg Hall 1, Hamburg, Germany
18 Feb 1996 at Phillipshalle, Dusseldorf, Germany
21 Feb 1996 at Le Zenith, Paris, France
22 Feb 1996 at Le Zenith, Paris, France
25 Feb 1996 at De Doelen, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
26 Feb 1996 at The Carre Theatre, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
28 Feb 1996 at Apollo Theatre, Manchester, UK
29 Feb 1996 at Symphony Hall, Birmingham, UK
02 Mar 1996 at City Hall, Newcastle, UK
03 Mar 1996 at Playhouse, Edinburgh, Scotland
13 Mar 1996 at The Cirkus, Stockholm, Sweden
14 Mar 1996 at The Spektrum, Oslo, Norway
16 Mar 1996 at Falkoner-Teatret, Copenhagen, Denmark
19 Mar 1996 at Kings Hall, Belfast, Northern Ireland
20 Mar 1996 at The Point, Dublin, Ireland
10 Apr 1996 at Auditorium di S. Cecilia, Rome, Italy
11 Apr 1996 at Teatro Smeraldo, Milan, Italy
13 Apr 1996 at Teatro Carlo Felice, Genova, Italy
16 Apr 1996 at Royal Albert Hall, London, UK
17 Apr 1996 at Royal Albert Hall, London, UK
19 Apr 1996 at International Congress Centrum, Berlin, Germany
20 Apr 1996 at Queen Elizabeth Hall, Antwerp, Belgium
22 Apr 1996 at Royal Albert Hall, London, UK
24 Apr 1996 at Brixton Academy, London, UK
25 Apr 1996 at Brixton Academy, London, UK
27 Apr 1996 at Royal Albert Hall, London, UK
30 Apr 1996 at Palais De La Musique At Des Congres, Strasbourg, France
01 May 1996 at Palais Van Schone Kunsten, Brussels, Belgium
02 May 1996 at Kongresshaus, Zurich, Switzerland
06 May 1996 at Teatre Tivoli, Barcelona, Spain
07 May 1996 at Teatre Tivoli, Barcelona, Spain
08 May 1996 at Palacio de Congresos y Exposiciones, Madrid, Spain
16 Sep 1996 at Benedum Center, Pittsburgh, PA
18 Sep 1996 at Oakdale Theater, Wallingford, CT
19 Sep 1996 at Performing Arts Center, Providence, RI
25 Sep 1996 at EJ Thomas Hall, Akron, OH
26 Sep 1996 at Hill Auditorium, Ann Arbor, MI
01 Oct 1996 at Braden Auditorium, Normal, IL
02 Oct 1996 at Riverside Auditorium, Milwaukee, WI
03 Oct 1996 at Northrup Auditorium, Minneapolis, MN
15 Oct 1996 at Abravnel Hall, Salt Lake City, UT
16 Oct 1996 at Paramount Theater, Denver, CO
17 Oct 1996 at Paramount Theater, Denver, CO
19 Oct 1996 at Kiva Auditorium, Albuquerque, NM
21 Oct 1996 at Gammage Auditorium, Tempe, AZ
22 Oct 1996 at Civic Theater, San Diego, CA
23 Oct 1996 at Saroyan Theater, Fresno, CA
25 Oct 1996 at Arlington Theater, Santa Barbara, CA
26 Oct 1996 at San Jose Event Center, San Jose, CA
28 Oct 1996 at Schnitzer Auditorium, Portland, OR
29 Oct 1996 at Paramount Theater, Seattle, WA
08 Nov 1996 at St. Rose of Lima School, Freehold, NJ
12 Nov 1996 at Shea's Performing Arts Center, Buffalo, NY
13 Nov 1996 at Landmark Theater, Syracuse, NY
14 Nov 1996 at Lowell Memorial Auditorium, Lowell, MA
19 Nov 1996 at Dixon-Myers hall, Memphis, TN
20 Nov 1996 at Palace Theater, Louisville, KY
21 Nov 1996 at Murat Theater, Indianapolis, IN
25 Nov 1996 at Paramount Theatre, Asbury Park, NJ
02 Dec 1996 at Sunrise Theater, Miami, FL
03 Dec 1996 at Sunrise Theater, Miami, FL
05 Dec 1996 at Township Auditorium, Columbia, SC
06 Dec 1996 at Concert Hall, Birmingham, AL
10 Dec 1996 at Music Hall, Cincinnati, OH
11 Dec 1996 at Veteran's Auditorium, Columbus, OH
12 Dec 1996 at Ryman Auditorium, Nashville, TN
14 Dec 1996 at Oven's Auditorium, Charlotte, NC
27 Jan 1997 at International Forum, Tokyo, Japan
29 Jan 1997 at International Forum, Tokyo, Japan
30 Jan 1997 at International Forum, Tokyo, Japan
31 Jan 1997 at International Forum, Tokyo, Japan
04 Feb 1997 at Concert Hall, Brisbane, Australia
05 Feb 1997 at Concert Hall, Brisbane, Australia
07 Feb 1997 at Capitol Theatre, Sydney, Australia
08 Feb 1997 at Capitol Theatre, Sydney, Australia
10 Feb 1997 at Capitol Theatre, Sydney, Australia
11 Feb 1997 at Capitol Theatre, Sydney, Australia
12 Feb 1997 at Capitol Theatre, Sydney, Australia
15 Feb 1997 at Palais Theatre, Melbourne, Australia
16 Feb 1997 at Palais Theatre, Melbourne, Australia
17 Feb 1997 at Palais Theatre, Melbourne, Australia
06 May 1997 at Austria Center, Vienna, Austria
07 May 1997 at Austria Center, Vienna, Austria
09 May 1997 at Sala Kongresowa, Warsaw, Poland
10 May 1997 at Sala Kongresowa, Warsaw, Poland
12 May 1997 at Congress Centre, Prague, Czech Republic
15 May 1997 at Auditorium Maurice-Ravel, Lyon, France
16 May 1997 at Le Corum, Montpellier, France
18 May 1997 at Acropolis, Nice, France
19 May 1997 at Zenith-Omega, Toulon, France
21 May 1997 at Teatro Verdi, Florence, Italy
22 May 1997 at Teatro Augusteo, Napoli, Italy
25 May 1997 at Palais Des Congres, Paris, France
26 May 1997 at Palais Des Congres, Paris, France

The above lyrics are for the album's version. The live versions are almost identical to it, but the live 24 Apr 1996 version differs in one line in the last verse.

Available Versions

Credits / References

Scans and info for Interview With Bruce Springsteen are taken from the Lost In The Flood website.