JAMES LINCOLN DEERE^©

My name is James Francis Deere
I was born in Remington
Found my home in Richfield prison
Where I paid for the wrongs I done
Once, I was free and on the streets of Indiana
And I was twenty-two
Just a kid, no better or worse than you

Me and Terry married in the spring
We moved in with her ma and pa
On our wedding night she sighed, "Jimmy,
We can have anything we want."

She got a job in Silverton
We worked hard and we scraped and saved
And we got by all right
On the money that we made

Terry had a brother
A brother, name of Sill
Made a livin' stealin' farm equipment
Down in Wiggonville

He'd sit at my kitchen table Friday nights
His roll of dough he'd flash
Say, "Johnny, you need a little extra work
All you gotta do is ask."

You got a wife and a child to feed
There's nobody lookin' out here for you
In this world a man takes what he can
Or he ain't nothin' but a fool

Then came the shutdowns
And our whole world went black
Man said, "These jobs are goin' boys*
And they ain't comin' back."*

Then I required a bigger job
Couldn't find none
Found myself sittin'
On the curb outside Sill's house

Trial, trial was short
An honest man had died
They put us on the prison trucks
And let us ride

Now I got nothin' to do
'Cept wait for these days to pass
I see my wife and child
Through double pained Richfield glass

Me and Sill, we robbed a Stop and Shop
On a cold and windy night
I had my pistol
And I shot a boy in flight.

I held my pistol to his face
His eyes caught fire with fear
I said, "Remember me before you die.
My name is James Lincoln Deere."

Page last updated: 02 Oct 2007

Music and lyrics by Bruce Springsteen, this Nebraska acoustic home demo was recorded at Springsteen's home in Colt's Neck, NJ, sometime between mid-September 1981 and May 1982. Only one take of this demo is in circulation. It is fully complete (lyrically at least), and it can be found on The Lost Masters Essential Collection II (Labour Of Love) bootleg.

This song would later evolve into RICHFIELD WHISTLE.

* Lyrics would later appear in MY HOMETOWN.

As far as it's known, this outtake was never played live.

Recording info taken from Brucebase. Thanks Jake (ol'catfishinthelake from BTX and Greasy Lake) for the lyrics help.

Liner notes from The Lost Masters Essential Collection II bootleg booklet:

Bruce Springsteen. Acoustic home demo. Holmdel, New Jersey, circa 1981 or 1982. Unreleased home demo which would evolve into "Richfield Whistle." Recorded possibly around the time of the "Nebraska" home sessions.