DARKNESS ON THE EDGE OF TOWN 
Live 09 Dec 1995 version
Well they're still racing out at the Trestles
But that blood it never burned in her veins
Now I hear she's got a house up in Fairview
And a style she's trying to maintain
Well if she wants to see me
You can tell her that I'm easily found
Tell her there's a spot out 'neath Abram's Bridge
And there's a darkness on the edge of town
There's a darkness on the edge of town
Well everybody's got a secret, Sonny
Yeah they got something that they just can't face
Some folks they spend their whole lives just trying to keep it
They carry it with them every step that they take
Till one day well they just cut it loose
Cut it loose or let it drag 'em down
Where no one asks any questions or looks too long in your face
In the darkness on the edge of town
In the darkness on the edge of town
Some folks are born into a good life
Other folks they get it anyway anyhow
Me well I lost my faith when I lost my wife
Well those things don't seem to matter much to me now
Because tonight I'll be on that hill 'cause I can't stop
I'll be on that hill with everything I got
Lives on the line where dreams are found and lost
I'll be there on time and I'll pay the cost
For wanting things that can only be found
In the darkness on the edge of town
In the darkness on the edge of town
In the darkness on the edge of town
In the darkness on the edge of town
Info
The above lyrics are for the live 09 Dec 1995 performance of DARKNESS ON THE EDGE OF TOWN at Tower Theater in Upper Darby, PA, during The Ghost Of Tom Joad Solo Acoustic Tour.
Ticket stub for the 09 Dec 1995 show at Tower Theater, Upper Darby, PA
Columbia Records Radio Hour
A selection of four studio tracks from The Ghost Of Tom Joad album (see track list below) intercepted with interview segments with journalist Bob Costas were originally broadcast on the 21 Nov 1995 edition of the syndicated Columbia Records Radio Hour radio show which aired on U.S. album oriented rock stations. Costas conducted the interview with Bruce Springsteen that same day (21 Nov 1995) either prior to or following Springsteen's public warm-up show at the State Theater in New Brunswick, NJ. A total of 35 minutes of the 90-minute interview were used in the radio show.
Additionally, three songs from Springsteen's 08 Dec 1995 show and seven from his 09 Dec 1995 show at Upper Darby's Tower Theater (see track list below) were broadcast on the 14 Dec 1995 edition of the Columbia Records Radio Hour radio show.
The complete Columbia Records Radio Hour show was officially issued in December 1995 on cassette and reel-to-reel tapes for promotional use in the United States. Six of the ten live tracks from part 2 of the radio show (the 14 Dec 1995 broadcast) were never made available in commercial form.
Bruce Springsteen -- Columbia Records Radio Hour Part 1 & 2
MC - Columbia (CAT 7698) - USA, 1995
This Promotion-only cassette tape contains both part 1 (the 21 Nov 1995 broadcast) and part 2 (the 14 Dec 1995 broadcast) of the radio show.
Side A: part 1
Side B: part 2
Bruce Springsteen -- Columbia Records Radio Hour - Bruce Springsteen Interviewed By Bob Costas
MC - NOW! Recording Systems (no catalog number) - USA, 1995
This promotion-only cassette tape contains part 1 of the radio show (the 21 Nov 1995 broadcast).
Side A: part 1
Side B: blank
Bruce Springsteen -- Columbia Records Radio Hour - Bruce Springsteen Interviewed By Bob Costas
MC - NOW! Recording Systems (no catalog number) - USA, 1995
This promotion-only cassette tape contains part 1 of the radio show (the 21 Nov 1995 broadcast), with commercials.
Side A: part 1
Side B: blank
Bruce Springsteen -- Columbia Records Radio Hour - Bruce Springsteen Live From The Tower Theatre In Philadelphia
MC - NOW! Recording Systems (no catalog number) - USA, 1995
This promotion-only cassette tape contains part 2 of the radio show (the 14 Dec 1995 broadcast), with commercials.
Side A: part 2
Side B: blank
Bruce Springsteen -- Columbia Records Radio Hour - Bruce Springsteen Interviewed By Bob Costas
Reel-to-reel - Columbia (no catalog number) - USA, 1995
This promotion-only reel-to-reel tape contains part 1 of the radio show (the 21 Nov 1995 broadcast), with commercials. This is one of two reel-to-reel tapes that were distributed together but each was housed in a separate box. These are 10.5-inch reels with 1/2" tape, with a running speed of 7.5 ips.
Bruce Springsteen -- Columbia Records Radio Hour - Bruce Springsteen Live From The Tower Theatre In Philadelphia
Reel-to-reel - Columbia (no catalog number) - USA, 1995
This promotion-only reel-to-reel tape contains part 2 of the radio show (the 14 Dec 1995 broadcast), with commercials. This is one of two reel-to-reel tapes that were distributed together but each was housed in a separate box. These are 10.5-inch reels with 1/2" tape, with a running speed of 7.5 ips.
Part 2 of the Columbia Records Radio Hour radio show (the 14 Dec 1995 broadcast) was commercially released in Europe. Since 2005 some enterprising record labels in Europe (mostly in the UK) have been releasing Bruce Springsteen radio and TV broadcasts (and some soundboard recordings) from the seventies, eighties, and nineties. Though these releases are not authorized by Bruce Springsteen or his record company, they are lawful due to a legal loophole in Europe.
Bruce Springsteen -- 1995 Radio Hour - The Tom Joad Sessions
CD - Good Ship Funke (GSF020) - UK, 2016
This release contains the 14 Dec 1995 broadcast of the Columbia Records Radio Hour radio show.
Bruce Springsteen -- Upper Darby Theater '95
CD - Rox Vox (RVCD2045) - UK, 2016
This release contains the 14 Dec 1995 broadcast of the Columbia Records Radio Hour radio show.
Bruce Springsteen -- Columbia Records Radio Hour
Digital album - Lilith Records (no catalog number) - UK, 2016
This is a download-only digital album. It contains the 14 Dec 1995 broadcast of the Columbia Records Radio Hour radio show.
Bruce Springsteen -- 1995 Radio Hour - The Tom Joad Sessions
2xLP - Parachute Recording Company (PARA155LP) - UK, 2018
This release contains the 14 Dec 1995 broadcast of the Columbia Records Radio Hour radio show.
Bruce Springsteen -- Youngstown
LP - Roxborough Music (ROXMB018) - UK, 2018
This release contains the 14 Dec 1995 broadcast of the Columbia Records Radio Hour radio show.
Bruce Springsteen -- The Broadcast Collection 1975-1995
5xCD - Cult Legends (CL93154) - Europe, 2023
This release contains the 05 Feb 1975 broadcast from The Main Point, the 15 Dec 1978 broadcast from Winterland Ballroom, and the 14 Dec 1995 broadcast of the Columbia Records Radio Hour radio show.
Other Official Releases
The live 09 Dec 1995 performance of DARKNESS ON THE EDGE OF TOWN was included on some issues of The Ghost Of Tom Joad EP in Europe in 1995 and in Japan 1996. It was also included on the Live & Rare European EP in 2003.
Bruce Springsteen -- Live & Rare
CD EP - Columbia (SAMPCM 12867 2 / 0128672000) - Austria, 2003
Promotional EP pressed in Austria for the European market. It was issued as a freebie item for customers purchasing any Bruce Springsteen CD at selected record stores throughout Europe during his tour of the continent in May/June 2003.
01-
GROWIN' UP [Live 22 Sep 1992 version]
02-
DARKNESS ON THE EDGE OF TOWN [Live 09 Dec 1995 version]
03-
THIS HARD LAND [Live 09 Dec 1995 version]
04-
THE BIG MUDDY [Live 22 Sep 1992 version]
Requests
Please contact me if you have scans for or info about any official release containing the live 09 Dec 1995 version of DARKNESS ON THE EDGE OF TOWN that's not mentioned on this page. I also need scans for the following releases:
- Bruce Springsteen -- The Ghost Of Tom Joad || MC EP - Sony (no catalog number) - Japan, 1996
Any additions, comments, or corrections to this page are welcome. You can contact me via the below form or by email: .
Available Versions
List of available versions of DARKNESS ON THE EDGE OF TOWN on this website:
DARKNESS ON THE EDGE OF TOWN [Album version]
DARKNESS ON THE EDGE OF TOWN [Unofficial studio version]
DARKNESS ON THE EDGE OF TOWN [Live 16 Jun 1978 version]
DARKNESS ON THE EDGE OF TOWN [Live 01 Jul 1978 version]
DARKNESS ON THE EDGE OF TOWN [Live 13 Dec 1992 version]
DARKNESS ON THE EDGE OF TOWN [Live 09 Dec 1995 version]
DARKNESS ON THE EDGE OF TOWN [Live 19 Apr 1996 version]
DARKNESS ON THE EDGE OF TOWN [Live 13 Dec 2009 version]
Page last updated: 19 May 2018
