Studio version
It was on the day the cowboys were banned from the range, metal touched the world as a master
They rode their ponies down in the cities of gold to leave them forever after
Now the sun was swollen, red, and old, the earth it was windy, dark, and cold
Where the highway ends the desert takes its toll so dusty, red, and angry
It was a time when men died out on the prairie from not having a decent friend
At night the ghost to the more rough riders was a howl in the canyon winds
You can hear 'em crying
Good God, I think they're dying
When them rangers down in Dallas had all but given it up and left
And those that hung on hoping were trying their best to, to forget
The way those outlaws and desperadoes right from the cheapest to the best
Rode in on ponies made of skin and bones, gave up their rusty guns and went back home
And the governor was sent down from Population Control and Marshall Law was passed
Riverboat gamblers put their money on faith for the time, for hope they passed
In the cold blue light of the desert night there was a thousand starry ships
And men came down from still I don't know where with death on their fingertips
Now there's no more kings in Texas, I swear they rounded up each and everyone
And oh that line of Conestoga reached from the Rocky Mountains into the old dead sun
Now Anna Maria walks the plains alone last of a struggling people
She thinks of all those outlaws who wanted to reach for the sky and got stuck up on that steeple
Oh, you can hear them crying
Good God, I think they're dying
In the wind you can hear them sigh
EVACUATION OF THE WEST is a song written by Bruce Springsteen who recorded it in studio in spring 1973. The song has not yet been officially released. The above lyrics are for the only known studio version of EVACUATION OF THE WEST.
EVACUATION OF THE WEST was written in late 1972 or early 1973. Originally it was titled "There Are No Kings In Texas" but was later copyrighted under the title "Evacuation Of the West" by both JEC Music USA in 1995 and Bruce Springsteen in 1999. The song is also known under the title "No More Kings In Texas" according to a Laurel Canyon list of compositions from 1973.
EVACUATION OF THE WEST is an outtake from The Wild, The Innocent, And The E Street Shuffle recording sessions. The only circulating studio version of the song was recorded with the E Street Band but does not feature David Sancious' keyboards and does not include any instrumental or vocal overdubs. Sancious arrived at the sessions on 22 Jun 1973, which means that the circulating version was most probably recorded sometime between 15 and 22 May 1973 or between 17 and 20 June 1973 at 914 Sound Studios in Blauvelt, NY. However, according to Sony's logs of Bruce Springsteen's studio sessions, EVACUATION OF THE WEST was cut on 22 Jun 1973 and 28 Jun 1973 at 914 Sound Studios.
The studio version of EVACUATION OF THE WEST was released on the briefly-legal albums The Early Years (Early Records), Unearthed (Masquerade Music, both issues), and Before The Fame (Pony Express Records, all three issues). See PRODIGAL SON for more details.
As far as it's known, Bruce Springsteen has never performed EVACUATION OF THE WEST live. The song may have been played live in early 1973 but, as yet, there is no verified live performance.
At least one artist has recorded and released Bruce Springsteen's EVACUATION OF THE WEST.
Thanks Andy for the lyrics corrections.
Some of the above info about the studio recording is taken from Brucebase. Info and scan for the Fred Gorhau cover album is taken from the Nebraska website.
List of available versions of EVACUATION OF THE WEST on this website:
EVACUATION OF THE WEST [Studio version]
