Live 22 Sep 1992 version
We said we'd walk together, baby, come what may
That come the twilight should we lose our way
If as we're walking a hand should slip free
I'll wait for you, should I fall behind wait for me
We swore we'd travel, darling, side by side
We'd help each other stay in stride
But each lover's steps fall so differently
But I'll wait for you, should I fall behind wait for me
Now everyone dreams of a love lasting and true
But you and I know what this world can do
So let's make our steps clear that the other may see
And I'll wait for you, should I fall behind wait for me
Now there's a beautiful river in the valley ahead
And there 'neath the oak's bough soon we will be wed
Should we lose each other in the shadow of the evening trees
I'll wait for you, and should I fall behind wait for me
I'll wait for you, should I fall behind wait for me
I'll wait for you, should I fall behind wait for me
Yeah, I'll wait for you, should I fall behind wait for me
[Spoken outro:] Yeah! Thank you. Don't forget to tip the bartenders.
The above lyrics are for the live 22 Sep 1992 performance of IF I SHOULD FALL BEHIND at Warner Hollywood Studios (Stage #4) in Los Angeles, CA, during the taping of Springsteen's episode of MTV Unplugged. The song was played in its full-band album arrangement. It was released on the In Concert / MTV Plugged home video in 1992 and the corresponding audio album the following year.
MTV Unplugged is a popular MTV series that began in the 1989/1990 TV season and first aired on 26 Nov 1989. Produced by Viacom and most frequently directed by Milton Lage and Beth McCarthy, the program showcases popular musicians primarily known for playing electric amplified instruments (usually the electric guitar and electric bass) performing live using only acoustic instruments.
During a break in his World Tour 1992-1993, Bruce Springsteen was booked on 22 Sep 1992 for the taping of an episode of MTV Unplugged. The taping took place at Warner Hollywood Studios in Los Angeles, CA. Springsteen opened the show with a solo acoustic version of RED HEADED WOMAN, but he then brought his 1992-93 touring band onstage, and in a twist on the program's theme, put the plug back in and played a full-band concert — though there were also stripped down renditions of GROWIN' UP and THUNDER ROAD. Reportedly Springsteen had been unhappy with the touring band's rehearsals of acoustic arrangements, and this was what led him to break the unplugged format.
Springsteen was the first to insist on an electric performance, and MTV executives were reportedly furious at his decision to abandon the acoustic format of the show. "When you have the chance to work with Bruce Springsteen, he can do what he wants," MTV Unplugged producer Alex Coletti told UK's Q magazine. "It was a fantastic show, and it still had a lot of Unplugged's feel. It was very small, very intimate, very loose, and that's all part of what makes Unplugged special. But it was very loud!" To make best of the situation, the "Un" was crossed out from "Unlugged", and the concert premiered on MTV on 11 Nov 1992 as MTV Plugged.
A VHS release of the show preceded any audio release, coming out on 15 Dec 1992. It was titled In Concert / MTV Plugged, with "Plugged" written as "UnPlugged" on the cover art. The concert was not released in its complete form, but the home video release included the complete broadcast in addition to two bonus tracks, LIVING PROOF and IF I SHOULD FALL BEHIND. In Concert / MTV Plugged was also released on LaserDisc on 31 Jan 1993, which included all the tracks found on the VHS release, in addition to a third bonus track, ROLL OF THE DICE.
The audio album of the same title was released for a limited time in Europe (on CD, cassette, and double disc vinyl) on 12 Apr 1993 to promote the 1993 European (and final) leg of World Tour 1992-1993. It was not released in the United States until 26 Aug 1997. The album contains 13 tracks only, omitting five songs from the broadcast, but it includes the two bonus tracks from the VHS release.
Side 1:
Side 2:
Side 3:
Side 4:
In Concert / MTV Plugged was reissued on DVD on 09 Nov 2004. The DVD release includes the same 19 tracks found on the LaserDisc release.
The 22 Sep 1992 rehearsal and concert at Warner Hollywood Studios were 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.
In addition to its release on the MTV Plugged home video and album, the live 22 Sep 1992 performance of IF I SHOULD FALL BEHIND was also released on the B-side of the album version of IF I SHOULD FALL BEHIND in 1992 and on the B-side of STREETS OF PHILADELPHIA in 1994.
Please contact me if you have scans or info about any official release containing the live 22 Sep 1992 version of IF I SHOULD FALL BEHIND that's not mentioned on this page. There's reportedly a Canadian pressing of the Streets Of Philadelphia EP with catalog number 44K 77383. Any additions, comments, or corrections to this page are welcome. You can send an email at or use the below form.
List of available versions of IF I SHOULD FALL BEHIND on this website:
IF I SHOULD FALL BEHIND [Album version]
