Live 20 Sep 1969 version
Ever since I was a young man
I've known the devil too well
I can still hear my mama screaming
"Boy you gonna burn some day in hell"
Drag me to church on Sunday
Get down, get down, get down on your knees and pray
When he comes he won't forget to call your name
I can't say that I'm a believer
I can't say that I ain't
But reading words off a piece of paper
It sure ain't gonna make me no kind of saint
They drag us to church on Friday
And we confess our sins
For a special low price of three Hail Marys my soul was clean again
Yeah!
(Ahh ahh, ahh ahh ahh)
(Ahh ahh, ahh ahh ahh)
(Ahh ahh, ahh ahh ahh)
(Ahh ahh, ahh ahh ahh)
You must believe what you must believe
Without belief you're dying
They told me you must believe what you must believe
Yours is not to question why
(Ahh ahh, ahh ahh ahh)
(Ahh ahh, ahh ahh ahh)
Hail, hail resurrection day (hail, hail resurrection)
You.re all invited to dance on my grave (hail, hail resurrection)
??? have a lot of money (hail, hail resurrection)
I say my prayers to the earth and the sun (hail, hail resurrection)
I say my prayers to the earth and the sun (hail, hail resurrection)
I say my prayers to the earth and the sun (hail, hail resurrection)
I say my prayers to the earth and the sun (hail, hail resurrection)
(Hail, hail resurrection)
(Hail, hail resurrection)
(Hail, hail resurrection)
(Hail, hail resurrection)
Ah whoa, whoa resurrection
(Hail, hail resurrection)
(Hail, hail resurrection)
(Hail, hail resurrection)
(Hail, hail resurrection)
(Hail, hail resurrection)
(Hail, hail resurrection)
(Hail, hail resurrection)
(Hail, hail resurrection)
(Hail, hail resurrection)
(Hail, hail resurrection)
(Hail, hail resurrection)
(Hail, hail resurrection)
(Hail, hail resurrection)
(Hail, hail resurrection)
(Hail, hail resurrection)
(Hail, hail resurrection)
(Hail, hail resurrection)
(Hail, hail resurrection)
(Hail, hail resurrection)
(Hail, hail resurrection)
(Hail, hail resurrection)
(Hail, hail resurrection)
(Hail, hail resurrection)
(Hail, hail resurrection)
(Hail, hail resurrection)
(Hail, hail resurrection)
(Hail, hail resurrection)
(Hail, hail resurrection)
(Hail, hail resurrection)
RESURRECTION is a song written by Bruce Springsteen. He performed it live with Child and Steel Mill in 1969-1971.
Decades later, RESURRECTION was recorded by Jersey Shore band Steel Mill Retro who released it on All Man The Guns For America, their 2008 album of Bruce Springsteen songs that were first performed by the original Steel Mill. See Steel Mill Retro's cover version for more details.
Steel Mill may have recorded RESURRECTION at Challenger Eastern Surfboards in Asbury Park, NJ. The surfboard factory was also Springsteen's home from late 1969 thru late 1970, and a makeshift studio environment of sufficient standard to produce reasonable quality recordings. Although the song might have been recorded as part of ongoing rehearsals at Challenger Eastern Surfboards, none of these 1969 and 1970 recordings is currently in circulation. Due to financial restrictions the reel-to-reel tapes were often reused. Consequently there is a distinct possibility that much of what was recorded at Challenger no longer survives, even in Springsteen's personal archive.
The above lyrics are for the live 20 Sep 1969 performance of RESURRECTION at Free University in Richmond, VA.
Child performed two shows at Free University in Richmond, VA, on 19 and 20 Sep 1969. As its name states, this was indeed a free university. It was more of a hippy adventure campus with no tuition necessary and, obviously, not accredited. The shows were held indoors at The Center For The Performing Arts, commonly known as "The Center", which was a big open space on the second floor that held about 500 people. When the university closed, "The Center" was sold in March 1970 and was revamped and re-opened under private ownership in May 1970 as "The String Factory". When Child was renamed Steel Mill, it performed more shows at The Center and at The String Factory.
A 62-minute fair-quality audience recording that circulates among collectors is believed, based on some evidence, to be from one of the two September 1969 shows at Free University. This would make it the earliest known Child/Steel Mill audio in circulation. Brucebase lists the recording under its 20 Sep 1969 entry. There are discernible edits between tracks and this is not the complete show, which is likely to have lasted about 90 minutes and included two or three additional songs.
RESURRECTION is known to have been performed at least 9 times in Bruce Springsteen's early years (pre-October 1972). Very little is known about shows from this early period, and therefore, the song must have been played on some more dates.
At least one artist has recorded and released Bruce Springsteen's RESURRECTION.
Some of the above info about the 20 Sep 1969 audio recording is taken from Brucebase.
If you have any comments, additions, or corrections, please contact me via the below form or by email: .
List of available versions of RESURRECTION on this website:
RESURRECTION [Live 20 Sep 1969 version]
