Live 12 Jan 1974 version
Love is a burning thing
And it makes a fiery ring
Well, I was bound by burning desire
When I fell into your ring of fire
Well, I fell into a burning ring of fire
I went down, down, down, and the flame, she went higher
And it burns, burn, burns, your ring of fire, your ring of fire
Well, now the taste of love is sweet
When two souls like ours they meet
Little girl, I fell for you just like a child
And all them flames, well, they just went wild
I fell into a turning burning ring of fire
I went down, down, down, and the flames, they went higher
And it burns, burn, burns, your ring of fire, yeah
???
You keep on burning, baby
You keep on turning, baby
???
[Instrumental]
I fell into a turning burning ring fire
I went down, down, down, and the flames, they went higher
And it burns, burn, burns, your ring of fire, your ring of fire
[Instrumental]
It brings me higher, higher, higher
It brings me higher, higher, higher
It brings me higher, higher, higher
It brings me higher, higher, higher
It brings me higher, higher, higher
Whoa-whoa, whoa-whoa
???
???
???
RING OF FIRE is a 1963 song written by Johnny Cash. See the original Johnny Cash version for more details.
Bruce Springsteen's WE ARE ALIVE borrows the horn riff from Johnny Cash's RING OF FIRE.
The above lyrics are for the live 12 Jan 1974 performance of RING OF FIRE at The Joint In The Woods in Parsippany, NJ, during what is considered The Wild, The Innocent, & The E Street Shuffle Tour. The song was played in a radically revamped bluesy arrangement.
RING OF FIRE is known to have been performed at least once during what is considered the Greetings From Asbury Park, N.J. Tour (October 1972 to September 1973). Bruce Springsteen debuted the song during his 1973 seven-show residency at Oliver's in Boston, MA (12 to 18 March). The song was then performed sporadically throughout the remainder of 1973. Following the 17 Mar 1973 show at Oliver's in Boston, MA, Springsteen was interviewed backstage and he mentioned incorporating new material into the shows and specifically mentions RING OF FIRE, APACHE, and ROSALITA (COME OUT TONIGHT). The setlist for the 17 Mar 1973 show in particular is unknown.
RING OF FIRE is known to have been performed at least once during what is considered The Wild, The Innocent, & The E Street Shuffle Tour (September 1973 to March 1975), on 12 Jan 1974 in Parsippany, NJ. Some of that period's setlists are incomplete or unknown, and therefore, the song may have been played on some more dates during The Wild, The Innocent, & The E Street Shuffle Tour. The song was played in a radically revamped bluesy arrangement.
RING OF FIRE was sound-checked prior to the 14 Mar 1988 show in Richfield, OH, (as far as it's known) but it was not performed on any of the Tunnel Of Love Express Tour's regular shows.
RING OF FIRE was performed once during the Working On A Dream Tour (83 dates, April to November 2009), on 18 Nov 2009 at Sommet Center in Nashville, TN. The song featured Curt Ramm on trumpet.
Much of the above info about the song's live history is taken from Brucebase.
The circulating 12 Jan 1974 show audience recording is of poor quality. Therefore, some of the song's lyrics are unintelligible. For any additions, comments, or corrections, please contact me via the below form or by email: .
List of available versions of RING OF FIRE on this website:
RING OF FIRE [Live 12 Jan 1974 version]