Men walking 'long the railroad tracks
Going someplace, there's no going back
Highway patrol choppers coming up over the ridge
Hot soup on a campfire under the bridge
Shelter line stretching 'round the corner
Welcome to the new world order
Families sleeping in the cars in the southwest
No home, no job, no peace, no rest

Well the highway is alive tonight
But nobody's kidding nobody about where it goes
I'm sitting down here in the campfire light
Searching for the ghost of Tom Joad

He pulls a prayer book out of his sleeping bag
Preacher lights up a butt and he takes a drag
Waiting for when the last shall be first and the first shall be last
In a cardboard box 'neath the underpass
You got a one-way ticket to the promised land
You got a hole in your belly and a gun in your hand
Sleeping on a pillow of solid rock
Bathing in the city's aqueduct

Go!

Well the highway is alive tonight
Where it's headed everybody knows
I'm sitting down here in the campfire light
Waiting on the ghost of Tom Joad

Now Tom said, "Mom, wherever there's a cop beating a guy
Wherever a hungry newborn baby cries
Where there's a fight against the blood and hatred in the air
Look for me, Mom, I'll be there

Wherever somebody's fighting for a place to stand
Or a decent job or a helping hand
Wherever somebody's struggling to be free
Look in their eyes, Ma, and you'll see me"
Yeah!

The highway is alive tonight
Where it's headed everybody knows
I'm sitting down here in the campfire light
With the ghost of old Tom Joad


Lyrics submitted by idiotic, edited by Hesti

The Ghost of Tom Joad Lyrics as written by Bruce Springsteen

Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC

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The Ghost Of Tom Joad song meanings
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    General Comment

    I love Bruce to death and find that any other artist pales in comparison. No one else sounds as good and no one else writes as well. Having said that, all of the songs written today about the plight of the common man lose their meaning when being delivered by people who tour for 2-4 years straight--charge $97.50 per ticket and joke about how their wives try to keep the highly lavish lifestyles of their famous spouses in check.

    It's easy for mega millionaires to fly into NYC or LA for a night and make an appearance on behalf of Haiti, but when was the last time you saw one of them with their sleeves rolled up and actually getting involved face to face? It rarely happens. Don't be so quick to deify these people. They are BIG TIME capitalists--no more --no less--regardless of their talent. Ask their roadies if they're humanitarians.

    Once the tours have been completed ad nauseum what comes next? Special retrospective box DVD sets to keep the faithful pouring money into the machine--or DVDs of live concert footage. I truly do think Bruce is different and expect him to surprise somehow with some proceeds going to Haiti, but....

    No one's perfect.

    cubfever7on January 24, 2010   Link

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