Lyric discussion by hberings 

Cover art for The New Timer lyrics by Bruce Springsteen

Another subtle link is found in this song, that stresses the influence of John Steinbeck's novel on "The Ghost of Tom Joad". In Steinbeck, the Joads also take a job 'picking peaches', just as this song's protagonist does.

Like "Youngstown", this song is also inspired by Dale Maharidge's 1985 book "Journey to Nowhere: The Saga of the New Underclass".