2020-10-28 SiriusXM Studio, New York City, NY

Scheduled: 10:00 Local Start Time 10:03 / End Time 10:58

Info | Venue

Springsteen's 'From My Home To Yours' continues with Volume 14 titled "Farewell To The Thief". Bruce welcomes you to his Halloween/Election Day monster mash.

E Street Radio

Bruce Springsteen

Farewell To The Thief

"Hello and welcome, ghouls, fools, witches, vampires, blood-sucking politicians, zombie denizens of Washington, D.C., it is time for an exorcism in our nation's capitol. Welcome to our Halloween/Election Day monster mash. This is Volume 14 of 'From My Home to Yours,' titled 'Farewell to the Thief.' In just a few days, you'll be throwing the bums out. I thought it was a fucking nightmare, but it was so true."

"A good portion of our fine country, to my eye, has been thoroughly hypnotized, brainwashed by a con man from Queens. And you mix in some jingoism, some phony patriotism, fear of a black planet, vanity, narcissism, paranoia, conspiracy theories, and a portion of our nation undergoing mass delusions and teetering on violence, and you're left with the greatest threat to democracy in my lifetime. How did he do it?"

"The one constitutional office elected by all of the people is the presidency. So at minimum, we should expect a president to feel a sense of responsibility for the safety and welfare of all 330 million of us — regardless of what we look like, how we worship, who we love, how much money we have or who we voted for.
"But we should also expect a president to be the custodian of this democracy. We should expect that regardless of ego, ambition or political beliefs, the president will preserve, protect and defend the freedoms and ideals that so many Americans marched for and went to jail for; fought for and died for.
"I have sat in the Oval Office with both of the men who are running for president. I never expected that my successor would embrace my vision or continue my policies. I did hope, for the sake of our country, that Donald Trump might show some interest in taking the job seriously, that he might come to feel the weight of the office and discover some reverence for the democracy that had been placed in his care. But he never did."
^{Excerpt from the speech by Barack Obama at this summer's virtual Democratic National Convention.}

"And now, a short message from the opposition."

"That was Jay-Z. Now, as far as I can gather, this next song just about sums up our administration's plan for combating the coronavirus. This is The Legendary Shack Shakers with 'Thin The Herd'."

"That was The Legendary Shack shakers. During his four years in office, the man who is supposed to be the best of us, our president, has told more than 20,000 lies. This is The Castaways with 'Liar Liar'."

"Alright, that was The Castaways, and to get things started, we need to 'Get Up, Get Into It, Get Involved' with the Godfather of Soul, James Brown. Listen to what he has to say."

"There is no art in this White House.
There is no literature, no poetry, no music.
There are no pets in this White House.
No loyal man's best friend. No Socks the family cat.
No kid's science fairs.
No time when the president takes off hid blue suit, red tie uniform and becomes human, except when he puts on his white shirt and khaki pants uniform and hides from the American people to play golf.
There are no images of the first family enjoying themselves together in a moment of relaxation.
No Obamas on the beach in Hawaii moment, or Bushes fishing in Kennebunkport, no Reagans on horseback, no Kennedys playing touch football on the Cape.
Where did that country go?
Where did all the fun, the joy and the expression of love and happiness go? We used to be a country that did the ice bucket challenge and raised millions for charity.
We used to have a president who calmed and soothed the nation instead of dividing it.
And a First Lady who planted a garden instead of ripping one out.
We are rudderless and joyless.
We have lost cultural aspects of society that make America great.
We have lost our mojo, our fun, our happiness, our cheering on of others.
The shared experiences of humanity that makes it all worth it.
The challenges and the triumphs that we shared and celebrated.
The unique can-do spirit that America has always been known for.
We are lost.
We have lost so much in so short a time."
^{original by Elayne Griffin Baker}