| LIVING ON THE EDGE OF THE WORLD - V1 | 3:52 | LM-12 |
| LIVING ON THE EDGE OF THE WORLD - V2 | 4:26 | LM-12 |
| LIVING ON THE EDGE OF THE WORLD - V3 | 4:16 | LM-12 |
| LIVING ON THE EDGE OF THE WORLD - V4 | 4:14 | TRACKS / RIVER: OUTTAKES |
Note: V1 through V3 are all complete, full band rehearsal workouts at Telegraph Hill on November 15, 1979. Through the murky recording all three appear similar, but Springsteen does switch around the order of verses and lyrics, apparently at random. V3 adds harmonica to the midsection that is not included in the first two takes. V4 recorded at Power Station on December 7, 1979. Left off The River, "Living On The Edge Of The World" was unreleased until it was issued on Tracks in 1998. Nearly a full year after "Living On The Edge Of The World" was recorded in the studio, Springsteen uniquely inserted the final verse into a rowdy live performance of "Ramrod" at Madison Square Garden in New York City on November 28, 1980. Apparently unwilling to leave this one behind, in 1981 Springsteen retold the exact same story in a new composition, "Open All Night", lifting some verses verbatim and re-writing others. Some lines and references can also be found in another 1981 song, "State Trooper". Both songs were later released on 1982's Nebraska.