Dry Lightning

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Track 8 of The Ghost Of Tom Joad, 1995.

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Credits

• The Ghost Of Tom Joad (1995)
  • Bruce Springsteen: vocals, guitar
  • Danny Federici: keyboard
  • Gary Mallaber: drums
  • Garry Tallent: bass
  • Soozie Tyrell: violin

Performances

Performed live 125 times (not including snippet performances). 2005-05-14 Patriot Center, George Mason University, Fairfax, VA 1997-05-26 Palais Des Congrès De Paris, Paris, France 1997-05-25 Palais Des Congrès De Paris, Paris, France 1997-05-22 Teatro Augusteo, Naples, Italy 1997-05-21 Teatro Verdi, Florence, Italy 1997-05-19 Zénith Oméga, Toulon, France 1997-05-18 Palais Des Congrès Acropolis, Nice, France 1997-05-16 Opéra Berlioz, Corum (Le), Montpellier, France 1997-05-15 Auditorium Maurice-Ravel, Lyon, France 1997-05-12 Congress Centre, Prague, Czech Republic 1997-05-10 Sala Kongresowa, Warsaw, Poland 1997-05-09 Sala Kongresowa, Warsaw, Poland 1997-05-07 Austria Center Vienna, Vienna, Austria 1997-05-06 Austria Center Vienna, Vienna, Austria 1997-02-17 Palais Theatre, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia 1997-02-16 Palais Theatre, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia 1997-02-15 Palais Theatre, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia 1997-02-12 Capitol Theatre, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia 1997-02-11 Capitol Theatre, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia 1997-02-10 Capitol Theatre, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia 1997-02-08 Capitol Theatre, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia 1997-02-07 Capitol Theatre, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia 1997-02-05 Concert Hall (The), QPAC, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia 1997-02-04 Concert Hall (The), QPAC, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia 1997-01-31 Tōkyō Kokusai Fōramu, Forum Hall A, Tokyo, Japan 1997-01-30 Tōkyō Kokusai Fōramu, Forum Hall A, Tokyo, Japan 1997-01-29 Tōkyō Kokusai Fōramu, Forum Hall A, Tokyo, Japan 1997-01-27 Tōkyō Kokusai Fōramu, Forum Hall A, Tokyo, Japan 1996-12-14 Ovens Auditorium, Charlotte, NC 1996-12-12 Ryman Auditorium, Nashville, TN 1996-12-11 Veterans Memorial Auditorium, Columbus, OH 1996-12-10 Music Hall, Cincinnati, OH 1996-12-06 Birmingham-Jefferson Civic Center Concert Hall, Birmingham, AL 1996-12-05 Township Auditorium, Columbia, SC 1996-12-02 Sunrise Musical Theatre, Sunrise, FL 1996-11-21 Murat Theatre, Indianapolis, IN 1996-11-20 Louisville Palace (The), Louisville, KY 1996-11-19 Ellis Auditorium, Memphis, TN 1996-11-14 Lowell Memorial Auditorium, Lowell, MA 1996-11-13 Landmark Theatre, Syracuse, NY 1996-11-12 Shea's Performing Arts Center, Buffalo, NY 1996-10-29 Paramount Theatre, Seattle, WA 1996-10-28 Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall, Portland, OR 1996-10-26 Event Center Arena, San Jose, CA 1996-10-25 Arlington Theater, Santa Barbara, CA 1996-10-23 William Saroyan Theatre, Fresno, CA 1996-10-22 San Diego Civic Theatre, San Diego, CA 1996-10-21 Grady Gammage Memorial Auditorium, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 1996-10-19 Kiva Auditorium, Albuquerque, NM 1996-10-17 Paramount Theatre, Denver, CO 1996-10-16 Paramount Theatre, Denver, CO 1996-10-15 Abravanel Hall, Salt Lake City, UT 1996-10-03 Northrop Auditorium, Minneapolis, MN 1996-10-02 Riverside Theater, Milwaukee, WI 1996-10-01 Braden Auditorium, Normal, IL 1996-09-26 Hill Auditorium, University Of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 1996-09-25 E.J. Thomas Performing Arts Hall, Akron, OH 1996-09-24 James W. Miller Auditorium, Kalamazoo, MI 1996-09-19 Providence Performing Arts Center, Providence, RI 1996-09-18 Oakdale Theatre, Wallingford, CT 1996-09-16 Benedum Center For The Performing Arts, Pittsburgh, PA 1996-05-08 Palacio De Congresos Y Exposiciones, Madrid, Spain 1996-05-07 Teatro Tívoli, Barcelona, Spain 1996-05-06 Teatro Tívoli, Barcelona, Spain 1996-05-02 Zürich Kongresshaus, Zurich, Switzerland 1996-05-01 Palais Des Beaux-Arts, Brussels, Belgium 1996-04-30 Salle Erasme, Strasbourg, France 1996-04-27 Royal Albert Hall, London, England 1996-04-25 Brixton Academy, London, England 1996-04-24 Brixton Academy, London, England 1996-04-22 Royal Albert Hall, London, England 1996-04-20 Koningin Elisabethzaal, Antwerp, Belgium 1996-04-19 ICC Berlin, Saal 1, Berlin, Germany 1996-04-17 Royal Albert Hall, London, England 1996-04-16 Royal Albert Hall, London, England 1996-04-13 Teatro Carlo Felice, Genoa, Italy 1996-04-11 Teatro Smeraldo, Milan, Italy 1996-04-10 Auditorium Santa Cecilia, Rome, Italy 1996-03-20 Point Theatre (The), Dublin, Ireland 1996-03-19 King's Hall, Belfast, Northern Ireland 1996-03-16 Falkonersalen, Copenhagen, Denmark 1996-03-14 Oslo Spektrum, Oslo, Norway 1996-03-13 Cirkus, Stockholm, Sweden 1996-03-03 Edinburgh Playhouse, Edinburgh, Scotland 1996-03-02 City Hall, Newcastle, England 1996-02-29 Symphony Hall, Birmingham, England 1996-02-28 Apollo Theatre, Manchester, England 1996-02-26 Koninklijk Theater Carré, Amsterdam, The Netherlands 1996-02-25 Doelen (De), Rotterdam, The Netherlands 1996-02-22 Zénith De Paris (Le), Paris, France 1996-02-21 Zénith De Paris (Le), Paris, France 1996-02-18 Philipshalle, Düsseldorf, Germany 1996-02-17 Congress Centrum Hamburg, Halle 1, Hamburg, Germany 1996-02-15 Rudi-Sedlmayer-Halle, Munich, Germany 1996-02-14 Kulturpalast, Dresden, Germany 1996-02-12 Alte Oper, Frankfurt, Germany 1996-01-28 Fox Theatre, Atlanta, GA 1996-01-26 Bronco Bowl (The), Dallas, TX 1996-01-25 Austin Music Hall, Austin, TX 1996-01-23 Jesse H. Jones Hall For The Performing Arts, Houston, TX 1996-01-22 Saenger Performing Arts Center, New Orleans, LA 1996-01-18 Fox Theatre, St. Louis, MO 1996-01-17 Music Hall, Cleveland, OH 1996-01-16 Music Hall, Cleveland, OH 1996-01-12 Stambaugh Auditorium, Youngstown, OH 1996-01-11 Fox Theatre, Detroit, MI 1996-01-10 Fox Theatre, Detroit, MI 1996-01-08 Massey Hall, Toronto, ON 1996-01-07 Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier, Montreal, QC 1995-12-17 Beacon Theatre, New York City, NY 1995-12-16 Orpheum Theatre, Boston, MA 1995-12-15 Orpheum Theatre, Boston, MA 1995-12-13 Beacon Theatre, New York City, NY 1995-12-12 Beacon Theatre, New York City, NY 1995-12-09 Tower Theater, Upper Darby, Philadelphia, PA 1995-12-08 Tower Theater, Upper Darby, Philadelphia, PA 1995-12-06 DAR Constitution Hall, Washington, DC 1995-12-05 DAR Constitution Hall, Washington, DC 1995-12-03 Rosemont Theatre, Rosemont, IL 1995-11-30 Berkeley Community Theatre, Berkeley, CA 1995-11-29 Berkeley Community Theatre, Berkeley, CA 1995-11-27 Wiltern Theatre, Los Angeles, CA 1995-11-26 Wiltern Theatre, Los Angeles, CA 1995-11-22 Count Basie Theatre, Red Bank, NJ 1995-11-21 State Theatre, New Brunswick, NJ

Performances broken down by tour (not including rehearsals and snippet performances) Performed at 0 show(s) of 130 on the 2023-25 International Tour. Performed at 0 show(s) of 266 on the Springsteen On Broadway run. Performed at 0 show(s) of 14 on the Summer '17 Tour. Performed at 0 show(s) of 75 on the The River Tour 2016. Performed at 0 show(s) of 33 on the High Hopes Tour. Performed at 0 show(s) of 133 on the Wrecking Ball Tour. Performed at 0 show(s) of 83 on the Working On A Dream Tour. Performed at 0 show(s) of 99 on the Magic Tour. Performed at 0 show(s) of 56 on The Seeger Sessions Tour. Performed at 1 show(s) of 72 on the Devils & Dust Tour. Performed at 0 show(s) of 7 on the Vote For Change Tour. Performed at 0 show(s) of 120 on The Rising Tour. Performed at 0 show(s) of 132 on The Reunion Tour. Performed at 123 show(s) of 128 on The Ghost Of Tom Joad Tour. Performed at 0 known other show(s), plus 1 public tour rehearsal(s).

Released on Album

Released on The Ghost Of Tom Joad (1995).

Released as Live Download

Live versions are available on the following 4 official live downloads:

• 1997-05-18 Palais Des Congrès Acropolis, Nice, France
• 1996-09-25 E.J. Thomas Performing Arts Hall, Akron, OH
• 1996-03-19 King's Hall, Belfast, Northern Ireland
• 1995-12-09 Tower Theater, Upper Darby, Philadelphia, PA

On The Tracks

DRY LIGHTNING - V1	3:56	private cdr
DRY LIGHTNING - V2	3:03	private cdr
DRY LIGHTNING - V3	3:29	JOAD

Note: V1 and V2 are two takes of an acoustic demo recorded on February 25, 1993. Both utilize the same music but they are sung in different keys – this music however is totally different than what ended up being used on the official, released version, while the lyrics are about a 70% match. V3 was recorded sometime April–June 1995 at Thrill Hill Recording, Beverly Hills, California. Springsteen handles guitar and vocals and his four-man backing band on this recording is Danny Federici (keyboards), Garry Tallent (bass), Gary Mallaber (drums) and Soozie Tyrell (violin).

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^{Studio Sessions: Greatest Hits}

Lyrics

Dry Lightning

I threw my robe on in the morning, watched the ring on the stove turn to red
Stared hypnotized into a cup of coffee, pulled on my boots and made the bed
Screen door hangin' off its hinges kept bangin' me awake all night
As I look out the window, the only thing in sight
Is dry lightning on the horizon line
It's just dry lightning and you on my mind

I chased the heat of her blood like it was the holy grail
Descend beautiful spirit into the evening pale
Her appaloosa's kickin' in the corral smelling rain
There's a low thunder rolling across the mesquite plain
But there's just dry lightning on the horizon line
It's just dry lightning and you on my mind

I'd drive down to Alvarado street where she danced to make ends meet
I'd spend the night over my gin as she'd talk to her men
Well the piss yellow sun comes bringin' up the day
She said, "Ain't nobody gonna give nobody, what they really need anyway."

You get so sick of the fightin', you lose your fear of the end
I can't lose your memory, the sweet smell of your skin
It's just dry lightning on the horizon line
It's just dry lightning and you on my mind

Visit SpringsteenLyrics.com for other versions of this song.

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