Idiot's Delight

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Bruce Springsteen and Joe Grushecky. Disc 7 track 2 of Tracks II: The Lost Albums, 2025. Previously recorded by Joe Grushecky & The Houserockers, 1997.

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Credits

• Tracks II: The Lost Albums (2025)
  • Bruce Springsteen: vocals, guitar, percussion, bass, piano, organ, harmonica
  • Ron Aniello: percussion, synthesizer
  • Max Weinberg: drums

Performances

Performed live 13 times (not including snippet performances). 2005-10-28 TD Banknorth Garden, Boston, MA 2005-10-21 Dunkin' Donuts Center, Providence, RI 2005-10-20 DCU Center, Worcester, MA 2005-10-15 Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Alliant Energy Center, Madison, WI 2005-10-13 United Center, Chicago, IL 2005-10-12 Northrop Auditorium, Minneapolis, MN 2005-10-09 Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Uniondale, NY 2005-10-07 Hartford Civic Center, Hartford, CT 2005-10-06 Blue Cross Arena At The War Memorial, Rochester, NY 2005-10-04 Paramount Theatre, Asbury Park, NJ 2004-11-06 Stone Pony (The), Asbury Park, NJ 2000-04-25 Mellon Arena, Pittsburgh, PA 1998-03-02 Nick's Fat City, Pittsburgh, PA

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 10 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 1 show(s) of 132 on The Reunion Tour. Performed at 2 known other show(s), plus 0 public tour rehearsal(s).

Released on Album

Released on Tracks II: The Lost Albums (2025).

On The Tracks

IDIOT'S DELIGHT

3:34

TRACKSII

Note: Co-written by Bruce Springsteen and Joe Grushecky in July 1995. Grushecky released a version on his 1997 album Coming Home, recorded without the participation of Springsteen. Springsteen first performed the song live on March 2, 1998, with Joe Grushecky and The Houserockers; he would perform it again with Grushecky in 2000 (with the E Street Band) and 2004 before playing it in a radically revamped bullet mic stomp blues arrangement ten times on the 2005 Devils & Dust Tour. Springsteen's own studio recording was first broadcast during episode five of 'From His Home To Yours' on E Street Radio on June 3, 2020; in 2025, this version was included on the Perfect World disc of Tracks II: The Lost Albums. It's not clear when exactly this version was recorded. The arrangement is very similar to the Reunion Tour performance, which may suggest a late-'90s or early 2000s origin, but Ron Aniello's participation confirms that at least some elements of the track date from the 2010s.

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^{Studio Sessions: Collaborations}

Lyrics

Idiot's Delight

Well I met up with Saint Peter, he was working at the pearly gates
He said I can't let you in now, son, you're going to have to wait
So just sit back and take it easy and kick off both your shoes
And grab yourself a beer while I watch the evening news

Well the jackals leave here laughing as they slip into the night
How did something so beautiful turn into an idiot's delight

He said what makes them all so stupid, well what I cannot tell
Maybe I should go down there and show them just a little hell
How would they get the message, how would anybody learn
Such a mighty effort for such a small return

Now the jackals leave here laughing as they slip into the night
How did something so beautiful turn into an idiot's delight
Idiot's delight
Take it, rhythm! whoa!

Well the jackals leave here laughing as they slip into the night
How did something so beautiful turn into an idiot's delight
Idiot's delight

He said sometimes I get so angry, my blood begins to boil
I must of put my seed into some mutant type of soil
They don't understand a thing and they ain't got no respect
But they sure do keep me laughing man, so what the heck

And the jackals leave here laughing as they slip into the night
How something so beautiful turn into an idiot's delight
Idiot's delight
Idiot's delight (hoo-hoo-hoo)
Idiot's delight, come on, yeah! (hoo-hoo-hoo)
Idiot's delight (hoo-hoo-hoo)
Idiot's delight (hoo-hoo-hoo)
Idiot's delight (hoo-hoo-hoo)
It's idiot's delight (hoo-hoo-hoo)
Whoa whoa (hoo-hoo-hoo)
Well yeah (hoo-hoo-hoo)
Ha ha ha (hoo-hoo-hoo)
Yeah yeah yeah (hoo-hoo-hoo)
It's idiot's delight (hoo-hoo-hoo)
It's idiot's delight (hoo-hoo-hoo)
It's idiot's delight (hoo-hoo-hoo)
Whoa idiot's delight (hoo-hoo-hoo)
Whoa whoa idiot's delight (hoo-hoo-hoo)
Hoo hoo-hoo (hoo-hoo-hoo)
Idiot's delight (hoo-hoo-hoo)
Yeah (hoo-hoo-hoo)

Visit SpringsteenLyrics.com for other versions of this song.

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