Living On The Edge Of The World

---

Disc 2 track 7 of Tracks, 1998. Outtake from The River that evolved into "Open All Night".

---

Credits

• Tracks (1998)
  • Bruce Springsteen: vocals, guitar
  • Roy Bittan: piano
  • Clarence Clemons: saxophone, percussion
  • Danny Federici: organ, glockenspiel
  • Garry Tallent: bass
  • Steven Van Zandt: guitar, backing vocals
  • Max Weinberg: drums

Performances

Performed live 1 times (not including snippet performances). 2012-09-21 MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, NJ

Performances broken down by tour (not including rehearsals and snippet performances) Performed at 0 show(s) of 128 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 1 show(s) of 133 on the Wrecking Ball Tour. Performed at 0 known other show(s), plus 0 public tour rehearsal(s).

Snippets

^{Performed live 1 times as a snippet.}

---

• 1980-11-28 Madison Square Garden, New York City, NY

Released on Album

Released on Tracks (1998) and The Ties That Bind: The River Collection (2015).

On The Tracks

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.

---

^{Studio Sessions: The River}

Lyrics

Living On The Edge Of The World

(Wow!)
Early North Jersey industrial skyline (oh po oh po oh po po)
I'm an all-set cobra jet creeping through the night time (oh po oh po oh po po)
Gotta find a gas station, gotta find a pay phone (oh po oh po oh po po)
This turnpike sure is spooky at night when you're all alone (oh po oh po oh po po)
I'm living on the edge of the world trying to get my girl on the line (hoo hoo hoo hoo)
Living on the edge of the world but I think it's just a waste of my time (hoo hoo hoo hoo)
Some jerk keeps breaking my connection, girl (breaking my connection)
'Cause I'm living on the edge of the world (living on the edge of the world)
Living on the edge of the world

Radio, radio, hear my tale of heartbreak (oh po oh po oh po po)
New Jersey in the morning like a lunar landscape (oh po oh po oh po po)
Got a counter girl at the Exit 24 HoJo (oh po oh po oh po po)
Down past the refinery towers where the great black river flows (oh po oh po oh po po)
I'm living on the edge of the world trying to get back to you, girl (hoo hoo hoo hoo)
Living on the edge of the world trying to get a message through (hoo hoo hoo hoo)
I gotta make a connection, girl (make connection)
'Cause I'm living on the edge of the world (living on the edge of the world)
Living on the edge of the world

Alright!

(Hoo hoo hoo hoo)
(Hoo hoo hoo hoo)

Radio's jammed with gospel stations (oh po oh po oh po po)
Lost souls calling long distance salvation (oh po oh po oh po po)
Hey mister deejay gotta hear my last prayer (oh po oh po oh po po)
It's a hey ho rock and roll, deliver me from nowhere (oh po oh po oh po po)
I'm living on the edge of the world trying to get back to you, girl (hoo hoo hoo hoo)
Living on the edge of the world trying to get a message through (hoo hoo hoo hoo)
I gotta make some connection, girl (make some connection)
'Cause I'm living on the edge of the world (living on the edge of the world)
Living on the edge
I gotta make some connection, girl (make some connection)
'Cause I'm living on the edge of the world (living on the edge of the world)
Living on the edge of the world

Now my boss don't dig me 'cause he put me on the night shift
It takes me two hours to get back to where my baby lives
In the wee wee hours my mind gets hazy
Relay towers, won't you lead me to my baby
'Neath the overpass the trooper hits his party lights switch
Good night, good luck, one, two powershift

(Living on the edge of the world) (hoo hoo hoo hoo)
Po po po po, po po po po
Po po po po, po po po po (living on the edge of the world) (hoo hoo hoo hoo)
Po po po po, po po po po
Po po po po, po po po po (living on the edge of the world) (hoo hoo hoo hoo)
Po po po po, po po po po
Po po po po, po po po po (living on the edge of the world) (hoo hoo hoo hoo)
Po po po po, po po po po
(Living on the edge of the world) (hoo hoo hoo hoo)
Po po po po, po po po po
(Living on the edge of the world) (hoo hoo hoo hoo)
Po po
(Living on the edge of the world) (hoo hoo hoo hoo)
(Living on the edge of the world) (hoo hoo hoo hoo)
(Living on the edge of the world)

Visit SpringsteenLyrics.com for other versions of this song.

Gallery

---

Disclaimer | © 1996 - 2024 | Brucebase