Track 4 of Devils & Dust, 2005. Written during the 1995–7 Solo Acoustic Tour.
- Devils & Dust (2005)
- Bruce Springsteen: vocals, guitar, keyboards
- Danny Federici: keyboards
- Steve Jordan: drums
- Brendan O'Brien: bass
- Marty Rifkin: steel guitar
- Patti Scialfa: backing vocals
- Soozie Tyrell: violin, backing vocals
Release on Devils & Dust (2005), The Essential (2015), Chapter And Verse (2016), and Best Of (2024).
Live versions are released on Live In Dublin (2007) (recorded November 17, 2006) and Springsteen On Broadway (2018) (recorded July 17/18, 2018).
Live versions are available on the following 9 official live downloads:
- 2017-02-16 Brisbane Entertainment Centre, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
- 2006-11-11 Wembley Arena, London, England
- 2006-10-10 PalaLottomatica, Rome, Italy
- 2005-11-22 Sovereign Bank Arena, Trenton, NJ
- 2005-08-13 Pontiac Theatre At GM Place, Vancouver, BC
- 2005-08-03 Van Andel Arena, Grand Rapids, MI
- 2005-07-31 Value City Theatre, Schottenstein Center, Columbus, OH
- 2005-06-25 Hovet, Stockholm, Sweden
- 1997-05-18 Palais Des Congrès Acropolis, Nice, France
One of these recordings is also available on the playlist The Live Series: Songs Of Introspection (2023).
| LONG TIME COMIN' - V1 | uncirculating | |
| LONG TIME COMIN' - V2 | 4:17 | DEVILS / ESSENTIAL: 2015 / CHAPTER / BESTOF |
Note: Written by Bruce in the summer or early autumn of 1996 while on the Ghost Of Tom Joad Tour and premiered live on October 16, 1996. The Devils & Dust recording is a hybrid of two sessions quite some years apart. The basic track (V1) with Danny Federici, Marty Rifkin, Soozie Tyrell and Patti Scialfa emanates from 1997 or 1998 and was cut at Thrill Hill West, Beverly Hills. CA. It was recorded by Toby Scott and produced by Springsteen and Chuck Plotkin. The drums (Steve Jordan) and bass guitar (Brendan O’Brien) were added to the mix in 2004, at Masterphonics, Nashville, Tennessee, and Southern Tracks Recording, Atlanta, Georgia, which is the likely reason why this released version is credited as a Springsteen-Plotkin-O'Brien production, and issued on Devils & Dust.
An early Tracks six-CD sample set from June 1998 indicates that "Long Time Comin'" was considered for Tracks, but ultimately rejected. It's highly likely that this is V1, perhaps with some additional overdubs to complete the song. The sample set listed the song as "version 2", indicating there may have been a "version 1" that had already been rejected. This could have been V1 without overdubs, or an even earlier recording we are unaware of.
Studio Sessions: Devils and Dust
Long Time Comin' |
Out where the creek turns shallow and sandy
And the moon comes skimmin' away the stars
The wind in the mesquite comes rushin' over the hilltops
Straight into my arms
Straight into my arms
I'm ridin' hard carryin' a cache of roses
And a fresh map that I made
Tonight I'm gonna get birth naked and bury my old soul
And dance on its grave
And dance on its grave
It's been a long time comin', my dear
It's been a long time comin', but now it's here
And now it's here
Well my daddy he was just a stranger
Lived in a hotel downtown
Well when I was a kid he was just somebody
Somebody I'd see around
Somebody I'd see around
Well now down below and pullin' on my shirt
Yeah I got some kids of my own
Well if I had one wish in this god forsaken world, kids
It'd be that your mistakes would be your own
Yeah your sins would be your own
It's been a long time comin', my dear
It's been a long time comin', but now it's here
And now it's here
(Whoaaa)
Out 'neath the arms of Cassiopeia
Where the sword of Orion sweeps
It's me and you, Rosie, cracklin' like crossed wires
And you breathin' in your sleep
You breathin' in your sleep
Well there's just a spark of a campfire left burning
Two kids in a sleeping bag beside
I reach 'neath your shirt, lay my hands across your belly
And feel another one kickin' inside
And I ain't gonna fuck it up this time
It's been a long time comin', my dear
It's been a long time comin', but now it's here
It's been a long time comin', my dear
It's been a long time comin', but now it's here
(Whoaaa)
| Visit SpringsteenLyrics.com for other versions of this song. |
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