Song For Orphans

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Track 11 of Letter To You, 2020. Springsteen original circa 1971.

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Credits

• Letter To You (2020)
  • Bruce Springsteen: vocals, guitar, harmonica
  • Roy Bittan: piano, backing vocals
  • Charles Giordano: organ, backing vocals
  • Nils Lofgren: guitar, backing vocals
  • Patti Scialfa: backing vocals
  • Garry Tallent: bass, backing vocals
  • Steven Van Zandt: guitar, backing vocals
  • Max Weinberg: drums, backing vocals

Performances

^{Performed live 6 times.}

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• 2005-11-22 Sovereign Bank Arena, Trenton, NJ
• 2005-11-21 Sovereign Bank Arena, Trenton, NJ
• 1973-01-31 Max's Kansas City, New York City, NY (Late)
• 1973-01-09 WBCN Studio, Boston, MA
• 1972-12-07 Kenny's Castaways, New York City, NY (Early)
• 1971-11-04 Pocketful Of Tunes Inc., New York City, NY

Snippets

^{Performed live 0 times as a snippet.}

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Released on Album

Released on Letter To You (2020).

Released as Live Download

Live versions are available on the following 1 official live downloads:

• 2005-11-22 Sovereign Bank Arena, Trenton, NJ

On The Tracks

SONG TO THE ORPHANS - V1		uncirculating
SONG TO THE ORPHANS - V2		uncirculating
SONG FOR ORPHANS - V3	6:34	BTF / UNE / PS / EY / US4 / DT / ATMF
SONG FOR ORPHANS - V4	6:08	LETTER

Note: Occasionally written as "Song To Orphans", "Song To The Orphans", and variations thereof but officially released under the title "Song For Orphans". According to several authors, including Peter Ames Carlin (Bruce!) and Ryan White (Springsteen Album by Album), V1, as "Song To The Orphans", was one of the songs Bruce Springsteen played for Mike Appel at their first meeting on November 4, 1971, at Pocketful of Tunes, 39 West 55th Street, New York, NY. It should also be noted neither Springsteen or Appel have confirmed or denied this in their writings to date. V2 represents any number of recordings made at Mediasound Studios, 311 West 57th Street, New York in June and July of 1972. V3 was one of a number of takes that were recorded at 914 Sound Studios on February 19-20, 1973 in a solo acoustic arrangement.

"Song For Orphans" can be found on a proposed track-listing document for the Springsteen's first album. The first known live performance of "Song For Orphans" was on August 10, 1972 at Max's Kansas City, New York City, NY, and it was an occasional inclusion in Bruce’s opening solo segment during the first three months of the Greetings Tour. A couple of live audio performances from that period are circulating. Although not known to have been considered for album #2, in 1974 Springsteen composed several lists of songs that were candidates for inclusion on his third album, and "Song For Orphans" made several. While this makes it possible that "Song For Orphans" was recorded during the Born To Run sessions there is currently no supporting evidence. V4 was recorded over a five-day period in November 2019 at Stone Hill Studio, Colts Neck, NJ, with the E Street Band and issued on Letter To You in October 2020.

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^{Studio Sessions: Born To Run and Letter To You}

Media

Lyrics

Song For Orphans

Well the multitude assembled and tried to make the noise
Them black blind poet generals and restless loud white boys
But time's grew thin and the axis grew somehow incomplete
Where instead of child lions we had aging junkie sheep

Well how many wasted have I seen signed "Hollywood or bust"
And left to ride the ever ghostly Arizona gusts
Cheerleader tramps and kids with big amps sounding in the void
High society vamps, ex-heavyweight champs mistaking soot for soil

So break me now big Mama as Old Faithful breaks the day
Believe me my good Linda, the aurora will shine the way
The confederacy's in my name now, the hounds are held at bay
The axis needs a stronger arm, do you feel your muscles play

Well the doorstep blanket weaver, Madonna pushes bells
From house to house I see her giving last kisses and wishing well
To every gypsy mystic hero that the kids might find a place
Who get lost forever mothers and fathers on their weekends out in space

Well sons they search for fathers, but the fathers are all gone
The lost souls search for saviors, but saviors don't last long
Those aimless questless renegade brats who live their lives in song
They run the length of a candle, in a goodnight whisper and they're gone

So break me now big Mama as Old Faithful breaks the day
Believe me my good Linda, the aurora will shine the way
The confederacy's in my name now, the hounds are held at bay
The axis needs a stronger arm, do you feel your muscles play

Yeah!

Well the missions are filled with hermits, they're looking for a friend
The terraces are filled with cat-men just looking for a way in
Those orphans jumped on silver mountains lost in celestial alleyways
They wait for that old tramp Dog Man Moses, he takes in all the strays

Now don't you grow on empty legends or lonely cradle songs
Billy the Kid was just a bowery boy who made a living twirling his guns
The night she's long and lanky and she speaks in a mother tongue
She lullabies the refugees with amplifier's hum

So break me now big Mama as Old Faithful breaks the day
Believe me my good Linda, the aurora will shine the way
The confederacy's in my name now, the hounds are held at bay
The axis needs a stronger arm, do you feel your muscles play
The confederacy's in my name now, the hounds are held at bay
The axis needs a stronger arm, do you feel your muscles play

Visit SpringsteenLyrics.com for other versions of this song.

Links

• MusicBrainz

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