Straight Time

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Track 2 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
  • Jim Hanson: bass
  • Gary Mallaber: drums, percussion
  • Soozie Tyrell: violin

Performances

Performed live 126 times (not including snippet performances). 2005-06-22 Forum København, Copenhagen, Denmark 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 1997-01-27 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 1996-12-03 Sunrise Musical Theatre, Sunrise, FL 1996-12-02 Sunrise Musical Theatre, Sunrise, FL 1996-11-26 Paramount Theatre, Asbury Park, NJ 1996-11-24 Paramount Theatre, Asbury Park, NJ 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 1996-11-08 St. Rose Of Lima School, Gymnasium, Freehold, NJ 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 124 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).

A live version is released on Columbia Records Radio Hour (US-only Promotional Tape, 1995)/The Ghost Of Tom Joad (Single, 1995) (recorded December 9, 1995).

Released as Live Download

Live versions are available on the following 7 official live downloads:

• 1997-05-18 Palais Des Congrès Acropolis, Nice, France
• 1996-11-26 Paramount Theatre, Asbury Park, NJ
• 1996-11-24 Paramount Theatre, Asbury Park, NJ
• 1996-11-08 St. Rose Of Lima School, Gymnasium, Freehold, NJ
• 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

STRAIGHT TIME

3:23

JOAD

Note: Recorded sometime April–June 1995 at Thrill Hill West (Bruce's Los Angeles home studio). Springsteen handles guitar and vocals and his five-man backing band on this recording is Danny Federici (keyboards), Jim Hanson (bass), Gary Mallaber (drums), Marty Rifkin (pedal steel guitar), and Soozie Tyrell (violin).

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^{Studio Sessions: The Ghost Of Tom Joad}

Lyrics

Straight Time

Got out of prison back in '86 and I found a wife
Walked the clean and narrow just trying to stay out and stay alive
Got a job at the rendering factory, it ain't gonna make me rich
In the darkness before dinner comes sometimes I can feel the itch
I got a cold mind to go tripping 'cross that thin line
I'm sick of doing straight time

My uncle's at the evening table, makes his living running hot cars
Slips me a hundred dollar bill, says "Charlie you best remember who your friends are"
I got a cold mind to go tripping 'cross that thin line
I ain't making straight time

Well eight years in, it feels like you're gonna die
But you get used to anything, sooner or later it just becomes your life

The kitchen floor in the evening, tossing my little babies high
Mary's smiling but she watches me out of the corner of her eye
Seems you can't get any more than half free
I step out onto the front porch and suck the cold air deep inside of me
I got a cold mind to go tripping 'cross that thin line
I'm sick of doing straight time

In the basement hunting gun and a hacksaw
Sip a beer and thirteen inches of barrel drop to the floor

Come home in the evening, can't get the smell from my hands
Lay my head down on the pillow and go drifting off into foreign lands

Visit SpringsteenLyrics.com for other versions of this song.

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