Youngstown

---

Track 4 of The Ghost Of Tom Joad, 1995.

---

Credits

• The Ghost Of Tom Joad (1995)
  • Bruce Springsteen: vocals, guitar
  • Jim Hanson: bass
  • Gary Mallaber: drums, percussion
  • Chuck Plotkin: keyboard
  • Marty Rifkin: pedal steel guitar
  • Soozie Tyrell: violin

Performances

Performed live 297 times. 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 1995-12-14 Ed Sullivan Theater, New York City, NY 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 page 2 of 2« previous12

Performed per main tour (not including rehearsals and snippet performances) 2023 International Tour: performed at 0 show(s) of 90. Springsteen On Broadway: performed at 0 show(s) of 266. Summer '17 Tour: performed at 10 show(s) of 14. The River Tour 2016: performed at 6 show(s) of 75. High Hopes Tour: performed at 3 show(s) of 34. Wrecking Ball Tour: performed at 18 show(s) of 133. Working On A Dream Tour: performed at 16 show(s) of 83. Magic Tour: performed at 9 show(s) of 99. The Seeger Sessions Tour: performed at 1 show(s) of 56. Devils & Dust Tour: performed at 11 show(s) of 72. Vote For Change Tour: performed at 4 show(s) of 7. The Rising Tour: performed at 1 show(s) of 120. The Reunion Tour: performed at 132 show(s) of 132. The Ghost Of Tom Joad Tour: performed at 75 show(s) of 128.

Released on Album

Released on The Ghost Of Tom Joad (1995) and Youngstown (Single, 1995).

Live versions are released on Columbia Records Radio Hour (US-only Promotional Tape, 1995) (recorded December 9, 1995) and Live In New York City (2001) (recorded June 29, 2000).

Released as Live Download

Live versions are available on the following 31 official live downloads:

• 2017-02-25 Mt. Smart Stadium, Auckland, New Zealand
• 2017-02-21 AMI Stadium, Christchurch, New Zealand
• 2017-02-18 Hope Estate, Hunter Valley, Australia
• 2017-02-14 Brisbane Entertainment Centre, Brisbane, Australia
• 2017-02-11 Hanging Rock, Mt. Macedon, Australia
• 2017-02-09 Qudos Bank Arena, Sydney, Australia
• 2017-02-07 Qudos Bank Arena, Sydney, Australia
• 2017-02-04 AAMI Park, Melbourne, Australia
• 2017-01-30 Adelaide Entertainment Centre, Adelaide, Australia
• 2017-01-27 Perth Arena, Perth, Australia
• 2016-08-25 MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, NJ
• 2016-06-25 Ullevi, Gothenburg, Sweden
• 2016-06-17 Olympiastadion, Munich, Germany
• 2016-06-03 Ricoh Arena, Coventry, England
• 2016-05-29 Croke Park, Dublin, Ireland
• 2016-02-23 Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, OH
• 2014-05-18 Mohegan Sun Arena, Uncasville, CT
• 2014-04-22 Consol Energy Center, Pittsburgh, PA
• 2014-02-07 Perth Arena, Perth, Australia
• 2012-11-12 Xcel Energy Center, Saint Paul, MN
• 2008-08-21 Sommet Center, Nashville, TN
• 2005-05-17 Tower Theater, Upper Darby, Philadelphia, PA
• 2000-07-01 Madison Square Garden, New York City, NY
• 2000-06-27 Madison Square Garden, New York City, NY
• 2000-05-22 Arrowhead Pond Of Anaheim, Anaheim, CA
• 1999-10-23 Staples Center, Los Angeles, CA
• 1999-09-30 United Center, Chicago, IL
• 1999-09-25 First Union Center, Philadelphia, PA
• 1999-07-18 Continental Airlines Arena, East Rutherford, NJ
• 1996-03-19 King's Hall, Belfast, Northern Ireland
• 1995-12-09 Tower Theater, Upper Darby, Philadelphia, PA

On The Tracks

YOUNGSTOWN

3:50

JOAD

Note: Springsteen was inspired to write "Youngstown" after he read Journey to Nowhere: The Saga of the New Underclass, Dale Maharidge's book about the struggling working-class and the decline of industry. Recorded sometime between April–June 1995 (probably closer to the end of the sessions) 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 Chuck Plotkin (keyboards), Jim Hanson (bass), Marty Rifkin (pedal steel), Gary Mallaber (drums), and Soozie Tyrell (violin). Reimagined as a searing rocker for 1999's Reunion Tour.

---

^{Studio Sessions: The Ghost Of Tom Joad}

Lyrics

Youngstown

Here in northeast Ohio, back in eighteen-o-three
James and Danny Heaton found the ore that was lining Yellow Creek
They built a blast furnace here along the shore
And they made the cannon balls that helped the Union win the war

Here in Youngstown, here in Youngstown
My sweet Jenny I'm sinking down
Here darling in Youngstown

Well my daddy worked the furnaces, kept 'em hotter than hell
I come home from 'Nam worked my way to scarfer, a job that'd suit the devil as well
Well taconite coke and limestone fed my children and made my pay
Them smokestacks reaching like the arms of God into a beautiful sky of soot and clay

Here in Youngstown, here in Youngstown
Sweet Jenny I'm sinking down
Here darling in Youngstown

Well my daddy come on the Ohio works when he come home from World War Two
Now the yard's just scrap and rubble, he said "Them big boys did what Hitler couldn't do."
Yeah these mills they built the tanks and bombs that won this country's wars
We sent our sons to Korea and Vietnam, now we're wondering what they were dying for

Here in Youngstown, here in Youngstown
My sweet Jenny I'm sinking down
Here darling in Youngstown

From the Monongahela valley to the Mesabi iron range
To the coal mines of Appalachia, the story's always the same
Seven hundred tons of metal a day, now sir you tell me the world's changed
Once I made you rich enough, rich enough to forget my name

And Youngstown, and Youngstown
My sweet Jenny I'm sinking down
Here darling in Youngstown

When I die I don't want no part of heaven, I would not do heaven's work well
I pray the devil comes and takes me to stand in the fiery furnaces of hell

Visit SpringsteenLyrics.com for other versions of this song.

---

Disclaimer | © 1996 - 2023 | Brucebase