AMERICAN LAND

Live 25 Jun 2006 version

[Spoken intro:] Good evening, friends and neighbors.

Whoa! Alright, let's do it again.

???

Whoa!

What is this land America, so many travel there
I'm going now while I'm still young, my darling meet me there
Wish me luck my lovely, I'll send for you when I can
We'll make our home in the American land

There's diamonds in the sidewalks, there's gutters lined in song
Dear, I hear that beer flows through the faucets all night long
There's treasure for the taking, for any hard working man
Who'll make his home in the American land

I docked at Ellis Island in a city of light and spire
She met me in the valley of red-hot steel and fire
We made the steel that built the cities with the sweat of our two hands
We made our home in the American land

There's diamonds in the sidewalk, there's gutters lined in song
Dear, I hear that beer flows through the faucets all night long
There's treasure for the taking, for any hard working man
Who'll make his home in the American land

Whoa!

The McNicholas, the Posalskis, Smiths, Zerillis too
The Blacks, the Irish, Italians, the Germans and the Jew
The ??? Asians, Arabs a thousand miles from home
Come across the water with a fire down below

They died building the railroads, they worked to bones and skin
They died in the fields and factories, names scattered in the wind
They died to get here a hundred years ago, they're dying now
The hands that built the country we're always trying to keep down

There's diamonds in the sidewalk, there's gutters lined in song
Dear, I hear that beer flows through the faucets all night long
There's treasure for the taking, for any hard working man
Who'll make his home in the American land
Who'll make his home in the American land
Who'll make his home in the American land
Whoa!

Whoa!

[Spoken outro:] Good evening!

Info

The above lyrics are for the live 25 Jun 2006 performance of AMERICAN LAND at Madison Square Garden in New York City, NY, during The Seeger Sessions Tour. In this version, Springsteen uses the partially unintelligible "The ??? Asians, Arabs a thousand miles from home / Come across the water with a fire down below" lines in the fourth verse. These lines would soon after become "Come across the water a thousand miles from home / With nothin' in their bellies but the fire down below", as per the printed lyrics in the booklet of the "American Land Edition" of the We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions album. Instead or the usual "I wandered to the valley of red-hot steel and fire", this version uses the "She met me in the valley of red-hot steel and fire" line in the third verse, as per the same printed lyrics. Additionally, this version also omits the second verse, "Over there the women wear...".

Promotional poster for the 24-25 Jun 2006 shows at PNC Bank Arts Center, Holmdel, NJ

Request

Part of "The ??? Asians, Arabs a thousand miles from home" line is unintelligible. If you know what the missing lyrics are, please contact me via the below form or by email: .

Available Versions

List of available versions of AMERICAN LAND on this website:

Page last updated: 24 Jan 2012