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Album version
I threw my robe on in the morning, watched the ring on the stove turn to red
Stared hypnotized into a cup of coffee, pulled on my boots and made the bed
Screen door hangin' off its hinges kept bangin' me awake all night
As I look out the window, the only thing in sight
Is dry lightning on the horizon line
It's just dry lightning and you on my mind
I chased the heat of her blood like it was the holy grail
Descend beautiful spirit into the evening pale
Her appaloosa's kickin' in the corral smelling rain
There's a low thunder rolling across the mesquite plain
But there's just dry lightning on the horizon line
It's just dry lightning and you on my mind
I'd drive down to Alvarado street where she danced to make ends meet
I'd spend the night over my gin as she'd talk to her men
Well the piss yellow sun comes bringin' up the day
She said, "Ain't nobody gonna give nobody, what they really need anyway."
You get so sick of the fightin', you lose your fear of the end
I can't lose your memory, the sweet smell of your skin
It's just dry lightning on the horizon line
It's just dry lightning and you on my mind
DRY LIGHTNING is a song written by Bruce Springsteen and released on his 1995 album The Ghost Of Tom Joad. The above lyrics are for Bruce Springsteen's album version of DRY LIGHTNING as released in 1995.
A demo of DRY LIGHTNING is known to have been recorded in early 1993 (see section below for more details). Two takes of the song are available on that tape, one clocking at 3:56 and one at 3:03. The two takes share the same music but they are sung in different keys. This music however is totally different from what ended up being used on the officially released version more than two years later, and the lyrics are about a 70% match to the released version.
DRY LIGHTNING was then recorded sometime between April and June 1995 at Thrill Hill Recording (Springsteen's home studio) in Beverly Hills, CA. On this track, Springsteen handles guitar and vocals and is backed up by four musicians: Danny Federici on keyboards, Gary Mallaber on drums, Garry Tallent on bass, and Soozie Tyrell on violin. The track, as well as the rest of the album, was produced by Bruce Springsteen and Chuck Plotkin and recorded and mixed by Toby Scott at Thrill Hill Recording.
During an extended break in the World Tour 1992-1993 (Jan-Mar 1993), Springsteen recorded a collection of acoustic guitar demos at his home in Beverly Hills, CA. A private tape of 14 songs from these sessions (or possibly one session) exists, but is not circulating among collectors:
A comment heard on that tape regarding a well-documented news event indicates that most -- or very likely all -- of this audio was recorded on 25 Feb 1993. These recordings are similar in sound quality and recording style to Springsteen's 1979 and 1981 home demos cassette recordings. They are not professional studio recordings. Springsteen utilizes a cassette recorder that he manually stops and starts as needed.
None of these recordings exhibit a finished songwriting product. These are unfinished compositions, both musically and lyrically, and are in varying stages of completeness. However most of these songs show enough musical and lyrical development that it's probable that Springsteen finished them sometime during the 1993-1995 period and they exist as fully realized demo or studio recordings in his archive vault.
Following the Jan-Feb 1995 studio reunion with the E Street Band and the release of Greatest Hits, Bruce Springsteen writing activity increased significantly. Between March and September 1995, Springsteen wrote and recorded about two-albums worth of new songs. From the scattered comments made by Springsteen and other session participants, it would seem that over an album's worth of solo material and over an album's worth of band material were recorded during these sessions. The Ghost Of Tom Joad album consist of 7 solo tracks and 5 band tracks. The songs Springsteen recorded solo may have spanned the entire session period and the band sessions appear to have been split into two or three phases during the spring and summer of 1995.
In his 1998 book Songs, Springsteen wrote: "I knew that The Ghost of Tom Joad wouldn't attract my largest audience. But I was sure the songs on it added up to a reaffirmation of the best of what I do. The record was something new, but it was also a reference point to the things I tried to stand for and be about as a songwriter.
The Ghost Of Tom Joad was released on Columbia Records on 21 Nov 1995. It was produced by Bruce Springsteen and Chuck Plotkin. The album won a Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Folk Album in 1997.
The Ghost Of Tom Joad features 12 new Springsteen compositions and clocks at 50:16.
Other versions of DRY LIGHTNING were also officially released.
In preparation for The Ghost Of Tom Joad Solo Acoustic Tour, DRY LIGHTNING was performed during the tour's public warm-up rehearsal show that took place on 21 Nov 1995 at State Theatre in New Brunswick, NJ.
DRY LIGHTNING was performed 123 times during The Ghost Of Tom Joad Solo Acoustic Tour (128 dates, November 1995 to May 1997); all five omissions took place in late 1996: the 08 Nov 1996 show in Freehold, NJ, the 24-25-26 Nov 1996 shows in Asbury Park, NJ, and the 03 Dec 1996 show in Sunrise, FL. The live 19 Mar 1996 version of DRY LIGHTNING was released on the King's Hall, Belfast March 19, 1996 official live download in 2017. The live 18 May 1997 version of DRY LIGHTNING was released on the Nice, France 1997 official live download in 2021.
In preparation for the Devils & Dust Solo Acoustic Tour, DRY LIGHTNING is known to have been practiced during at least one of the private rehearsals that took place in March and April 2005 in Asbury Park prior to the tour's first leg.
DRY LIGHTNING was performed once during the Devils & Dust Solo Acoustic Tour (72 dates, April to November 2005). See the live 14 May 2005 version.
At least 7 artists have recorded and released Bruce Springsteen's DRY LIGHTNING.
Some of the above info about the studio recording and the live performances is taken from Brucebase.
If you have any additional info about the 1993 home demo tape, or is you have any additions, comments, or corrections to this page, please contact me via the below form or by email: .
List of available versions of DRY LIGHTNING on this website:
DRY LIGHTNING [Album version]
