OKLAHOMA HILLS

Live 14 Jan 2006 version

Many a month has come and gone
Since I wandered from my home
Those Oklahoma hills where I was born
Many page of life has turned
Many lessons have I learned
And I feel like I'm back in those hills where I belong

Way down yonder in the Indian Nation
I ride my pony on the reservation
Those Oklahoma hills where I was born
Way down yonder in the Indian Nation
A cowboy's life is my occupation
To those Oklahoma hills I do belong

As I sit here today
Many miles I am away
From the place I rode my pony through this draw
While the oak and blackjack trees
Kiss the playful prairie breeze
This is where I belong

Well, way down yonder in the Indian Nation
I ride my pony on the reservation
Those Oklahoma hills where I was born
Well, way down yonder in the Indian Nation
A cowboy's life is my occupation
Those Oklahoma hills where I was born

Many a month has come and gone
Since I wandered from my home
??? Oklahoma hills where I was born
Hey, many a page of life has turned
Many a lesson I have learned
And I know it's in those hills that I belong

Well, way down yonder in the Indian Nation
I ride my pony on the reservation
Those Oklahoma hills where I was born
Well, way down yonder in the Indian Nation
A cowboy's life is my occupation
Those Oklahoma hills where I was born

???!
Way down yonder in the Indian Nation
I ride my pony on the reservation
In those Oklahoma hills where I was born
Way down yonder in the Indian Nation
A cowboy's life is my occupation
Those Oklahoma hills where I was born

As I turn back a page
To the land of the great Osage
In those Oklahoma hills where I was born
While the black oil it rolls down
And the snow-white cottons grow
In those Oklahoma hills where I belong, hey!

Well, way down yonder in the Indian Nation
I ride my pony on the reservation
Those Oklahoma hills where I was born
Well, way down yonder in the Indian Nation
A cowboy's life is my occupation
Those Oklahoma hills where I was born
Come on now!
??? is doing!

Way down yonder in the Indian Nation
I ride my pony on the reservation
On the Oklahoma hills where I was born
???!
I say way down yonder in the Indian Nation
A cowboy's life is my occupation
In the Oklahoma hills where I was born
Let's try it, let's do it once more!

I say way down yonder in the Indian Nation
I wanna ride my pony on the reservation
In Oklahoma hills where I was born
Woah!
Hey, way down yonder in the Indian Nation
A cowboy's life is my occupation
In those Oklahoma hills where I was born
Come on!

Well, way down yonder in the Indian Nation
I wanna ride my pony on the reservation
In Oklahoma hills where I was born
Hey, way down yonder in the Indian Nation
A cowboy's life is my occupation
Those Oklahoma hills where I was born
???, come on!

Way down yonder in the Indian Nation
I ride my pony on the reservation
In Oklahoma hills where I was born
Way down yonder in the Indian Nation
A cowboy's life is my occupation
Those Oklahoma hills where I belong

"The Nebraska Project" took place on Saturday, 14 Jan 2006 (8:00 PM - 10:30 PM) at the World Financial Winter Garden in New York City, NY. It was the opening event of the New York Guitar Festival. Artists like Mark Eitzel, Michelle Shocked, Jen Chapin, and Chocolate Genius took turns covering Bruce Springsteen's Nebraska album song-by-song. Bruce Springsteen himself was watching the event with wife Patti Scialfa from near the front of the stage on the audience's outskirt. His presence remained mostly unnoticed until he took the stage for the show's encore.

David Spelman, director of the New York Guitar Festival, had sent a note to Springsteen's management informing them of the event. When Springsteen showed up early in the evening, he met Spelman who invited him to join all the night's musicians in singing Woody Guthrie's OKLAHOMA HILLS. Springsteen wasn't sure which song was this until Spelman sang him the chorus. He gave him the lyrics and pointed out verses for him to sing. Springsteen, who didn't have his reading glasses, wrote down the one verse on the paper's back (photo below).

Bruce Springsteen's handwritten lyrics for OKLAHOMA HILLS

At the end of the concert, Springsteen borrowed a guitar from Spelman and joined the ensemble onstage for an encore of a strong extended version of OKLAHOMA HILLS. The song was played in honor of Woody Guthrie who inspired the Nebraska album, and the above lyrics are for that performance.

When the song ended, the host, jockey John Platt of public radio station WFUV-FM, tried to engage Bruce in a little serious conversation (as he had earnestly, and at times awkwardly, throughout the show). He asks, "So while Bruce is here, I just gotta ask him two things. First off, did we get any of it wrong? Is there anything I said that was misrepresented, inaccurate? You can have a chance to correct it now." Bruce jokingly replies, "Uh, the, a lot of the interpretations of the songs uh, the uh, when you were talking about them were wrong. Most of the songs were uh, written, as I said about all Rock 'N' Roll, to get uh, women to pull their pants down." He adds, "But no. I've been honored from my ass to my heels, I wanna thanks all the musicians and say..." Platt then interrupts and asks, "Ah we do too. And listen, uh, what is that you think makes this album resonate for us 25 years later? Do you have a clue?" Bruce bows off the question replying, "No, I'll let the, I'll let the audience..." Then he returned to thanking the cast, shaking hands and engaging in hugs and so forth.

"The Nebraska Project" guests, in order of appearance:
- Michelle Shocked
- Jesse Harris
- Kieran Tolhurst
- David Spelman
- The National
- Chocolate Genius
- Harry Manx
- Martha Wainwright
- Marc Ribot
- Jen Chapin
- Stefan Crump
- Dan Zanes
- Vernon Reid
- Laura Cantrell & Band
- Gary Lucas
- Otis Taylor
- Mark Eitzel
- Kevin Kinney
- Lenny Kaye
- Bruce Springsteen

The above lyrics are for the above-mentioned live 14 Jan 2006 performance of OKLAHOMA HILLS at the World Financial Winter Garden in New York City, NY. Lines in bold are by Bruce Springsteen. Lines in italic are by the ensemble, including Springsteen.

Available Versions

List of available versions of OKLAHOMA HILLS on this website:

Page last updated: 05 Sep 2007