Live 30 Sep 1985 version
[Spoken intro:] How you doing out there tonight? (Crowd cheers) That's good. That's good. This is uh... when I was growing up, me and my dad used to go at it all the time, over almost anything. But uh, I used to have really long hair, way down past my shoulders. I was 17 or 18... oh, man, he used to hate it. And we got to where we'd fight so much that I'd, that I'd spend a lot of time out of the house. And in the summertime it wasn't so bad, as it was warm and your friends were out. But in the winter, I remember standing downtown and it would get so cold. And when the wind would blow, I, I had this phonebooth that I used to stand in. And I used to call my girl like for hours at a time, just talking to her all night long. And finally I'd get my nerve up to go home, and I'd stand there in the driveway and he'd be waiting for me in the kitchen. And I'd tuck my hair down in my collar, and I'd walk in, and he'd call me back to sit down with him. And the first thing he'd always ask me was what did I think I was doing with myself. And the worst part about it was I could never explain it to him. I remember I got into a motorcycle accident once, and I was laid up in bed and he had a barber come in and cut my hair. And, man, I can remember telling him that I hated him, and that I would never ever forget it. And he used to tell me, "Man, I can't wait till the army gets you. When the army gets you, they're gonna make a man out of you. They're gonna cut all that hair off, and they'll make a man out of you." And this was in, I guess, '68, and there was a lot of guys from the neighborhood going to Vietnam. I remember the drummer in my first band coming over my house with his marine uniform on saying that he was going and that he didn't know where it was. And a lot of guys went and a lot of guys didn't come back. And the lot that came back weren't the same anymore. I remember the day I got my draft notice. I hid it from my folks and three days before my physical me and my friends went out and stayed up all night. And we got on the bus to go that morning, man, and we were all so scared. And I went and I failed. I came home... (Crowd cheers) It's nothing to applaud about. But I remember coming home after I'd been gone for three days, and walking in the kitchen and my mother and father were sitting there. My dad said, "Where you been?" I said, uh, "I went to take my physical". He says, "What happened?" I said, "They didn't take me." And he said, "That's good." (Crowd cheers)
I come from down in the valley where mister when you're young
They bring you up to do just like your daddy done
Me and Mary we met in high school when she was just seventeen
We'd ride out of that valley down to where the fields were green
We'd go down to the river and into the river we'd dive
Oh down to the river we'd ride
Then I got Mary pregnant and man that was all she wrote
And for my nineteenth birthday I got a union card and a wedding coat
We went down to the courthouse, the judge put it all to rest
No wedding day smiles, no walk down the aisle, no flowers no wedding dress
That night we went down to the river and into the river we'd dive
Oh down to the river we did ride, ay yay yay
Then I got a job working construction for the Johnstown Company
But lately there ain't been much work on account of the economy
Now all them things that seemed so important, well mister they just vanished right into the air
I just act like I don't remember, and Mary acts like she don't care
But I remember us riding in my brother's car, her body tan and wet down at the reservoir
At night on those banks I'd lie awake and pull her close just to feel every breath she'd take
Now those memories come back to haunt me, they haunt me like a curse
Is a dream a lie if it don't come true or is it something worse
That sends me down to the river, though I know the river is dry
That sends me down to the river tonight, ay yay yay
Well down to the river, my baby and I
Oh down to the river we ride, ah yay yay
Ooh ooh ooh ooh, ooh ooh-ooh-ooh
Ooh ooh ooh ooh ooh ooh ooh-ooh, ooh-ooh-ooh
Ooh ooh ooh ooh, ooh ooh-ooh-ooh
Ooh ooh ooh ooh ooh ooh ooh-ooh, ooh-ooh-ooh
The above lyrics are for the live 30 Sep 1985 performance of THE RIVER at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles, CA, during the Born In The U.S.A. Tour. This live 30 Sep 1985 performance of THE RIVER was included on the Live/1975-85 box set in 1986.
Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band wrapped up the Born In The U.S.A. Tour with a series of four consecutive sold-out concerts at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles, CA: 27 Sep, 28 Sep, 30 Sep, and 02 Oct 1985. The 30 Sep 1985 show later became one of the main sources for the Live/1975-85 box set which includes eight recordings from this show. Video clips for two of these songs were released on Springsteen's Video Anthology / 1978-88 home video in 1989. Additionally several pro-shot clips from this show appeared in the BBC documentary Glory Days and in the ABC newsmagazine 20/20 in 1986.
With the Born In The U.S.A. album and tour, Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band reached the highest level of rock stardom. Columbia Records was expecting a follow up studio album and tour that would, like it's predecessor, achieve a huge commercial success. Instead, Springsteen released Live/1975-85, an over-three-hours-and-a-half-long live compilation album consisting of 40 tracks recorded at various concerts between 1975 and 1985.
The set was produced by Jon Landau, Chuck Plotkin, and Bruce Springsteen, and hit the stores on 10 Nov 1986. It was released as a box set with either five vinyl records, three cassettes, or three CDs. Live/1975-85 is the first album to be credited to "Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band" instead of "Bruce Springsteen" only.
The highly-anticipated live album generated advance orders of more than 1.5 million copies, making it the largest dollar-volume pre-order in the history of the record business at the time. Record stores around the country found fans waiting in line on Monday morning before opening and one New York store reportedly sold the album right off the back of the delivery truck. The album debuted at #1 on the Billboard album chart and also became the first five-record set to reach the top 10 and the first to sell over a million copies. Live/1975-85 is the second-best-selling live album in U.S. history based on RIAA certification. It has been certified by the RIAA for 13 times platinum, trailing only Garth Brooks' Double Live.
Side 1:
| 1. | THUNDER ROAD | Recorded live on 18 Oct 1975 at The Roxy Theatre, West Hollywood, CA |
| 2. | ADAM RAISE A CAIN | Recorded live on 07 Jul 1978 at The Roxy Theatre, West Hollywood, CA |
| 3. | SPIRIT IN THE NIGHT | Recorded live on 07 Jul 1978 at The Roxy Theatre, West Hollywood, CA |
| 4. | 4TH OF JULY, ASBURY PARK (SANDY) | Recorded live on 31 Dec 1980 at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Uniondale, NY |
Side 2:
| 1. | PARADISE BY THE "C" | Recorded live on 07 Jul 1978 at The Roxy Theatre, West Hollywood, CA |
| 2. | FIRE | Recorded live on 16 Dec 1978 at Winterland Ballroom, San Francisco, CA |
| 3. | GROWIN' UP | Recorded live on 07 Jul 1978 at The Roxy Theatre, West Hollywood, CA |
| 4. | IT'S HARD TO BE A SAINT IN THE CITY | Recorded live on 07 Jul 1978 at The Roxy Theatre, West Hollywood, CA |
Side 3:
| 1. | BACKSTREETS | Recorded live on 07 Jul 1978 at The Roxy Theatre, West Hollywood, CA |
| 2. | ROSALITA (COME OUT TONIGHT) | Recorded live on 07 Jul 1978 at The Roxy Theatre, West Hollywood, CA |
| 3. | RAISE YOUR HAND | Recorded live on 07 Jul 1978 at The Roxy Theatre, West Hollywood, CA |
Side 4:
| 1. | HUNGRY HEART | Recorded live on 28 Dec 1980 at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Uniondale, NY |
| 2. | TWO HEARTS | Recorded live on 08 Jul 1981 at Brendan Byrne Arena, East Rutherford, NJ |
| 3. | CADILLAC RANCH | Recorded live on 06 Jul 1981 at Brendan Byrne Arena, East Rutherford, NJ |
| 4. | YOU CAN LOOK (BUT YOU BETTER NOT TOUCH) | Recorded live on 29 Dec 1980 at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Uniondale, NY |
| 5. | INDEPENDENCE DAY | Recorded live on 06 Jul 1981 at Brendan Byrne Arena, East Rutherford, NJ |
Side 5:
| 1. | BADLANDS | Recorded live on 05 Nov 1980 at Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ |
| 2. | BECAUSE THE NIGHT | Recorded live on 28 Dec 1980 at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Uniondale, NY |
| 3. | CANDY'S ROOM | Recorded live on 08 Jul 1981 at Brendan Byrne Arena, East Rutherford, NJ |
| 4. | DARKNESS ON THE EDGE OF TOWN | Recorded live on 29 Dec 1980 at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Uniondale, NY |
| 5. | RACING IN THE STREET | Recorded live on 06 Jul 1981 at Brendan Byrne Arena, East Rutherford, NJ |
Side 6:
| 1. | THIS LAND IS YOUR LAND | Recorded live on 29 Dec 1980 at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Uniondale, NY |
| 2. | NEBRASKA | Recorded live on 06 Aug 1984 at Brendan Byrne Arena, East Rutherford, NJ |
| 3. | JOHNNY 99 | Recorded live on 19 Aug 1985 at Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, NJ |
| 4. | REASON TO BELIEVE | Recorded live on 19 Aug 1984 at Brendan Byrne Arena, East Rutherford, NJ |
Side 7:
| 1. | BORN IN THE U.S.A. | Recorded live on 30 Sep 1985 at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles, CA |
| 2. | SEEDS | Recorded live on 30 Sep 1985 at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles, CA |
| 3. | THE RIVER | Recorded live on 30 Sep 1985 at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles, CA |
Side 8:
| 1. | WAR | Recorded live on 30 Sep 1985 at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles, CA |
| 2. | DARLINGTON COUNTY | Recorded live on 30 Sep 1985 at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles, CA |
| 3. | WORKING ON THE HIGHWAY | Recorded live on 19 Aug 1985 at Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, NJ |
| 4. | THE PROMISED LAND | Recorded live on 30 Sep 1985 at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles, CA |
Side 9:
| 1. | COVER ME | Recorded live on 30 Sep 1985 at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles, CA |
| 2. | I'M ON FIRE | Recorded live on 19 Aug 1985 at Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, NJ |
| 3. | BOBBY JEAN | Recorded live on 21 Aug 1985 at Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, NJ |
| 4. | MY HOMETOWN | Recorded live on 30 Sep 1985 at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles, CA |
Side 10:
| 1. | BORN TO RUN | Recorded live on 19 Aug 1985 at Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, NJ |
| 2. | NO SURRENDER | Recorded live on 06 Aug 1984 at Brendan Byrne Arena, East Rutherford, NJ |
| 3. | TENTH AVENUE FREEZE-OUT | Recorded live on 20 Aug 1984 at Brendan Byrne Arena, East Rutherford, NJ |
| 4. | JERSEY GIRL | Recorded live on 09 Jul 1981 at Brendan Byrne Arena, East Rutherford, NJ |
Disc 1:
| 01. | THUNDER ROAD | Recorded live on 18 Oct 1975 at The Roxy Theatre, West Hollywood, CA |
| 02. | ADAM RAISE A CAIN | Recorded live on 07 Jul 1978 at The Roxy Theatre, West Hollywood, CA |
| 03. | SPIRIT IN THE NIGHT | Recorded live on 07 Jul 1978 at The Roxy Theatre, West Hollywood, CA |
| 04. | 4TH OF JULY, ASBURY PARK (SANDY) | Recorded live on 31 Dec 1980 at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Uniondale, NY |
| 05. | PARADISE BY THE "C" | Recorded live on 07 Jul 1978 at The Roxy Theatre, West Hollywood, CA |
| 06. | FIRE | Recorded live on 16 Dec 1978 at Winterland Ballroom, San Francisco, CA |
| 07 | GROWIN' UP | Recorded live on 07 Jul 1978 at The Roxy Theatre, West Hollywood, CA |
| 08. | IT'S HARD TO BE A SAINT IN THE CITY | Recorded live on 07 Jul 1978 at The Roxy Theatre, West Hollywood, CA |
| 09. | BACKSTREETS | Recorded live on 07 Jul 1978 at The Roxy Theatre, West Hollywood, CA |
| 10. | ROSALITA (COME OUT TONIGHT) | Recorded live on 07 Jul 1978 at The Roxy Theatre, West Hollywood, CA |
| 11. | RAISE YOUR HAND | Recorded live on 07 Jul 1978 at The Roxy Theatre, West Hollywood, CA |
| 12. | HUNGRY HEART | Recorded live on 28 Dec 1980 at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Uniondale, NY |
| 13. | TWO HEARTS | Recorded live on 08 Jul 1981 at Brendan Byrne Arena, East Rutherford, NJ |
Disc 2:
| 01. | CADILLAC RANCH | Recorded live on 06 Jul 1981 at Brendan Byrne Arena, East Rutherford, NJ |
| 02. | YOU CAN LOOK (BUT YOU BETTER NOT TOUCH) | Recorded live on 29 Dec 1980 at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Uniondale, NY |
| 03. | INDEPENDENCE DAY | Recorded live on 06 Jul 1981 at Brendan Byrne Arena, East Rutherford, NJ |
| 04. | BADLANDS | Recorded live on 05 Nov 1980 at Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ |
| 05. | BECAUSE THE NIGHT | Recorded live on 28 Dec 1980 at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Uniondale, NY |
| 06. | CANDY'S ROOM | Recorded live on 08 Jul 1981 at Brendan Byrne Arena, East Rutherford, NJ |
| 07. | DARKNESS ON THE EDGE OF TOWN | Recorded live on 29 Dec 1980 at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Uniondale, NY |
| 08. | RACING IN THE STREET | Recorded live on 06 Jul 1981 at Brendan Byrne Arena, East Rutherford, NJ |
| 09. | THIS LAND IS YOUR LAND | Recorded live on 29 Dec 1980 at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Uniondale, NY |
| 10. | NEBRASKA | Recorded live on 06 Aug 1984 at Brendan Byrne Arena, East Rutherford, NJ |
| 11. | JOHNNY 99 | Recorded live on 19 Aug 1985 at Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, NJ |
| 12. | REASON TO BELIEVE | Recorded live on 19 Aug 1984 at Brendan Byrne Arena, East Rutherford, NJ |
| 13. | BORN IN THE U.S.A. | Recorded live on 30 Sep 1985 at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles, CA |
| 14. | SEEDS | Recorded live on 30 Sep 1985 at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles, CA |
Disc 3:
| 01. | THE RIVER | Recorded live on 30 Sep 1985 at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles, CA |
| 02. | WAR | Recorded live on 30 Sep 1985 at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles, CA |
| 03. | DARLINGTON COUNTY | Recorded live on 30 Sep 1985 at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles, CA |
| 04. | WORKING ON THE HIGHWAY | Recorded live on 19 Aug 1985 at Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, NJ |
| 05. | THE PROMISED LAND | Recorded live on 30 Sep 1985 at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles, CA |
| 06. | COVER ME | Recorded live on 30 Sep 1985 at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles, CA |
| 07. | I'M ON FIRE | Recorded live on 19 Aug 1985 at Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, NJ |
| 08. | BOBBY JEAN | Recorded live on 21 Aug 1985 at Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, NJ |
| 09. | MY HOMETOWN | Recorded live on 30 Sep 1985 at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles, CA |
| 10. | BORN TO RUN | Recorded live on 19 Aug 1985 at Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, NJ |
| 11. | NO SURRENDER | Recorded live on 06 Aug 1984 at Brendan Byrne Arena, East Rutherford, NJ |
| 12. | TENTH AVENUE FREEZE-OUT | Recorded live on 20 Aug 1984 at Brendan Byrne Arena, East Rutherford, NJ |
| 13. | JERSEY GIRL | Recorded live on 09 Jul 1981 at Brendan Byrne Arena, East Rutherford, NJ |
The live 30 Sep 1985 version of THE RIVER can also be found on some Bruce Springsteen samplers.
List of available versions of THE RIVER on this website:
THE RIVER [Album version]
