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Live 14 Dec 1998 version
Hey there mister, can you tell me what happened to the seeds I've sown
Can you give me a reason, sir, as to why they never grown
They just blown around from town to town till they're back out on these fields
Yeah where they fall from my hand back into the dirt of this hard land
And me and my sister, well from Germantown yeah we did ride
And we made our beds, sir, from the rock on the mountain side
Yeah we've been blown around from town to town just looking for a place to stand
Where the sun bursts through the clouds to fall like a circle, like a circle of fire down on this hard land
Now even the rain it don't come around, don't come around here no more
And the only sound at night's the wind slamming that back porch door
It stirs you up like it wants to blow you down, twisting and churning up the sand
And leaving all them scarecrows lying face down, face down in the dirt of this hard land
From a building up on the hill I can hear a tape deck blasting "Home On The Range"
I can see them bar rim choppers sweeping low across the plains
And it's me and you Frank, we're looking for lost cattle, our hooves twisting and churning up the sand
Hey riding in the whirlwind, searching for lost treasure way down south of the Rio Grande
We're riding across that river in the moonlight way up on the banks of this hard land
Hey Frank, won't you pack your bags and meet me tonight down at Liberty Hall
I just want a kiss from you my brother and we'll ride until we fall
Yeah we'll sleep in the fields, we'll sleep by the rivers, in the morning we'll make a stand
Well if you can't make it, stay hard, stay hungry, stay alive if you can, meet me in a dream of this hard land
[Spoken outro:] (chuckles) Thank you.
The above lyrics are for the live 14 Dec 1998 performance of THIS HARD LAND at Teatro Real in Madrid, Spain, during a guest appearance on "Música Si", a TV show broadcast on Spanish television channel La Primera (TVE1). The episode was broadcast a few days later. The song was played solo on acoustic guitar and harmonica.
In December 1998 Bruce Springsteen embarked on a brief five-city European media tour to promote the Tracks box set. In each city Springsteen appeared on a local radio or TV station giving an interview and performing one or two solo acoustic songs:
Another stop in Amsterdam, which was supposed to take place before going to Spain, was reportedly cancelled due to bad weather conditions.
It was during this series of promotional appearances that Springsteen first confirmed an upcoming tour with the E Street Band. He first gave a hint during the interview in Germany, and then confirmed during the interview in Sweden. Later that day (08 Dec 1998) an official press release from Shore Fire Media confirmed the news.
Please contact me if you have audio or video of Springsteen's complete TV appearance that includes the interview part. Any additions, comments, or corrections to this page are welcome. You can contact me via the below form or by email: .
List of available versions of THIS HARD LAND on this website:
THIS HARD LAND [Official 1982 studio version]