CHIMES OF FREEDOM^©

Live 15 Oct 1988 version

[Bruce Springsteen:]
Far between sundown's finish and midnight's broken toll
We ducked inside the doorway, thunder crashing
As majestic bells of bolts struck shadows in the sound
Seeming to be the chimes of freedom flashing
[Tracy Chapman:]
Flashing for the warriors whose strength is not to fight
Flashing for the refugees on an unarmed road of flight
And for each and every underdog a soldier in the night
And we gazed upon the chimes of freedom flashing

[Sting:]
In the city's melted furnace, unexpectedly we watched
With faces hidden around the walls were tightening
Well as the echo of the wedding bells before the blowing rain
Dissolved into the bells of lightning
[Peter Gabriel:]
Tolling for the rebel, oh tolling for the rake
Tolling for the luckless, the abandoned and forsaked
Tolling for the outcast, burning constantly at stake
We gazed upon the chimes of freedom flashing

[Youssou N'dour:]
Whoaa laaa looo
Ley la-la la-laaa

[Youssou N'dour:]
Even though cloud white curtain in a far-off corner flashed
And the hypnotic splattered mist was slowly lifting
An electric light still struck like arrows, fired but for the ones
Condemned to drift or else be kept from drifting
[Sting and Peter Gabriel:]
Tolling for the searching ones, on their speechless seeking trail
For the lonesome-hearted lovers with too personal a tale
For each unharmful gentle soul misplaced inside a jail
And we gazed upon the chimes of freedom flashing

[Bruce Springsteen:]
Starry-eyed and laughing, I recall as we were caught
Trapped by no track of hours for they hanged suspended
As we listened one last time and we watched with one last look
Spellbound and swallowed as the tolling ended
[everybody:]
Tolling for the aching ones whose wounds cannot be nursed
For the countless confused, accused, misused, strung-out ones and worse
And for every hung-up person in the whole wide universe
And we gazed upon the chimes of freedom flashing

[everybody:]
Whoa whoa whoa
Whoa whoa whoa whoa
Whoa whoa whoa
Whoa whoa whoa whoaaa

Page last updated: 28 Jun 2007

The above lyrics are for the live 15 Oct 1988 performance at River Plate Stadium, Buenos Aires, Argentina, during the last show of the Amnesty International Human Rights Now! Tour. Sting, Peter Gabriel, Tracy Chapman, and Youssou N'dour all joined Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band on CHIMES OF FREEDOM.

The song was also played during all 20 shows of the multi-artist Amnesty International Human Rights Now! Tour. It should be noted that the setlist of the 14 Oct 1988 show at Estadio Mundialista Mendoza, Mendoza, Argentina, is unknown, but it is assumed that the song was played on that date since it was on all other setlists of the tour. The 15 Oct 1988 date was the last show of the tour, and it was broadcast worldwide live on the radio and partially released on TV later in the year.

The Amnesty International Human Rights Now! Tour was a worldwide series of twenty benefit concerts on behalf of Amnesty International that took place over six weeks in 1988. Held not to raise funds but to increase awareness of Amnesty and to publicize the 40th anniversary of the Universal Declaration Of Human Rights, the shows featured Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, Sting, Peter Gabriel, Tracy Chapman, and Youssou N'dour. The shows were billed as "A Concert For Human Rights Now!".

Check out also the other available versions of this song:

• Live 01 Sep 1978 version (more details)
• Live 03 Jul 1988 version
• Live 19 Jul 1988 version
• Live 15 Oct 1988 version
• Bob Dylan's original version