FROM SMALL THINGS (BIG THINGS ONE DAY COME)^©

Dave Edmunds' version

At sixteen she quit high school to make her fortune in the promised land
She got a job behind the counter in an all night hamburger stand
She wrote faithfully home to mama, "now mama don't you worry none"
From small things, mama, big things one day come

It was late one Friday, he pulled in out of the dark
He was tall and handsome, first she took his order then she took his heart
They bought a house up on the hillside, where little feet would soon run
From small things, mama, big things one day come

Oh but love is fleeting, it's sad but it's true
When your heart is beating, you don't wanna hear the news
She packed her bags and with a Wyomie country real estate man
She drove down to Tampa with an "El Dorado Grande"
She wrote back, "Dear Mama, life is just heaven in the sun
From small things, mama, big things one day come"
Whoah!

Well she shot him dead on a sunny Florida road
When they caught her all she said was she couldn't stand the way he drove

Back home lonesome Johnny waits for his baby's parole
He waits high on the hillside where the Wyomie rivers roll
At his feet and almost grown now, a blue-eyed daughter and a handsome son
From small things, mama, big things one day come
From small things, mama, big things one day come
Well, from small things, mama, big things one day come

From small things, mama, big things one day come
From small things, mama, big things one day come
Yeah, from small things, mama, big things one day come

Page last updated: 26 Sep 2007

During The River Tour, Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band toured the UK in Spring 1981. They had a 6-nights stand (29, 30 May, 01, 02, 04, 05 Jun) at Wembley Arena, London. When British rock veteran Dave Edmunds went to see Springsteen perform at Wembley Arena, he expected a good show but not necessarily a new song to record. "I was backstage in the hospitality area after the gig," Edmunds remembered, "and one of his crew of road managers tapped me on the shoulder and said, 'Bruce wants to meet you.' I went back and had this great talk with him, and he played me this song and said, 'I'd like you to do this, if you like it.' He said he'd send me the tape, which he did." The song was FROM SMALL THINGS (BIG THINGS ONE DAY COME) that Edmunds recorded and used as the opening track of his 1982 album D.E. 7th. It was released as a single and peaked only at #28 on the US Mainstream Rock singles chart. But the presence of a previously unrecorded Springsteen song in the wake of The River's success was enough to give Edmunds his highest charting album of his career: No. 56 on the Billboard Top 200. The above lyrics are for Dave Edmunds' studio version.

Edmunds recording of FROM SMALL THINGS (BIG THINGS ONE DAY COME) was included on various Edmunds releases over the years:

• D.E. 7th - LP - Columbia (PC 37930) - USA, 1982
• "Warmed Over Kisses Left Over Love" / "From Small Things" - 7" - Columbia (18-02960) - USA, 1982
• "Your True Love" / "From Small Things" - 7" (with PS) - Arista (ARIST 478) - UK, 1982
• "Your True Love" / "From Small Things" - 7" (free) - Arista (JUKE 1) - UK, 1982
• "Louisana Man" / "From Small Things" - 7" (with PS) - Arista (104.085) - Germany, 1982
• "Dear Dad" / "From Small Things" - 7" (with PS) - Arista (ARI 8201) - Sweden, 1982
• "From Small Things" / "Me And The Boys" - 7" (with PS) - Arista (104 130) - France, 1982
• "Move On" / "From Small Things" - 7" (free, with PS) - Arista (PROMO-1) - Australia, 1982
• Something About You - 12" 5-track EP - Arista (ARIST 12562) - UK, 1984
• "From Small Things" / "Run Rudolph Run" - 7" - Columbia (13-05487) - USA, 1985?
• D.E. 7th - CD - Arista (CK 37930) - USA, 1990
• Rock Guitar Legends 2 - various artists 3-CD - Knight (RGLCD 47006) - UK, 1991
• The Dave Edmunds Anthology (1968-1990) - CD - Rhino (R2 71191) - USA, 1993
• Best Of... - CD - Arista (?) - ?, 1997?
• Rockin' - CD - Camden (74321 45 1922) - Germany, 1997
• Chronicles - CD - Connoisseur (?) - UK, 1999?
• I Hear You Knocking - CD - Sony (?) - UK, ?
• Guitar Heroes - various artists 3-CD - Sony (?) - ?, 2001
• D.E. 7 / Information - CD (2 albums on one CD) - Beat Goes On (BGOCD545) - UK, 2002
• From Small Things - The Best Of Dave Edmunds - CD - Sony Legacy (?) - USA, 2004
• Here Comes The Weekend - CD - Sony Special Products (?) - USA, 2005

A Dave Edmunds live recording of FROM SMALL THINGS (BIG THINGS ONE DAY COME) was also released:

• King Biscuit Flower Hour - CD - King Biscuit Flower Hour (70710-88048-2) - USA, 1999
• Live On The King Biscuit Flower Hour - CD - King Biscuit Flower Hour (KBFHCD 027) - UK, 1999
• C'Mon Everybody - CD - Disky (SI 794182) - Holland, 2002

Dave Edmunds's studio version of FROM SMALL THINGS (BIG THINGS ONE DAY COME) was also included on several Bruce Springsteen various artists tribute albums:

Various artists / Cover Me LP - Rhino (RNIN 70700) - USA, 1986 Cassette - Rhino (?) - USA, 1986

Various artists / Songs From The Boss LP - Dover (ADD 3) - UK, 1988 CD - Dover (CCD 3) - UK, 1988

Various artists / Cover Me CD - Rhino (R2 70700) - USA, 1989

Various artists / The Bruce Springsteen Songbook CD - Connoisseur (VSOP CD 224) - UK, 1996

Various artists / If I Were The Boss: The Songs Of Bruce Springsteen CD - Castle (CMQCD1422) - UK, 2006

Check out also the other available versions of this song:

• Studio version (more details)
• Live 28 Aug 2003 version
• Live 05 Dec 2003 version
• Live 02 Dec 2004 version
• Dave Edmunds' version

Most info on this page taken from Gary Graff's book The Ties That Bind - Bruce Springsteen A to E to Z. Info and scans for most of the above releases taken from the Nebraska website. Thanks Jake (ol'catfishinthelake from BTX and Greasy Lake) for the lyrics help.