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LOOK TOWARDS THE LAND 
Studio rehearsal version
Well I dreamed I was a gypsy riding the land
With a tambourine and a gypsy queen and a rainbow caravan
Happy old land sailor, that's what I wanna be
Stealing diamonds from the rich men to throw in the sea
Singing look toward the land
'Cause the land holds the key
Keep an eye on the land
And an eye on the sea
Yes I dreamed I was the cabin boy on an American clipper line
Stealing cargo to colonies of South Caroline
Watering flowers for the captain that they may not wilt
On the best ol' clipper Donald McKay ever built
Singing look towards the land
'Cause the land is the key
Keep an eye on the land
And an eye on the sea
Whoa alright
Yes I dreamed I was the captain of the river queen
Caressing Mississippi waters down to New Orleans
Just a riverboat captain, that's what I wanna be
Won't you come – come on now, I'd let you ride my mama for free
Singing look towards the river
'Cause the river's the key
Keep an eye on the river
And an eye on the sea
And you know it's all right
Where the river flows, I'll follow
Where the sun shines, I will go
Mama take my hand, I want to bring you to the land
Where the wild wind blows
And the mountains grow
And the people know
Yes they know
You must let the river flow
Let the river go
Where the river flows, I will follow
Where the sun shines, I must go
And mama take my hand, I want to bring you the land
Where the wild wind blows
And the people know
And the mountains grow
Yes they grow
And the river flows
Gotta let the river flow
Yes I dreamed I was a river flowing free
And I dreamed that everybody just flowed naturally
Yes I dreamed I was a crystal mountain stream
Running down the biggest mountain you ever seen
Singing look towards the river
For they are the key
Keep an eye on the river
And an eye on the sea
Dreamed I was your lover 'cause that's what I wanna be
I dreamed that every night you dreamed only of me
We walked together by the sea, a hand in hand
I'm telling you were my only woman and I'd be your only man
Singing look toward the lovers
For they are the key
Keep an eye on the lovers
And an eye on the war machine
Page last updated: 01 Feb 2009
Intro
Music and lyrics by Bruce Springsteen, LOOK TOWARDS THE LAND was written in
early 1971 and performed live between mid-1971 and early-1972 [more details below].
Studio Recording
Springsteen wrote numerous songs in 1971, but did not record any material in a
professional recording studio during that period. However, studio rehearsal sessions were
frequently conducted at the Challenger Eastern Surfboards factory in Highlands, NJ, in 1971 and
early 1972. The primary purpose of the sessions was to prepare for live shows, not to make audio
recordings. So only a fraction of this extensive body of rehearsal sessions was ever recorded, and
when they were, it is an unfortunate reality that the reel-to-reel tapes made at Challenger
Eastern were often erased and reused as part of the recording of live shows.
Fortunately, audio of only one Challenger East session is known to exist – a
continuous 6-song, 61-minute segment of a rehearsal that took place in early 1972 at Challenger
Eastern Surfboard Factory, Highlands, NJ. The recording is engineered and produced by Carl
"Tinker" West. The session lineup was Bruce Springsteen, Steve Van Zandt, David
Sancious, Gary Tallent, and Vini Lopez.
- DON'T YOU WANT TO BE AN OUTLAW
- IT'S ALL OVER NOW, BABY BLUE
- WHEN YOU DANCE
- LOOK TOWARDS THE LAND
- I'VE GOT TO HAVE YOU BABY
- FUNK SONG
The original tape notes the audio as emanating from 1972, but does not mention
the exact date. However, according to
Brucebase, this session is most
definitely from very early in the year, prior to Springsteen's March 1972 contract signing with
Mike Appel and Jim Cretecos. Bearing in mind that The Bruce Springsteen Band had been idle for
over a month due to Springsteen's trip to California, it's likely this rehearsal took place in
order to prepare for the numerous shows scheduled for late Jan thru early Mar. Indeed, the
arrangements of these songs are remarkably similar to those that have surfaced from live gigs
during this specific period. Brucebase
lists the recording under its "14 Mar 1972" entry.
In addition to the 55 minutes of music noted above, there are nearly 7 minutes
of between-song studio chat, much of it between Springsteen and sound recorder Tinker West, who
Bruce refers to as "Stinky". The discussions seem to indicate that the primary intent of
the session is for rehearsing, not recording, with the recording merely being done because Tinker
wants to test some new recording equipment. The sound quality is uniformly excellent. Although all
the audio is from the same night, it is evident from the discussions that the rehearsals had been
going on for some hours before the recording starts. It should be noted that this is not
Challenger's more famous Wanamassa, NJ factory location, the one that Springsteen had lived and
rehearsed in during the 1969–1971 Child-Steel Mill era. Tinker West had relocated that factory to
Highlands, NJ in mid-1971 and had then constructed a more professional rehearsal room (which
included a control room like a normal studio) for the various bands he managed.
LOOK TOWARDS THE LAND is one of the 6 tracks caught on this studio rehearsal
tape, and the above lyrics are for that version of the song.
Live Performances
LOOK TOWARDS THE LANDS is known to have been performed live twice, once with Dr.
Zoom And The Sonic Boom, and once with The Bruce Springsteen Band:
- 15 May 1971 at Newark State College, Union, NJ, with Dr. Zoom And The Sonic Boom. Check out
the live 15 May 1971 version for more details.
- 17 Mar 1972 at Richmond Arena, Richmond, VA, with the Bruce Springsteen Band. Check out the
live 17 Mar 1972 version for more details.
Available Versions
List of available versions of LOOK TOWARDS THE LAND on this website:
Credits / References
Most of the above info are taken from
Brucebase. Thanks Albee Tellone for the
help.
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