PUMPING IRON

Live Oct 1995 version

Jimmy was a rocker, oh, how he liked to rock
Combed his hair just right
And he practiced the way he talked
Gonna go out tonight and make a little noise
He was a steel-driving man just like his daddy was
Didn't have a choice, he's just doing what he's told
If you can't be a man better be one of the boys
Going to meet little Joe at the corner
Hey, make sure he is dressed up just right
Little Joe has been acting like a goner
But tonight
It's all right!

Pumping iron, sweating steel
Hearts of stone, dressed to kill
Pumping iron, sweating steel
Well, you can never understand the way I feel

Jimmy's gonna meet Maria downtown at ten o'clock
Well, her old man don't like him, won't let him come to the house
Pop a pill, drink some whiskey, get a little wasted, baby, that's all right
'Cause that poor boy got to live his whole lifetime
In just one night, and that night'll be tonight
Can I hear you over there? Can I hear you?

Pumping iron, sweating steel
Hearts of stone, dressed to kill
Pumping iron, sweating steel
Well, you can never understand the way I feel

Here come Maria, man she looks really hot
Got to give her everything I got, at last
Slips in her Chevy beside little Joe
Steps on the gas and watch her go so fast, ah, she's so fast
Get it going!

Pumping iron, sweating steel
Hearts of stone, dressed to kill
Pumping iron, sweating steel
Well, you can never understand
Pumping iron, sweating steel
Hearts of stone, dressed to kill
Pumping iron, sweating steel
Well, you can never understand the way I feel
Well, you can never understand the way I feel

One, two, three, four!
Pumping iron, sweating steel
Hearts of stone, dressed to kill
Pumping iron, sweating steel
Well, you can never understand the way I feel
You can never understand the way I feel

Let me hear you say yeah!
Let me hear you say yeah!
Let me hear you say yeah!
Let me hear you say yeah!

Page last updated: 15 Jan 2012

Intro

PUMPING IRON is a song by the Iron City Houserockers who released it in 1980. See the original Iron City Houserockers version for more details.

The above lyrics are transcribed from a live version of PUMPING IRON recorded on 20 or 21 Oct 1995 at Nick's Fat City in Pittsburgh, PA, during Joe Grushecky and The Houserockers' October Assault Tour. See the "Live History" section below for more details. Springsteen plays guitar and sings backup vocals on this track.

The track was released in both an unedited version clocking at 8:24, and an edited version clocking at 6:10. See the "Official Releases" section below for more details. The edited version has the sections above in bold and part of the guitar solo/duel edited out.

Official Releases

Joe Grushecky released two UK-only CD EPs in 1996, Labour Of Love (cat# PLR007-3) and Labour Of Love (Live) (cat# PLR007-5). The pair contain in total five live recordings from the 20 and 21 Oct 1995 October Assault Tour shows plus one studio cut from American Babylon. A live recording of PUMPING IRON (from one of the two Pittsburgh gigs, 20 or 21 Oct 1995) was included on the second EP, Labour Of Love (Live).

Along with other recordings from the same two Pittsburgh shows, PUMPING IRON was also released in 1999 on the Joe Grushecky and The Houserockers live album Down The Road Apiece Live (in an edited version), and in 2009 on October Assault 1995, Nick's Fat City, Pittsburgh, PA, a bonus CD included with the documentary DVD A Good Life: The Joe Grushecky Story.

Live History

In October 1995, Joe Grushecky and The Houserockers kicked off the release of their American Babylon album with a six-stop tour dubbed the "October Assault." Introduced as "honorary Houserocker of the week" on the first night, Springsteen joined the band for the majority of the set on all six dates, playing guitar and sharing vocals with Grushecky. At each show, Springsteen came out for American Babylon's WHAT DID YOU DO IN THE WAR and remained on stage for the rest of the set. PUMPING IRON was performed every night during the Springsteen portion of the set.

[Click here to display/hide detailed October Assault Tour performances list]

PUMPING IRON was performed during the first (2000), third (2002), fourth (2003), and twelfth (2012) annual Light Of Day benefits. The song was played with Joe Grushecky and The Houserockers.

[Click here to display/hide detailed Light Of Day benefits shows performances list]

Springsteen also performed PUMPING IRON on several other occasions from 1995 onwards.

[Click here to display/hide detailed remaining performances list]

Available Versions

List of available versions of PUMPING IRON on this website:

• Live Oct 1995 version
• Original Iron City Houserockers version

Credits / References

Thanks Jake (ol'catfishinthelake at BTX and Greasy Lake) for the lyrics help and Frederic Clair for the Labour Of Love (Live) EP scan.

Info about the October Assault Tour is taken from Backstreets magazine issue #50/51.

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