RING OF FIRE

Live 12 Jan 1974 version

Love is a burning thing
And it makes a fiery ring
Well, I was bound by burning desire
When I fell into your ring of fire

Well, I fell into a burning ring of fire
I went down, down, down, and the flame, she went higher
And it burns, burn, burns, your ring of fire, your ring of fire

Well, now the taste of love is sweet
When two souls like ours they meet
Little girl, I fell for you just like a child
And all them flames, well, they just went wild

I fell into a turning burning ring of fire
I went down, down, down, and the flames, they went higher
And it burns, burn, burns, your ring of fire, yeah

???
You keep on burning, baby
You keep on turning, baby
???

[Instrumental]

I fell into a turning burning ring fire
I went down, down, down, and the flames, they went higher
And it burns, burn, burns, your ring of fire, your ring of fire

[Instrumental]

It brings me higher, higher, higher
It brings me higher, higher, higher
It brings me higher, higher, higher
It brings me higher, higher, higher
It brings me higher, higher, higher
Whoa-whoa, whoa-whoa
???
???
???

Page last updated: 18 Feb 2012

Intro

RING OF FIRE is a song written by June Carter Cash and Merle Kilgore, and released by Johnny Cash in 1963. See the original Johnny Cash version for more details.

Bruce Springsteen's WE ARE ALIVE borrows the horn riff from Johnny Cash's RING OF FIRE.

12 Jan 1974 Performance

The above lyrics are for the live 12 Jan 1974 performance of RING OF FIRE at The Joint In The Woods in Parsippany, NJ, during The Wild, The Innocent, & The E Street Shuffle Tour. The song was played in a radically revamped bluesy arrangement.

Promotional poster for the 12 Jan 1974 show at The Joint In The Woods, Parsippany, NJ [Taken from Brucebase]

Live History

Springsteen debuted RING OF FIRE during his 1973 seven-show residency at Oliver's in Boston, MA (12 to 18 March), during the Greetings From Asbury Park, N.J. Tour. The song was then performed sporadically throughout the remainder of 1973. Following the 17 Mar 1973 show at Oliver's in Boston, MA, Springsteen was interviewed backstage and he mentioned incorporating new material into the shows and specifically mentions RING OF FIRE, APACHE, and ROSALITA (COME OUT TONIGHT). The setlist for the 17 Mar 1973 show in particular is unknown.

[Click here to display/hide detailed known Greetings From Asbury Park, N.J. Tour performances list]

RING OF FIRE is known to have been performed at least once during The Wild, The Innocent, & The E Street Shuffle Tour, on 12 Jan 1974 in Parsippany, NJ. Some of that period's setlists are incomplete or unknown, and therefore, the song must have been played on some more dates. On this tour, the song was played in a radically revamped bluesy arrangement.

[Click here to display/hide detailed known The Wild, The Innocent, & The E Street Shuffle Tour performances list]

RING OF FIRE was sound-checked prior to the 14 Mar 1988 show in Richfield, OH, (as far as it's known) but it was not performed on any of the Tunnel Of Love Express Tour's regular shows.

RING OF FIRE was performed once during the 83-date-long Working On A Dream Tour, on 18 Nov 2009 at Sommet Center in Nashville, TN. The song featured Curt Ramm on trumpet.

[Click here to display/hide detailed Working On A Dream Tour performances list]

Available Versions

List of available versions of RING OF FIRE on this website:

• Live 12 Jan 1974 version
• Live 18 Nov 2009 version
• Original Johnny Cash version

References

Much of the above info about the song's live history is taken from Brucebase.

Request

The circulating 12 Jan 1974 show audience recording is of poor quality. Therefore, some of the song's lyrics are unintelligible. For any additions, comments, or corrections, please contact me via the below form or by email: . You will be credited. Thanks in advance.

Subject:
Name and location:	This is how you will be credited, unless you specify differently in the message body.
E-mail address:	Please provide your email if you expect a response. It will not be disclosed to a third party.
Comments or message: (required) (plain text only, no tags)
Verification:	Please prove that you are not a robot spammer by typing the word that appears in the graphic on the left into the box beneath it.