SONG TO ORPHANS^©

Live 31 Jan 1973 version

The multitude assembled and tried to make the noise
Them black blind poet generals and restless loud white boys
But time's grew thin and the axis was left somehow incomplete
Where instead of child lions we found agein' junkie sheep

How many wasted have I seen signed "Hollywood or bust"
Left to ride them ever ghostly Arizona gusts
Oh cheerleader tramps and kids with big amps soundin' in the void
High society vamps, ex-heavyweight champs mistakin' soot for soil

Woah so break me now big Mama as Old Faithful breaks the day
Believe me my good Linda, the aurora will shine your way
The confederacy's in my name now, them hounds are held at bay
The axis needs a stronger arm, do you feel your muscles play

The doorstep blanket weaver, Madonna, she's pushin' bells
From house to house to house to house, givin' last kisses and wishin' well
To every gypsy mystic and all-star hero that the kids might find a place
Who've been lost forever to papa and mama on their weekends out in space

The sons, the sons they search for fathers, but their fathers have all gone
And lost souls search for saviours, but saviours don't last long
Those aimless questless renegade brats who live their lives in songs
They run the length of a candle, in a goodnight whisper and a puff they're gone

Woah so break me now big Mama as Old Faithful breaks the day
Believe me my good Linda, the aurora will shine your way
The confederacy's in my name now, them hounds are held at bay
The axis needs a stronger arm, do you feel your muscles play

Woahhhh

The missions are filled with hermits lookin' for a friend
The terraces are filled with cat-men lookin' for a way in
There's orphans jumped on silver mountains, lost in celestial alleyways
They wait for that old tramp Dog Man Moses, he takes in all the strays

Now don't grow on empty legends, but lonely cradle songs
Because Billy the Kid was just a bowery boy who made a living twirlin' his guns
The night she's long, she's lanky, she speaks in a mother tongue
And lullaby refugees with an amplifier's hum

So break us now big Mama as Old Faithful breaks the day
Believe me my sweet Linda, oh help she sure on the way
The Confederacy's in my name now, them hounds are held at bay
The axis needs a stronger arm, do you feel your muscle play
The Confederacy's in my name now, them hounds are held at bay
The axis needs a stronger arm, do you feel your muscles play

Hmmm

Page last updated: 10 Sep 2007

The above lyrics are for the live 31 Jan 1973 performance at Max's Kansas City, New York City, NY, during the Greetings From Asbury Park, NJ Tour. For in-depth details, read the below notes for the 31 Jan 1973 show. This was the last known performance of SONG TO ORPHANS before its reappearnace 32 years later during the Devils & Dust Solo Acoustic Tour (check out the live 21 Nov 2005 version).

Audio recording for that live 31 Jan 1973 performance of SONG TO ORPHANS is available on several bootlegs, including All Those Years 1971-1973 (Templar Records), Live At Max's Kansas City (The Swingin' Pig Records), The Unsurpassed Springsteen Vol. 1 (Yellow Dog Records), and The Unsurpassed Springsteen Vol. 2 (Yellow Dog Records).

The above lyrics are for the live 31 Jan 1973 performance at Max's Kansas City, New York City, NY. Check out also the other available versions of this song (minor lyrics variations):

• Studio version (more details)
• Live 09 Jan 1973 version
• Live 31 Jan 1973 version
• Live 21 Nov 2005 version

Notes from Brucebase about the 31 Jan 1973 show at Max's Kansas City, New York City, NY:

1st show:
01- Mickey Ruskin introduction / MARY QUEEN OF ARKANSAS
02- BISHOP DANCED
03- Bruce brings out the band / HEAT WAVE - CIRCUS SONG
04- SPIRIT IN THE NIGHT
05- DOES THIS BUS STOP AT 82ND STREET?
06- THUNDERCRACK

2nd show:
01- Mickey Ruskin second introduction / SAGA OF THE ARCHITECT ANGEL
02- SONG TO THE ORPHANS
03- Bruce brings out the band (cut)

Two shows, double billing, with Springsteen opening for headliner Biff Rose. This was the opening of a 6-night (12-show) residency at the club. As undercard Bruce's performances would have been limited to about 60 minutes per show.

By prior arrangement with Mike Appel and Columbia Records, DIR Broadcasting Corp was on hand to gather performance recordings of Bruce for use on its upcoming new syndicated radio program called "King Biscuit Flower Hour". The DIR Engineers had been in Buffalo two days earlier recording The Mahavishnu Orchestra and the week before that in Dallas recording a Blood Sweat & Tears concert. The King Biscuit Flower Hour used a 2-4 week delayed broadcast formula and the show made its debut on Feb 18th and Feb 19th (date depended on the locale). As it turned out the program that aired featured mostly Blood Sweat & Tears (major stars at this time). Only one Mahavishnu Orchestra track was broadcast and only one Springsteen song (BISHOP DANCED). This is the recording of BISHOP DANCED that ended up on the official Tracks boxed set, although the liner notes for Tracks mistakenly list the broadcast date as the recording date. BISHOP DANCED was re-broadcast by King Biscuit several times in subsequent years but none of the other Springsteen material recorded by them on this night was ever aired, seemingly due to rights issues. Recordings from this show are often misidentified as coming from solo Springsteen shows at Max's Kansas City in mid 1972.

[...] King Biscuit Flower Hour still retains a Master Tape of the entire 31 Jan 1973 show in its archives. There are conflicting reports as to whether the company also has any of the band segment of the second show. [...] The company has repeatedly sought (and been declined) permission to commercially release what they have as part of its ongoing archive CD reissue series. Fortunately we do have the material via the unofficial route.

The entire performance from the early show can be found in excellent quality on the bootleg CD Live At Max's Kansas City (Swingin' Pig Records). This bootleg also has the two tracks from the second show but, inexplicably, the recording of SONG TO THE ORPHANS is only half complete. The complete recording of SONG TO THE ORPHANS from this show can be either found on the bootleg CD The Unsurpassed Springsteen Vol. 1 (Yellow Dog Records) or the bootleg CD The Unsurpassed Springsteen Vol. 2 (Yellow Dog Records) [...]

Liner notes from the All Those Years 1971-1973 bootleg booklet:

The only thing that's sure about this song is that it's unbelievably beautiful. Here's a rare live version featuring Bruce on acoustic guitar and Danny on accordion. Recorded at Max's K.C. New York City N.Y. on August 30, 1972. [the correct date is January 31, 1973]