Lyrics

TALKING TO THE KING

Live 20 Oct 1995 version


Woke up from a dream, took a walk downstairs
That's when I saw him standing there
I swore I heard you down here singing
And next thing you know I was talking to the king

I was talking to the king in the promised land
He just flew in for a one night stand
All dressed in leather, guitar in his hand
I was talking to the king in the promised land

There's so many questions that I'd like to ask
He said go ahead and started to laugh
I lost a few pounds and quit dyeing my hair
I'm keeping clean, there ain't no pills up there
But one thing I miss is a place to sing in
I grabbed my guitars, started jamming with the king

And I was jamming with the king in the promised land
He just flew in for a one night stand
All dressed in leather, guitar in his hand
I was talking to the king in the promised land
Come on!

Talking to the king
Talking to the king

You better be careful or you'll lose everything
It ain't no fun to be a king
You make me mad when you start to complain
You should be glad nobody knows your name
You got two lovely kids and a wife at home
And I died alone on my throne
Sometimes I think I sold my soul
To become the king of rock and roll

I was talking to the king in the promised land
He just flew in for a one night stand
All dressed in leather, guitar in his hand
I was talking to the king in the promised land

I was talking to the king in the promised land
He just flew in for a one night stand
All dressed in leather, guitar in his hand
I was talking to the king in the promised land
You got two lovely kids and a wife at home
And I died alone on my throne
Sometimes I think I sold my soul
To become the king of rock and roll

Talking to the king in the promised land
He just flew in for a one night stand
All dressed in leather, guitar in his hand
I was talking to the king in the promised land, whoa!
Talking to the king
Talking to the king in the promised land
Talking to the king
Talking to the king in the promised land, come on!
Talking to the king
Talking to the king
Talking to the king
Talking to the king

Info

TALKING TO THE KING is a 1992 song by Joe Grushecky & The Houserockers. See the original Joe Grushecky & The Houserockers version for more details.

Live 20 Oct 1995 version

The above lyrics are for the live 20 Oct 1995 performance of TALKING TO THE KING at Nick's Fat City in Pittsburgh, PA, during Joe Grushecky & The Houserockers' October Assault Tour. Bruce Springsteen plays guitar and sings backup vocals on this song.


October Assault Tour

In October 1995, Joe Grushecky & 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, Bruce 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 remainder of the set. The fourth date of the mini-tour (20 Oct 1995 in Pittsburgh, PA) was broadcast on radio. Eight songs from the fourth date and two songs from the fifth date (21 Oct 1995 in Pittsburgh, PA) were officially released.

Official Releases

This live 20 Oct 1995 version of TALKING TO THE KING appears on four official releases.

Joe Grushecky -- Labour Of Love
Joe Grushecky -- Labour Of Love

CD EP - Pinnacle (PLR007-3) - UK, 1996

This is one of two UK-only EP's that were released simultaneously. The pair contains a of total five live recordings from the 20 and 21 Oct 1995 October Assault Tour shows and one studio cut from American Babylon.

01- LABOR OF LOVE
02- TALKING TO THE KING [Live 20 Oct 1995 version]
03- GIMME SHELTER [Live 21 Oct 1995 version]
Joe Grushecky -- Labour Of Love
Joe Grushecky -- Labour Of Love

CD EP - PLR / Virgin (CDGRUS 1) - Scandinavia, 1996

This EP was pressed in Holland for the Scandinavian market. It contains a of two live recordings from the 20 and 21 Oct 1995 October Assault Tour shows and one studio cut from American Babylon.

01- LABOR OF LOVE
02- TALKING TO THE KING [Live 20 Oct 1995 version]
03- GIMME SHELTER [Live 21 Oct 1995 version]
Joe Grushecky & The Houserockers -- Down the Road Apiece - Live
Joe Grushecky & The Houserockers -- Down the Road Apiece - Live

CD - Schoolhouse Records (SHR0009-2) - USA, 1999

Eight of the album's 13 tracks are live recordings from the 20 and 21 Oct 1995 October Assault Tour shows, including three songs (recorded on 20 Oct 1995) on which Bruce Springsteen appears: TALKING TO THE KING, PUMPING IRON, and DOWN THE ROAD APIECE.
Joe Grushecky -- A Good Life: The Joe Grushecky Story
Joe Grushecky -- A Good Life: The Joe Grushecky Story

DVD + CD - Virgil Films (670653) - USA, 2009

This is a documentary DVD about Joe Grushecky and his career. It includes October Assault 1995, Nick's Fat City, Pittsburgh, PA, a bonus CD containing eight live recordings from the 20 and 21 Oct 1995 October Assault Tour show.

Live History

TALKING TO THE KING was performed 6 times during the 6-date-long October Assault Tour with Joe Grushecky & The Houserockers. The live 20 Oct 1995 version was first officially released in 1996.

October Assault Tour performances list

  1. 17 Oct 1995 at The Stone Pony, Asbury Park, NJ
  2. 18 Oct 1995 at Tramps, New York City, NY
  3. 19 Oct 1995 at Electric Factory, Philadelphia, PA
  4. 20 Oct 1995 at Nick's Fat City, Pittsburgh, PA
  5. 21 Oct 1995 at Nick's Fat City, Pittsburgh, PA
  6. 24 Oct 1995 at Park West, Chicago, IL

TALKING TO THE KING was performed during the first (2000), second (2001), fourth (2003), fifth (2004), seventh (2006), tenth (2010), eleventh (2011), twelfth (2012), fourteenth (2014), and fifteenth (2015) annual Light Of Day benefits. The song was played with Joe Grushecky & The Houserockers.

List of Light Of Day benefit shows performances

  1. 03 Nov 2000 at The Stone Pony, Asbury Park, NJ (during the first annual Light Of Day benefit)
  2. 03 Nov 2001 at Tradwinds, Sea Bright, NJ (during the second annual Light Of Day benefit)
  3. 01 Nov 2003 at The Stone Pony, Asbury Park, NJ (during the fourth annual Light Of Day benefit)
  4. 06 Nov 2004 at The Stone Pony, Asbury Park, NJ (during the fifth annual Light Of Day benefit)
  5. 02 Dec 2006 at Starland Ballroom, Sayeville, NJ (during the seventh annual Light Of Day benefit)
  6. 16 Jan 2010 at Paramount Theatre, Asbury Park, NJ (during the tenth annual Light Of Day benefit)
  7. 15 Jan 2011 at Paramount Theatre, Asbury Park, NJ (during the eleventh annual Light Of Day benefit)
  8. 14 Jan 2012 at Paramount Theatre, Asbury Park, NJ (during the twelfth annual Light Of Day benefit)
  9. 18 Jan 2014 at Paramount Theatre, Asbury Park, NJ (during the fourteenth annual Light Of Day benefit)
  10. 17 Jan 2015 at Paramount Theatre, Asbury Park, NJ (during the fifteenth annual Light Of Day benefit)

Bruce Springsteen appeared at a total of six Joe Grushecky & The Houserockers concerts at Soldiers & Sailors Memorial Hall & Museum in Pittsburgh, PA, in 2010, 2011, and 2014. TALKING TO THE KING was performed on 04 Nov 2010, 05 Nov 2010, 03 Nov 2011, 04 Nov 2011, 22 May 2014, and 23 May 2014.

List of Soldiers & Sailors Memorial Hall & Museum performances

  1. 04 Nov 2010 at Soldiers & Sailors Memorial Hall & Museum, Pittsburgh, PA
  2. 05 Nov 2010 at Soldiers & Sailors Memorial Hall & Museum, Pittsburgh, PA
  3. 03 Nov 2011 at Soldiers & Sailors Memorial Hall & Museum, Pittsburgh, PA
  4. 04 Nov 2011 at Soldiers & Sailors Memorial Hall & Museum, Pittsburgh, PA
  5. 22 May 2014 at Soldiers & Sailors Memorial Hall & Museum, Pittsburgh, PA
  6. 23 May 2014 at Soldiers & Sailors Memorial Hall & Museum, Pittsburgh, PA

TALKING TO THE KING was performed off-tour on 02 Mar 1998 at Nick's Fat City in Pittsburgh, PA, during a guest appearance with Joe Grushecky & The Houserockers.

TALKING TO THE KING was performed off-tour on 09 Jul 1999 at Hooligans in Long Branch, NJ, during an acoustic guest appearance with Joe Grushecky.

TALKING TO THE KING was performed off-tour on 17 Jul 2004 at The Stone Pony in Asbury Park, NJ, during a guest appearance with Joe Grushecky & The Houserockers.

TALKING TO THE KING was performed off-tour on 02 Dec 2004 at Heinz Hall in Pittsburgh, PA, during the "Flood Aid '04" benefit concert.

TALKING TO THE KING was performed off-tour on 18 Jul 2015 at Wonder Bar in Asbury Park, NJ, during a guest appearance with Joe Grushecky & The Houserockers.

List of off-tour performances

  1. 02 Mar 1998 at Nick's Fat City, Pittsburgh, PA
  2. 09 Jul 1999 at Hooligans, Long Branch, NJ
  3. 17 Jul 2004 at The Stone Pony, Asbury Park, NJ
  4. 02 Dec 2004 at Heinz Hall, Pittsburgh, PA
  5. 18 Jul 2015 at Wonder Bar, Asbury Park, NJ

Credits / References

Thanks Jake (ol'catfishinthelake at BTX and Greasy Lake) for the lyrics help.

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

Request

If you have any corrections or additional info, please contact me via the below form or by email: .

Available Versions

List of available versions of TALKING TO THE KING on this website:

TALKING TO THE KING [Live 20 Oct 1995 version]
TALKING TO THE KING [Original Joe Grushecky & The Houserockers version]
Page last updated: 19 Aug 2015