Unofficial studio version
One, two, three, four
Word of the trouble spread around
One day a man came to my town
I was in the kitchen when my Pa let him in
He shook my hand, said, "Son, the Klan's your friend"
Was a meeting at Lyle Stanton's house on the Jefferson Highway
Some, they did not listen, some did not turn away
Said, "When the holy rain of fire comes tumbling from above
It'll be a Klansman who stands for the land he loves"
Look away, look away now
I was ten years old when my Pa said, "Son, some day you will see
When you grow to wear the robes like your brother and me"
"When the war between the races leaves us in a fiery dream
It'll be a Klansman who will wipe this country clean
This, son, is my dream"
THE KLANSMAN is an unreleased song written by Bruce Springsteen. The above lyrics are for the only studio take of THE KLANSMAN in circulation.
The song appeared in a 2022 filing at the United States Copyright Office. See the "Copyright Filings" section below form more details.
According to Sony's logs of Bruce Springsteen's studio sessions, THE KLANSMAN was recorded on 10 Mar 1983 at Thrill Hill West, Springsteen's home studio in Los Angeles, CA. The studio take in circulation was most probably cut on 10 Mar 1983.
Springsteen recorded more than an album's worth of songs by himself during this period. He played all the instruments himself, with the help of a drum machine only, and overdubbing was used to create the final product.
In 2022, a "Recorded Document" consisting of 539 Bruce Springsteen "musical works" was filed at the United States Copyright Office. The two filings are related to Springsteen's late 2021 deal with Sony Music in which he sold the masters of his entire catalog and the coinciding music publishing rights. They show the transfer of the songs from Bruce Springsteen to Thrill Hill Music LLC and then from Thrill Hill Music LLC to Sony Music Publishing (US) LLC and Asbury Boss LLC. Thrill Hill Music LLC and Asbury Boss LLC are limited liability companies incorporated in September 2021 and October 2021 respectively and likely created for the deal.
Copyright entry #1:
Type of Work: Recorded Document
Document Number: V15007D317
Date of Recordation: 2022-05-13
Entire Copyright Document: V15007 D317 P1-13
Date of Execution: 01Nov21; 01Mar22
Title: 100 Miles From Jackson & 538 other titles; Musical Work.
Notes: Assignment.
Party 1: Bruce Springsteen
Party 2: Thrill Hill Music LLC
Links: List of titles
Names: Springsteen, Bruce | Thrill Hill Music LLC
Copyright entry #2:
Type of Work: Recorded Document
Document Number: V15007D318
Date of Recordation: 2022-05-13
Entire Copyright Document: V15007 D318 P1-14
Date of Execution: 22Nov21; 22Nov21
Title: 100 Miles From Jackson & 538 other titles; Musical Work.
Notes: Exhibit 10.1 Assignment
Party 1: Thrill Hill Music LLC
Party 2: Sony Music Publishing (US) LLC; Asbury Boss, LLC
Links: List of titles
Names: Thrill Hill Music LLC | Sony Music Publishing (US) LLC | Asbury Boss, LLC
This version of THE KLANSMAN can be found on several bootlegs, including The Lost Masters Vol. 16 (Labour Of Love) [track 12] and The Lost Masters Essential Collection Vol. 2 (Labour Of Love) [disc 2, track 18].
The Lost Masters Vol. 16 (and The Lost Masters Essential Collection Vol. 2) liner notes state that the song was recorded on 04 Jan 1983. This is probably an error since studio logs only list one take, recorded on 10 Mar 1983.
As far as it's known, Bruce Springsteen has never performed THE KLANSMAN live.
As far as it's known, no artist has recorded and released Bruce Springsteen's THE KLANSMAN.
Thanks Elke for the lyrics help.
If you have any corrections, additions, or comments, please contact me via the below form or by email: .
List of available versions of THE KLANSMAN on this website:
THE KLANSMAN [Unofficial studio version]
