THIS LAND IS YOUR LAND

Live 29 Dec 1980 version



[Spoken intro:] (crowd cheering loudly) I'm here, I'm here (chuckles). [tests guitar and harmonica] This is uh... (long pause) Now this is a song that uh... there's a book out right now, it's called "Woody Guthrie: A Life". It's by, it's by this fella named Joe Klein, Joe Clean [the correct name is "Joe Klein"]. And uh... it's really, it's really a great book and this is... this song was originally, it was written at the time it was uh, it was a... it was written as a... as an angry song, it was an answer to Irving Berlin who'd just wrote "God Bless America". And... and this song was written as uh, as an answer to that song, it was written as an angry song. And uh... it's just about one of the most beautiful songs ever written, anyway. (crowd cheers) Let's do this for you ???.

Well I rode that ribbon highway
I saw above me the endless skyway
I saw below me the golden valley
Well this land was made for you and me

I roamed and rambled, I followed my footsteps
Through the sparkling sands of her diamond deserts
And all around me a voice was calling
It said this land was made for you and me

Well this land is your land, this land is my land
From California to the New York Island
Through the Redwood Forest to the Gulf Stream waters
Well this land was made for you and me

Now the sun came shining and I was strolling
With the wheat fields waving and the dust clouds rolling
And a voice was sounding as the fog was lifting
It said this land was made for you and me

Well this land is your land, this land is my land
From California to the New York Island
From the Redwood Forest to the Gulf Stream waters
Oh this land was made for you and me


Info

The above lyrics are for the live 29 Dec 1980 performance of THIS LAND IS YOUR LAND at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Uniondale, NY, during The River Tour. The song was played in a full-band arrangement. This live 29 Dec 1980 performance of THIS LAND IS YOUR LAND was included on the Live/1975-85 box set in 1986. Some parts of the spoken introduction (the parts in red above) are edited out on the official release.


The Live/1975-85 box set liner notes indicate that the recording of THIS LAND IS YOUR LAND is taken from this 28 Dec 1980 show in Uniondale, NY, but that's incorrect. It's actually taken from the following night's show in Uniondale, NY.

The 29 Dec 1980 Show

Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band rounded up the 1980 leg of The River Tour with three concerts at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, on 28, 29, and 31 Dec 1980. The three shows were recorded live with the Record Plant Remote Truck by Toby Scott, assisted by David Bianco and Jim Scott, and later became one of the main sources for the Live/1975-85 box set which includes six recordings from these shows. Four additional recordings were released as B-sides and on compilation albums.

Promotional poster for the 29 Dec 1980 show at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Uniondale, NY
Promotional poster for the 29 Dec 1980 show at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Uniondale, NY
(Taken from Brucebase)
Ticket stub for the 29 Dec 1980 show at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Uniondale, NY
Ticket stub for the 29 Dec 1980 show at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Uniondale, NY
(Taken from Brucebase)

In July 2019 the complete 29 Dec 1980 concert was officially released on Live.BruceSpringsteen.net (see the "Official Live Downloads" section below for more details). The 24-track/30-IPS reel-to-reel master tapes were transferred and restored by Jamie Howarth in Spring 2019 using the Plangent Process. The audio was mixed by Jon Altschiller, with additional engineering by Danielle Warman, and mastered by Jon Altschiller.

Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band -- Nassau Coliseum, New York 12/29/80
Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band -- Nassau Coliseum, New York 12/29/80

  1. NIGHT
  2. OUT IN THE STREET
  3. TENTH AVENUE FREEZE-OUT
  4. WHO'LL STOP THE RAIN
  5. DARKNESS ON THE EDGE OF TOWN
  6. FACTORY
  7. INDEPENDENCE DAY
  8. TWO HEARTS
  9. PROVE IT ALL NIGHT
  10. THE PROMISED LAND
  11. THIS LAND IS YOUR LAND
  12. THE RIVER
  13. BADLANDS
  14. THUNDER ROAD
  15. CADILLAC RANCH
  16. SHERRY DARLING
  17. HUNGRY HEART
  18. MERRY CHRISTMAS BABY
  19. FIRE
  20. CANDY'S ROOM
  21. BECAUSE THE NIGHT
  22. 4TH OF JULY, ASBURY PARK (SANDY)
  23. FOR YOU
  24. STOLEN CAR
  25. WRECK ON THE HIGHWAY
  26. POINT BLANK
  27. THE TIES THAT BIND
  28. RAMROD
  29. YOU CAN LOOK (BUT YOU BETTER NOT TOUCH)
  30. INCIDENT ON 57TH STREET
  31. ROSALITA (COME OUT TONIGHT)
  32. SANTA CLAUS IS COMIN' TO TOWN
  33. JUNGLELAND
  34. BORN TO RUN
  35. DETROIT MEDLEY

The Live/1975-85 Box Set

With the Born In The U.S.A. album and tour, Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band reached the highest level of rock stardom. Columbia Records was expecting a follow up studio album and tour that would, like it's predecessor, achieve a huge commercial success. Instead, Springsteen released Live/1975-85, an over-three-hours-and-a-half-long live compilation album consisting of 40 tracks recorded at various concerts between 1975 and 1985.

Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band -- Live/1975-85
Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band -- Live/1975-85

The set was produced by Jon Landau, Chuck Plotkin, and Bruce Springsteen, and hit the stores on 10 Nov 1986. It was released as a box set with either five vinyl records, three cassettes, or three CDs. Live/1975-85 is the first album to be credited to "Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band" instead of "Bruce Springsteen" only.

The highly-anticipated live album generated advance orders of more than 1.5 million copies, making it the largest dollar-volume pre-order in the history of the record business at the time. Record stores around the country found fans waiting in line on Monday morning before opening and one New York store reportedly sold the album right off the back of the delivery truck. The album debuted at #1 on the Billboard album chart and also became the first five-record set to reach the top 10 and the first to sell over a million copies. Live/1975-85 is the second-best-selling live album in U.S. history based on RIAA certification. It has been certified by the RIAA for 13 times platinum, trailing only Garth Brooks' Double Live.

Side 1 (vinyl LP format):

1.THUNDER ROADRecorded live on 18 Oct 1975 at The Roxy Theatre, West Hollywood, CA
2.ADAM RAISE A CAINRecorded live on 07 Jul 1978 at The Roxy Theatre, West Hollywood, CA
3.SPIRIT IN THE NIGHTRecorded live on 07 Jul 1978 at The Roxy Theatre, West Hollywood, CA
4.4TH OF JULY, ASBURY PARK (SANDY)Recorded live on 31 Dec 1980 at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Uniondale, NY

Side 2 (vinyl LP format):

1.PARADISE BY THE "C"Recorded live on 07 Jul 1978 at The Roxy Theatre, West Hollywood, CA
2.FIRERecorded live on 16 Dec 1978 at Winterland Ballroom, San Francisco, CA
3.GROWIN' UPRecorded live on 07 Jul 1978 at The Roxy Theatre, West Hollywood, CA
4.IT'S HARD TO BE A SAINT IN THE CITYRecorded live on 07 Jul 1978 at The Roxy Theatre, West Hollywood, CA

Side 3 (vinyl LP format):

1.BACKSTREETSRecorded live on 07 Jul 1978 at The Roxy Theatre, West Hollywood, CA
2.ROSALITA (COME OUT TONIGHT)Recorded live on 07 Jul 1978 at The Roxy Theatre, West Hollywood, CA
3.RAISE YOUR HANDRecorded live on 07 Jul 1978 at The Roxy Theatre, West Hollywood, CA

Side 4 (vinyl LP format):

1.HUNGRY HEARTRecorded live on 28 Dec 1980 at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Uniondale, NY
2.TWO HEARTSRecorded live on 08 Jul 1981 at Brendan Byrne Arena, East Rutherford, NJ
3.CADILLAC RANCHRecorded live on 06 Jul 1981 at Brendan Byrne Arena, East Rutherford, NJ
4.YOU CAN LOOK (BUT YOU BETTER NOT TOUCH)Recorded live on 29 Dec 1980 at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Uniondale, NY
5.INDEPENDENCE DAYRecorded live on 06 Jul 1981 at Brendan Byrne Arena, East Rutherford, NJ

Side 5 (vinyl LP format):

1.BADLANDSRecorded live on 05 Nov 1980 at Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ
2.BECAUSE THE NIGHTRecorded live on 28 Dec 1980 at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Uniondale, NY
3.CANDY'S ROOMRecorded live on 08 Jul 1981 at Brendan Byrne Arena, East Rutherford, NJ
4.DARKNESS ON THE EDGE OF TOWNRecorded live on 29 Dec 1980 at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Uniondale, NY
5.RACING IN THE STREETRecorded live on 06 Jul 1981 at Brendan Byrne Arena, East Rutherford, NJ

Side 6 (vinyl LP format):

1.THIS LAND IS YOUR LANDRecorded live on 29 Dec 1980 at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Uniondale, NY
2.NEBRASKARecorded live on 06 Aug 1984 at Brendan Byrne Arena, East Rutherford, NJ
3.JOHNNY 99Recorded live on 19 Aug 1985 at Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, NJ
4.REASON TO BELIEVERecorded live on 19 Aug 1984 at Brendan Byrne Arena, East Rutherford, NJ

Side 7 (vinyl LP format):

1.BORN IN THE U.S.A.Recorded live on 30 Sep 1985 at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles, CA
2.SEEDSRecorded live on 30 Sep 1985 at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles, CA
3.THE RIVERRecorded live on 30 Sep 1985 at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles, CA

Side 8 (vinyl LP format):

1.WARRecorded live on 30 Sep 1985 at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles, CA
2.DARLINGTON COUNTYRecorded live on 30 Sep 1985 at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles, CA
3.WORKING ON THE HIGHWAYRecorded live on 19 Aug 1985 at Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, NJ
4.THE PROMISED LANDRecorded live on 30 Sep 1985 at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles, CA

Side 9 (vinyl LP format):

1.COVER MERecorded live on 30 Sep 1985 at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles, CA
2.I'M ON FIRERecorded live on 19 Aug 1985 at Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, NJ
3.BOBBY JEANRecorded live on 21 Aug 1985 at Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, NJ
4.MY HOMETOWNRecorded live on 30 Sep 1985 at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles, CA

Side 10 (vinyl LP format):

1.BORN TO RUNRecorded live on 19 Aug 1985 at Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, NJ
2.NO SURRENDERRecorded live on 06 Aug 1984 at Brendan Byrne Arena, East Rutherford, NJ
3.TENTH AVENUE FREEZE-OUTRecorded live on 20 Aug 1984 at Brendan Byrne Arena, East Rutherford, NJ
4.JERSEY GIRLRecorded live on 09 Jul 1981 at Brendan Byrne Arena, East Rutherford, NJ

Other Official Releases

The live 29 Dec 1980 version of THIS LAND IS YOUR LAND can also be found on one Bruce Springsteen promo-only sampler and one various artists promo-only sampler.

Bruce Springsteen -- The Future Of Rock'n'Roll / 70's To 80's
Bruce Springsteen -- The Future Of Rock'n'Roll / 70's To 80's

2xCD - CBS/Sony (XADP 90009~10) - Japan, 1988

Japan-only promotional 2-CD set sampler compiling 28 tracks from Bruce Springsteen's first nine albums plus two 1988 live B-sides.

Disc 1: (70's)
01- THUNDER ROAD [Live 18 Oct 1975 (early show) version]
02- BLINDED BY THE LIGHT
03- RACING IN THE STREET
04- KITTY'S BACK
05- BADLANDS
06- GROWIN' UP
07- PROVE IT ALL NIGHT
08- 4TH OF JULY, ASBURY PARK (SANDY)
09- BACKSTREETS [Live 07 Jul 1978 version]
10- FOR YOU
11- TENTH AVENUE FREEZE-OUT
12- THE PROMISED LAND
13- ROSALITA (COME OUT TONIGHT) [Live 07 Jul 1978 version]
14- BORN TO RUN

Disc 2: (80's)
01- BORN IN THE U.S.A. [Live 30 Sep 1985 version]
02- BRILLIANT DISGUISE
03- DANCING IN THE DARK
04- CADILLAC RANCH [Live 06 Jul 1981 version]
05- WALK LIKE A MAN
06- WAR [Live 30 Sep 1985 version]
07- JOHNNY 99
08- HUNGRY HEART [Live 28 Dec 1980 version]
09- I WANNA MARRY YOU
10- MY HOMETOWN [Live 30 Sep 1985 version]
11- THE RIVER
12- GLORY DAYS
13- OUT IN THE STREET
14- TOUGHER THAN THE REST [Live 27 Apr 1988 version]
15- SPARE PARTS [Live 09 Jul 1988 version]
16- THIS LAND IS YOUR LAND [Live 29 Dec 1980 version]
Various Artists -- An American Reunion
Various Artists -- An American Reunion

CD - Warner / Sony (PR CD 8724) - USA, 1993

US-only sampler issued to coincide with Bill Clinton's 1993 presidential inauguration.

Credits

Thanks Francesco Esposito for the corrections.

Available Versions

List of available versions of THIS LAND IS YOUR LAND on this website:

THIS LAND IS YOUR LAND [1988 studio version]
THIS LAND IS YOUR LAND [2009 studio version]
THIS LAND IS YOUR LAND [Live 28 Dec 1980 version]
THIS LAND IS YOUR LAND [Live 29 Dec 1980 version]
THIS LAND IS YOUR LAND [Live 31 Dec 1980 version]
THIS LAND IS YOUR LAND [Live 18 Apr 1981 version]
THIS LAND IS YOUR LAND [Live 19 Apr 1981 version]
THIS LAND IS YOUR LAND [Live 28 Apr 1981 version]
THIS LAND IS YOUR LAND [Live 02 May 1981 version]
THIS LAND IS YOUR LAND [Live 05 May 1981 version]
THIS LAND IS YOUR LAND [Live 07 May 1981 version]
THIS LAND IS YOUR LAND [Live 08 May 1981 version]
THIS LAND IS YOUR LAND [Live 11 May 1981 version]
THIS LAND IS YOUR LAND [Live 13 May 1981 version]
THIS LAND IS YOUR LAND [Live 26 May 1981 version]
THIS LAND IS YOUR LAND [Live 05 Jun 1981 version]
THIS LAND IS YOUR LAND [Live 14 Jun 1981 version]
THIS LAND IS YOUR LAND [Live 09 Jul 1981 version]
THIS LAND IS YOUR LAND [Live 20 Aug 1981 version]
THIS LAND IS YOUR LAND [Live 14 Sep 1981 version]
THIS LAND IS YOUR LAND [Live 09 Aug 1985 version]
THIS LAND IS YOUR LAND [Live 04 Sep 1985 version]
THIS LAND IS YOUR LAND [Live 06 Sep 1985 version]
THIS LAND IS YOUR LAND [Live 30 Sep 1985 version]
THIS LAND IS YOUR LAND [Live 29 Sep 1996 version]
THIS LAND IS YOUR LAND [Live 04 Oct 2008 version]
THIS LAND IS YOUR LAND [Live 05 Oct 2008 version]
THIS LAND IS YOUR LAND [Live 06 Oct 2008 version]
THIS LAND IS YOUR LAND [Live 02 Nov 2008 version]
THIS LAND IS YOUR LAND [Live 18 Jan 2009 version]
THIS LAND IS YOUR LAND [Live 03 May 2009 version]
THIS LAND IS YOUR LAND [Live 15 Mar 2012 version]
THIS LAND IS YOUR LAND [Live 18 Oct 2012 (Parma, OH) version]
THIS LAND IS YOUR LAND [Original Woody Guthrie version]

Page last updated: 06 Jan 2018