“The Promised Land,” from Bruce Springsteen’s 1978 “Darkness on the Edge of Town” album, was released as a single in Europe only.
In his attempt to “blow away the lies that leave you nothing but lost and brokenhearted,” Bruce Springsteen has played his 1978 song “The Promised Land” at every presidential campaign rally he has performed at — for John Kerry in 2004 and Barack Obama in 2008 and 2012. It’s a good bet he’ll sing it Monday, for Hillary Clinton, in Philadelphia.
Though it is the only song he has played at all 15 rally appearances, “No Surrender” comes close, with 14 performances. “The Promised Land” opened all his 2004 and 2008 rally mini-sets; in 2012, “No Surrender” came first, with “The Promised Land” immediately following it.
Interestingly, Springsteen has not performed some of his best-known anthems (“Born to Run,” “Born in the USA”) and biggest hits (“Dancing in the Dark,” “Hungry Heart”) at any of the rallies. He has, though, performed Woody Guthrie’s “This Land Is Your Land” and rarely played originals such as “Does This Bus Stop at 82nd Street?” and “Used Cars.” He also played a humorous new song, “Forward,” in 2012, and, at one 2008 appearance, prefaced “The Promised Land” with one chorus of the Byrds song “Mr. Spaceman,” in honor of former astronaut John Glenn, who introduced him.
Below are the setlists for all the campaign appearances (Source: brucebase.wikidot.com).
Note: These are the rallies only. I am not including concert events such as the “Vote for Change” shows in 2004 and the “Change Rocks” concert in 2008.
2004
Oct. 28, Capitol Square, Madison, Wisc.
“The Promised Land”
“No Surrender”
Oct. 28, South Oval, Ohio State University, Columbus
“The Promised Land”
“No Surrender”
Oct. 29, Bayfront Park Amphitheater, Miami, Fla.
“The Promised Land”
“No Surrender”
Nov. 1, Cleveland Mall
“The Promised Land”
“Thunder Road”
“No Surrender”
2008
Oct. 4, Ben Franklin Parkway, Philadelphia
“The Promised Land”
“The Ghost of Tom Joad”
“Thunder Road”
“No Surrender”
“Does This Bus Stop at 82nd Street?”
“The Rising”
“This Land Is Your Land”
Oct. 5, Ohio State University, Columbus
“Mr. Spaceman”/”The Promised Land”
“The Ghost of Tom Joad”
“Thunder Road”
“Youngstown”
“No Surrender”
“The Rising”
“This Land Is Your Land”
Oct. 6, Oestrike Stadium, Ypsilanti, Mich.
“The Promised Land”
“The Ghost of Tom Joad”
“Thunder Road”
“Devils & Dust”
“Used Cars”
“No Surrender”
“The Rising”
“This Land Is Your Land”
Nov. 2, Lakeside Avenue, Cleveland
“The Promised Land”
“Youngstown”
“Thunder Road”
“Working on a Dream” (with Patti Scialfa)
“This Land Is Your Land”
“The Rising”
2012
Oct. 18, Cuyahoga Community College, Parma, Ohio
“No Surrender”
“The Promised Land”
“Forward”
“Youngstown”
“We Take Care of Our Own”
“This Land Is Your Land”
“Thunder Road”
Oct. 18, Hilton Coliseum, Iowa State University, Ames
“No Surrender”
“The Promised Land”
“Forward”
“The River”
“We Take Care of Our Own”
“Thunder Road”
Oct. 23, nTelos Wireless Pavilion, Charlottesville, Va.
“No Surrender”
“The Promised Land”
“Forward”
“The River”
“We Take Care of Our Own”
“Thunder Road”
Oct. 27, 2012, Soldiers & Sailors Memorial Hall & Museum, Pittsburgh
“No Surrender”
“The Promised Land”
“Forward”
“Youngstown”
“We Take Care of Our Own” (with Joe and Johnny Grushecky)
“Thunder Road”
Nov. 5, Downtown Madison, Wisc.
“No Surrender”
“The Promised Land”
“Let’s Stay Together”/”(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction”/”Forward”
“Land of Hope and Dreams”
Nov. 5, Nationwide Arena, Columbus
“No Surrender”
“The Promised Land”
“Let’s Stay Together”/”(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction”/”Forward”
“Land of Hope and Dreams”
Nov. 5, Des Moines East Village, Iowa
“No Surrender”
“The Promised Land”
“Let’s Stay Together”/”(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction”/”Forward”
“Land of Hope and Dreams”
Here is “The Promised Land” from Oct. 5, 2008, complete with the “Mr. Spaceman” snippet:
Here is “Thunder Road” from Oct. 4, 2008:
Here is the lighthearted “Forward,” from Oct. 18, 2012:
And here are the complete lyrics to “The Promised Land,” from brucespringsteen.net:
On a rattlesnake speedway in the Utah desert
I pick up my money and head back into town
Driving ‘cross the Waynesboro county line
I got the radio on and I’m just killing time
Working all day in my daddy’s garage
Driving all night chasing some mirage
Pretty soon, little girl, I’m gonna take charge
CHORUS:
The dogs on Main Street howl
‘Cause they understand
If I could take one moment into my hands
Mister, I ain’t a boy, no I’m a man
And I believe in a promised land
I’ve done my best to live the right way
I get up every morning and go to work each day
But your eyes go blind and your blood runs cold
Sometimes I feel so weak I just want to explode
Explode and tear this whole town apart
Take a knife and cut this pain from my heart
Find somebody itching for something to start
CHORUS
There’s a dark cloud rising from the desert floor
I packed my bags and I’m heading straight into the storm
Gonna be a twister to blow everything down
That ain’t got the faith to stand its ground
Blow away the dreams that tear you apart
Blow away the dreams that break your heart
Blow away the lies that leave you nothing but lost and brokenhearted
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