Song title: Downbound train
Downbound train
I had a job, I had a girl
I had something going mister in this world
I got laid off down at the lumber yard
Our love went bad, times got hard
Now I work down at the carwash
Where all it ever does is rain
Don’t you feel like you’re a rider on a downbound train
She just said “Joe I gotta go
We had it once we ain’t got it any more”
She packed her bags left me behind
She bought a ticket on the Central Line
Nights as I sleep, I hear that whistle whining
I feel her kiss in the misty rain
And I feel like I’m a rider on a downbound train
Last night I heard your voice
You were crying, crying, you were so alone
You said your love had never died
You were waiting for me at home
Put on my jacket, I ran through the woods
I ran till I thought my chest would explode
There in the clearing, beyond the highway
In the moonlight, our wedding house shone
I rushed through the yard, I burst through the front door
My head pounding hard, up the stairs I climbed
The room was dark, our bed was empty
Then I heard that long whistle whine
And I dropped to my knees, hung my head and cried
Now I swing a sledge hammer on a railroad gang
Knocking down them cross ties, working in the rain
Now don’t it feel like you’re a rider on a downbound train
Published on the following official releases:
- BORN IN THE USA (Album,1984)
First known live performance: 02/07/1984 Civic Center, Saint Paul,MN ,USA
Last known live performance: 16/02/2017 Brisbane Entertainment Centre, Brisbane ,Australia
Song 'history':
Originally recorded acoustically for the NEBRASKA album, but then left out of the album
,to be inserted, two years later, in the well-known full band version, on BORN IN THE U.S.A.
A frequent number (82 apparitions) of renderings during the Born in the U.S.A. tour
Played during the Tunnel of Love tour (14 times)
15 perfomances were given during the Human Touch tour
Scarcely used during the Reunion tour, with less than a dozen inclusions
During the Rising tour, the song was played 3 times
It only saw the light 3 times in the whole Devils and Dust tour
Two only performances during the Magic tour (31/05/2008 Emirates Stadium, London ,GB and 29/06/2008 Parken, Copenhagen ,Denmark)
During the Working on a Dream tour, the song was played less than a dozen times
The Wrecking Ball tour counted 21 apparitions of this song
Not much used during the High Hopes tour, deserving only 5 renderings
During the 2016 The River tour, the song was played less than a dozen times
Performed 3 times during the 2017 Summer tour
Data from the www.brucespringsteen.it database