Song title: In Freehold
In Freehold - TGOTJ tour version
I was born right here on Randolph street in freehold......
here right behind that big red maple in freehold....
well I went to school right here....
got laid and had my first beer.......in freehold
well my folks all lived and worked right here in freehold
I remember running up the street past the convent the church in freehold
chased my daddy down in these bars...
first fell in love with this guitar....here in freehold
well I had my first kiss at the ymca cantene on Friday night
Maria esponsia tell me where are you tonight...
you were 13 but way ahead of your time.......
I walked home with a limp but I felt fine......that night in freehold
well the girls at freehold regional they looked pretty fine....
had my heart broke at least a half a dozen times....
I wonder if they miss me they’d still get the itch...
if they had dumped me if they knew id strike it rich......straight out of freehold
well Tex rest in peace...... and Marian gave us a hand in freehold
George ...we started up a rock n roll band in freehold (castles...band)
well we learned really quick how to rock it...
ill never forget the feeling of that first 5 bucks in my pocket, that I
earned in freehold.........
well I got outta really hard and fast in freehold......
everybody wanted to kick my ass back there in freehold....
well if you were different black or brown, it was a bit of a redneck town, back then in freehold...
well something broke my daddys back in freehold.........
in 69 he left and he never come back to freehold.....
said once he drove from calif. 3000 miles in 3 days....
called my relatives some dirty names, and pulled straight out of freehold....
sister had her first little baby at 17 in freehold.....
well people can be pretty mean.... honey you had a rough road to go......
but you ain’t made of nothin but soul.....
I love you more that you’ll ever know...we both survived freehold
well my buddy mike he’s the mayor now in freehold......
I remember when we used to have a lot more hair in freehold.........
well I left and swore id never walk these streets again jack...
tonight all I can say is “holy shit I’m back”...back in freehold
well this summer everything was green in freehold....
rode my kids on the fire engines through the streets of freehold......
I showed them where dad was born and raised......
and first felt the sun on his face.....there in freehold
well I still got a lot of good friends right here in town....
I can usually find me a free beer somewhere.....
with offers of free meals I am blessed......
should I go crazy blowing my money and ruin my life......
but at least ill never go hungry I guess....here in freehold...
well I got a good catholic education.....here in freehold...
led to an awful lot of masturbation here in freehold....
father it was just something I did for a smile.....
hell I still get a good one off once in a while.....and dedicate it to freehold.....
don’t get me wrong, I Anita putting anybody down.......
hell in the end it all just goes and comes around....
its one helluva town ............FREEHOLD Notes:
This is the 1996 (TGOTJ) tour version. Played also during the Reunion tour, in a different version
In Freehold - Reunion version
I was born right here on Randolph street in Freehold
here right behind that big red maple in Freehold
well i went to school right here
got laid and had my first beer, in Freehold
well my folks all lived and worked right here in Freehold
I remember running up the street past the convent & the church in Freehold
chased my daddy down in these bars
first fell in love with this guitar, here in Freehold
I had my first kiss at the YMCA canteen on a Friday night
Maria Espinosa baby, where are you tonight
you were 13 but way ahead of your time
I walked home with a limp but I felt just fine, that night in Freehold
well the girls at Freehold Regional yeah, they all looked pretty fine
had my heart broke at least a half a dozen times
I wonder if they miss me, do they still get the itch...
if they had dumped me if they knew I'd strike it rich, straight out of Freehold
Well, a lot of folks gave us kids a hand in Freehold
Man, we started up our rock n roll band in Freehold
well we learned really quick how to rock it
I'll never forget the feeling of that first 5 bucks in my pocket, that I earned in Freehold
well I got outta here hard and fast in Freehold
everybody wanted to kick my ass back there in Freehold
well if you were different black or brown it was a pretty redneck town, back there in Freehold
well now something broke my daddy's back in Freehold
he left and for 30 years he'd never come back
except once he drove from California in just 3 days
called my relatives some dirty names drove straight out of Freehold
Now he's buried by the highway, buried in the dirt
his ghost just flippin' the bird, to everybody in Freehold
Well, my sister got pregnant at 17 in Freehold
Back then people they could be pretty mean
Now honey you had a rough road to go now you ain't made of nothin' but soul
I love you more that you'll ever know, we both survived Freehold
well my buddy Mike he's the Mayor now in Freehold
I remember when we had a lot more hair in Freehold
I left and swore I'd never walk these streets again, jack
now all I can say is "holy shit I'm back", back in Freehold
Well I read something in the paper a couple weeks ago that seemed pretty funny
The town council was debating about putting up a statue,
a statue of me in my hometown, but it cost too much money
Well I'd like to thank the Town Council, my friends, for saving me from humiliation
By demonstrating the good hard common sense that we learned in Freehold
well this summer everything was green
rode my kids on the fire engines through the streets of Freehold
I brought them to where dad was born and raised.
and first felt the sun on his face, in Freehold
well I still got a lot of good friends right there
I can usually find a free beer somewhere with free meals I am blessed
should I go crazy blow all my money, hit the tabloids,
become fodder for the talk shows, turn my life into a complete fuckin' mess..
at least ill never go hungry I guess...in Freehold...
well I got a good Catholic education here in Freehold
led to an awful lot of masturbation here in Freehold
now father it was just something I did for a smile
hell I still get a good one off once in a while and dedicate it to Freehold
don't get me wrong, I ain't putting anybody down
in the end it all just goes and comes around
in my hometown, FREEHOLD Notes:
This is the version played in 1999, in New Jersey, different (slightly) from the 1996 version.
This song has never been published on any official release.
First known live performance: 08/11/1996 St. Rose of Lima School, Freehold,NJ ,USA
Last known live performance: 20/02/2003 Somerville Theatre, Somerville,MA ,USA
Song 'history':
Not much used during the Ghost of Tom Joad tour, deserving only less than a dozen renderings
It only saw the light less than a dozen times in the whole Reunion tour
Played during the 'Double Take' shows in 2002
Data from the www.brucespringsteen.it database