Before we get into this post, I just want to make sure that you are all aware of the first ever Contest Giveaway Contest (CGC) here at TheFrontloader.com! If you are NOT aware of the CGC, then click here to read all about it and enter yourself for a cool-arse prize!
Did you miss that link? That’s ok… click HERE. And YES, I’m going to keep reminding you!!!!
I also wanted to inform all you Bruce Springsteen fans out there about a cool blog called Blogness On the Edge Of Town that talks about nuthin’ but Springsteen, 24/7. The latest post (as of this writing) features some interesting alternatives to Bruce’s upcoming release, “Working on a Dream.” Go check it out and tell’em Louie sent ya!
Lookitimgo!!!!Here now is the second half of the Bruce Springsteen solo acoustic show bootleg. Since this show is from his Devils and Dust tour, it would make sense that he covers a lot of that album throughout the performance…
Which is why I’m so glad he included “The Hitter” in this set list. I first heard this song in bootleg recordings way before Devils and Dust was released (I’m cool like that), and was immediately drawn to the story.
The lyric follows a man who seeks one night of shelter back home with his mother… someone whom he obviously hasn’t been in contact with for a while, either that or the two are not in good relations with one another. We learn this right from the start with the lines “There’s nothing that I want, nothing that you need say / Just let me lie down for a while and I’ll be on my way.”
He then begins to tell the tale of his life as a prize fighter, starting with his troubled childhood when he had run-ins with the law. To avoid incarceration, his mother sends him away on The Southern Queen.
Now, from what I could find on the web, The Southern Queen was a European ship built in 1926 (which helps date the characters in this song). Whether this is, in fact, the vessel in question, we’ll never know unless we ask Bruce himself. I guess I could call him up on the phone, but he told me, and I quote:
Anyhow, regarding the dating of this song, I’m going to guess that this took place sometime during the Great Depression (the first one, not the one right now), which lasted from 1929 to about 1939. There are more hints to this time period outside of The Southern Queen. The protagonist fights “Champion Jack Thompson,” who was the Welterweight champion from 1930-1931. Another sign that points to this era are the images of fighting in a dirt ring, enclosed by nothing more than a tent.
The lyrics in “The Hitter” are very straightforward and clear… the story is truly gripping, and I highly encourage you to take a good listen to it when you have the chance. I love how low he keeps his voice in this song, as it helps depict the protagonist as a tired, tired, tired, TIRED man with nowhere to go but back to the fight. You get the feeling that he’ll die in the ring… win or lose; he’ll die there.
The saddest part of this song isn’t the man’s story… no, it’s the fact that you never find out if his mother actually lets him inside. They have this entire conversation through a locked door. It’s raining outside, and it’s warm inside… and all throughout the song, the man seems to be trying to convince his mother that he’s actually her son. He doesn’t even appear to want to rekindle a relationship with her…
Well just open the door and look into your dark eyes.
I ask of you nothin’, not a kiss not a smile.
Just open the door and let me lie down for a while.
As a listener, I want to know whether his mom let him inside… and I’ll never know unless I ask Bruce himself… which, as we all know, is NOT going to happen until I get that restraining order cancelled.
During this particular tour, Springsteen would usually introduce “The Hitter” with the statement of something like, “We carry with us the seeds of all the things that we build and create – and that’s real. We also carry with us the seeds of our destruction – and that’s real, too.” He goes into more detail in this bootleg here, which is quite humorous. Make sure to catch the intro at the tail end of “Leah.”
Bootlegs are always fun to hear, but unless it’s a soundboard recording, what you usually get is a recording done from someone in the audience. That’s fine and all, but sometimes you hear audience chatter. What’s annoying about this recording is that around 3:55 or so in “The Hitter,” you can hear some lady answer her cell phone. HER CELL PHONE.
DURING A BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN CONCERT.
I couldn’t believe it! I had to rewind that part about fifteen times, just to make sure I wasn’t imagining it… WOW. Why, if I were sitting next to her, I would’ve pulled a John Belushi ala Animal House…
Just imagine that with a cell phone and you’ll get the idea.
I hope you enjoy this second part of the show… don’t skip over and songs! You’ll miss some priceless Bruce chatter.
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Your Dig-It Downloads:
Download: Darkness On The Edge Of Town
Download: Jesus Was An Only Son
Download: Leah
Download: The Hitter
Download: Matamoros Banks
Download: Open All Night
Download: Growin’ Up
Download: Does This Bus Stop At 82nd Street
Download: The Promised Land
Download: Dream Baby Dream
Download: I Wish I Were Blind
Download: Be True
Download: Two For The Road
Download: Because The Night
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Hey, thanks for the Blogness plug! I’m wondering if you’ve heard Tom Jones’ version of “The Hitter.” It’s surprisingly effective. No, really. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4JG3bQrPz_s
Thanks for the show! I’m most familiar with Bruce’s ‘popular’ songs, but have gotten much more familiar with a lot of his other ones through your blogs. Thanks for that! And I really like his ‘Because the Night’ performance here.
Interesting read about ‘The Hitter’ too :)
bless you for these.
Thank you, thank you, thank you for this music. The BOSS forever!
I’ve actually heard his version and REALLY dug it… even though I ddin’t want to! LOL
Thanks for the link!
I hate coming late to the party…………you could repost this one and I wouldn't be unhappy.