Coverinfo
Bruce performed the song 4 times:
One show, double bill, with Steel Mill headlining and National Debt opening. A pre-concert newspaper article in the Middletown Courier mentions two shows scheduled for this night, but none for the following evening. These two shows were ultimately 'split', with one show taking place on this and the following night. The nine-song setlist can be found on a good quality (for the era) audience recording that can be dated with a fairly high degree of confidence to this show, Steel Mill's penultimate. The 90-minute tape surfaced in early 2017 after a Springsteen fan took an Uber ride in New Jersey with the taper's brother. As often happens in Jersey, Springsteen came up in the conversation, and the driver said that his brother taped one of the final Steel Mill gigs at The Upstage on a cassette recorder, and he had CDs of the show in the car. Before long a deal was struck, and the discs were passed on to a long-time collector. Aside from the information from the taper's brother, there are several other compelling clues that lead us to place this information here. Firstly, the set includes "Train Ride", with Robbin Thompson providing the lead vocals, dating it to after August 1970. Towards the end of the show, the band gives a ninety-second PSA from the stage. They talk about how important the club is, that it's the only place where they can play and jam, and it needs to stay open. These comments can only be referring to The Upstage. Bruce also comments about Danny Federici's legal issues that arose from the incident at the Clearwater Swim Club in Atlantic Highlands in September 1970, and his subsequent guilty plea that took place sometime in November. Finally, Springsteen also mentions that the band is also playing tomorrow, and we know a show took place on January 23. The tape is the only piece of substantial audio of Springsteen performing at The Upstage known to exist, and captures Steel Mill in fine, spirited form, with some scorching guitar work from Springsteen throughout the set.
1971-01-18 D'Scene, South Amboy, NJ
One show, double bill, with Steel Mill headlining with support from Godzilla. The complete show and the entire performance is circulating in very good to excellent soundboard quality, although the material has a notorious history of being cannibalized, re-sequenced and incorrectly dated. Be aware that this show is sometimes listed as a twelve- or thirteen-song performance if "Honky Tonk Women" and/or "Turn On Your Love Light" are counted as separate songs. "Mary Louise Watson" is also known by the title "Black Widow Spider". Last known performance of "I Can't Take It No More", which is also known by the title "I Can't Take It". "Changing Children" is also known as "Change It" or "Change It (Revolution)".
1970-11-27 Sunshine In, Asbury Park, NJ (Early)
First of two shows, triple bill, with the bottom-billed Steel Mill opening for the second-billed Cactus and headliner Black Sabbath (fronted by a spooked Ozzy Osbourne, who received death threats before the show). According to Robbin Thompson the members of Black Sabbath and Cactus had a fistfight over who should close the show. According to an attendee recollection, each of the three bands played similar length sets. About eight minutes into "Dancing In The Street" the generator power fails for 12 seconds, much to the frustration of Bruce who comments, "We must be the guinea pigs here tonight." After the end of the evening, Springsteen spent about an hour backstage jamming with Cactus bassist Tim Bogart.
1970-10-17 MC Gym, West Long Branch, NJ
One show, double bill, with Steel Mill headlining and Sunny Jim opening. The partial setlist is culled from a review of the show by Joan Pikula in the Asbury Park Press on October 19, 1970, and Springsteen's own recollections in his autobiography Born To Run. Despite being on the lam after events at the Clearwater Swim Club on September 11, Danny Federici decides to take the chance and play at what is an important show for the band. Despite smoking himself into a mild state of paranoia in the car before the show, Danny made it through the gig and out unscathed. However, he was persuaded to turn himself in soon after. A sellout performance in the College’s Gym, with a crowd that Pikula estimates at near 4,000. This was the debut public performance of Sunny Jim, a group formed in May 1970 that included former Castiles drummer Vinnie Manniello and former Castiles and Earth organist Bob Alfano. "Changing Children" is also known by the titles "Change It" and "Change It (Revolution)".
Bruce on the artist
Thompson was asked to join Steel Mill in August of 1970 by Bruce Springsteen who wanted to expand their vocal ranges and share some lead singing with him. Thompson first performed with the band on August 25, 1970, and remained for the rest of the band's existence, a short duration of approximately five months. Springsteen decided to leave Steel Mill and start a new band in January of 1971. Thompson returned to Richmond where he embarked on a fruitful career as a songwriter and band leader. He also owned and operated a recording studio called "In Your Ear Music and Video Productions". Thompson died from cancer on October 10, 2015.
Performed 4 times live with Bruce Springsteen, excluding those as a member of Steel Mill.
Performed 14 times live with Bruce Springsteen as a member of Steel Mill.
2008-08-18 Richmond Coliseum, Richmond, VA
2003-03-06 Richmond Coliseum, Richmond, VA
1985-01-18 Greensboro Coliseum, Greensboro, NC
1981-08-06 Bayou (The), Washington, DC
1971-01-23 Upstage (The), Asbury Park, NJ
1971-01-22 Upstage (The), Asbury Park, NJ
1971-01-18 D'Scene, South Amboy, NJ
1970-11-27 Sunshine In, Asbury Park, NJ (Late)
1970-11-27 Sunshine In, Asbury Park, NJ (Early)
1970-11-25 Student Center, Union, NJ
1970-10-25 Richmond Arena, Richmond, VA
1970-10-24 Nashville Municipal Auditorium, Nashville, TN
1970-10-23 Millhiser Gymnasium, Richmond, VA
1970-10-17 MC Gym, West Long Branch, NJ
1970-10-11 Mosque (The), Richmond, VA
1970-09-11 Clearwater Swim Club, Atlantic Highlands, NJ
1970-08-29 Centennial Park Band Shell, Nashville, TN
1970-08-28 University Of Richmond, Richmond, VA
Lyrics
Rocking along in a boxcar, still looking for a place to hide
Got a sackful of bills and I'm wanted, I got a rifle right by my side
Now do you hear that whistle blowing, no, or is it just all the wine, I don't know
Lord I don't know how, no stopping me now 'cause I'm going on a train ride
Living on bread and water ain't no life for me
Oh I know, oh no
Broke out of jail in Memphis, yeah, disguised as the warden's wife, ha
Well I killed a man, I killed a man in South Carolina, stabbed him, stabbed him with my knife
Now do you hear them dogs a-barking or is it just all that wine
I don't know how, nothing's stopping me now going on a train ride
Living on bread and water ain't no life for me
Ooh, yeah yeah
'Cause I'm going, and nothing's gonna
Good God, I broke out of jail in Memphis disguised as the warden's wife
Oh I'm gonna get me down to South Carolina, Lord it's gonna save my life
Do you, do you, do you hear them pen-hounds a-barking, is it just all that wine
I don't know how and nothing's stopping me now going on a train ride
Living on bread and water ain't no life for me
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh oh
I know
I'm running, I'm pushing hard just to find a boxcar, oh I'm gonna get me home
I'm going down to South Carolina, oh I gotta get back home
Now do you, do you hear them hounds a-barking or Lord is it just all that wine
I don't care, that's all right because I'm going, got to get it on a train ride
Going, going, going, Lord I'm going, going on some kinda train ride
Going, going, going, Lord I'm gonna get myself on from going on a train ride
Going, going, going, Lord I'm going, going on some kinda train ride
Going, going, going, Lord I'm going, Lord I'm gonna get myself on some kinda train ride, I know
Going, going, I'm going, going, going, hm, going, Lord I gotta get back home
Hm hm hm, Lord I gotta, Lord I gotta get back home, going on a train ride, I know
Lord I'm going, Lord I'm going, going on a train ride
Hm going, going, Lord I gotta get back home, going on a train ride, yeah yeah yeah
Going, going, going going going, I'm going on train ride, ha hey
I'm going, going, going going going, going on train ride, whoa whoa
I'm going, I'm going, I'm going going going, I'm going on train ride, ??? all aboard
I'm going, I'm going, I'm going going going, I'm going on train ride, I got me ??? at the station
I'm going, I'm going, I'm going going going, I'm going on train ride, yeah yeah yeah yeah
I'm going, I'm going, I'm going going going, I'm going on train ride, going on train ride
I'm going on train ride, going on train ride, going on train ride
Going on train ride, going on train ride, going on train ride
Going on train ride, going on train ride, going on train ride
Going on train ride, going on train ride, going on train ride
I'm going on train ride, going on train ride, going on train ride
Going, going, going
Hey yeah
Da da da da, da da da da, da da da da
Da da da da da-da da da da
Da da da da da-da da da da...
Oh oh oh oh oh oh oh
Oh no
Well I'm going, going on a train ride
I'm going, I'm going on a train ride
Going on a train ride, I'm going
Going on a train ride, going
Going on a train ride, I'm going
Going on a train ride
Going on a train ride
I know, I know, I know