Bruce has a penchant for taking songs (both traditional and popular) and recasting them, adding or replacing lyrics and creating new layers of meaning. He’s done that on a spectrum that spans from “How Can a Poor Man Stand Such Times and Live?” to “Jersey Girl,” from “Hard Times Come Again No More” to “Trapped.”
But of all the songs Bruce has taken liberties with, Woody Guthrie’s “I Ain’t Got No Home” is perhaps the most fitting, because Guthrie himself is very likely Bruce’s patron saint when it comes to musical adaptations.
In fact, Guthrie took liberties himself with this song, lifting and responding to the traditional hymn, “I Can’t Feel at Home in this World Anymore.”
The original song encourages the poor to consider their suffering on this earth as advance payment for eternal reward in the afterlife. Guthrie had a problem with that notion, so he used the same melody and lyrical structure to instead shed light and awareness on those who truly had no home in the world.
That song struck a chord with Bruce. When asked to contribute a recording for a tribute album for Guthrie (and Leadbelly), Bruce provided not one but two: “Vigilante Man,” and “I Ain’t Got No Home.”
Bruce recorded “I Ain’t Got No Home” in his home studio, in a quiet, vulnerable arrangement that features just him, Roy, and Nils. Bruce changed the lyrics, making the song both more modern and more inclusive. (Guthrie’s version focused on the plight of the agrarian poor.) Both songs were released in August 1988 on the album Folkways: A Vision Shared.
Bruce didn’t stop there, however–he also contributed a live performance to the album’s companion documentary film. That performance (recorded at a Madison Square Garden soundcheck on May 19, 1988) has a bit more simmering anger seeping through. It’s seldom seen, and rarely available on-line–but you can watch it here:
In concert, “I Ain’t Got No Home” is a bona fide rarity, appearing just often enough (at least once but no more then three times in each decade since its release) to assure us that Bruce hasn’t forgotten about it. If you’re lucky enough to catch it, you’ll almost certainly witness a showcase for E Street harmony–Bruce always brings the singers to the forefront and keeps the accompaniment to a minimum.
Here’s the most recent outing (and one of the finest) from SxSW 2012:
Sadly, the song has been relevant since Bruce first recorded it, and it doesn’t look like that’s about to change any time soon… so chances are good we’ll hear it again.
I Ain’t Got No Home
Recorded: 1987-1988
Released: Folkways: A Vision Shared (1988)
First performed: September 23, 1988 (Oakland, CA)
Last performed: March 15, 2012 (Austin, TX)
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