Youngstown Lyrics
By Bruce Springsteen
[Verse 1]
Here in northeast Ohio, back in 1803
James and Dan Heaton found the ore that was lining Yellow Creek
They built a blast furnace here along the shore
And they made the cannonballs that helped the Union win the war
[Chorus]
Here in Youngstown
Here in Youngstown
My sweet Jenny, I’m sinking down
Here, darling, in Youngstown
[Verse 2]
Well, my daddy worked the furnaces, kept ’em hotter than hell
I come home from ‘Nam, worked my way to scarfer
A job that would suit the devil as well
Taconite coke and limestone fed my children and made my pay
Them smokestacks reaching like the arms of God
Into a beautiful sky of soot and clay
[Chorus]
Here in Youngstown
Here in Youngstown
Sweet Jenny, I’m sinking down
Here, darling, in Youngstown
[Verse 3]
Well, my daddy come on the Ohio works
When he come home from World War II
Now the yard’s just scrap and rubble
He said “Them big boys did what Hitler couldn’t do”
These mills, they built the tanks and bombs
That won this country’s wars
We sent our sons to Korea and Vietnam
Now we’re wondering what they were dying for
[Chorus]
Here in Youngstown
Here in Youngstown
My sweet Jenny, I’m sinking down
Here, darling, in Youngstown
[Verse 4]
From the Monongahela Valley to the Mesabi iron range
To the coal mines of Appalachia, the story’s always the same
Seven-hundred tons of metal a day
Now sir, you tell me the world’s changed
Once I made you rich enough
Rich enough to forget my name
[Chorus]
In Youngstown
In Youngstown
My sweet Jenny, I’m sinking down
Here, darling, in Youngstown
[Outro]
When I die, I don’t want no part of heaven
I would not do heaven’s work well
I pray the devil comes and takes me
To stand in the fiery furnaces of hell
I’ve linked two versions of this tune. The first is by Blue Moon Rising, an accoustic bluegrass redition, and the second is a very electric live performance by Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band. Each is moving with its unique appeal.
Blue Mood Rising
Bruce Springsteen
CynOp 
10 responses to “Youngstown”
I’d never heard this song before, Liam. Have to say I love it, both versions, though, since I’m a HUGE Springsteen fan, if pressed, I’d pick his rendition.
Here’s an old song that immediately came to mind when I listened to Youngstown. Patty Loveless covered it years ago, and in this video released less than a year ago, Chris Stapleton accompanies her.
LikeLiked by 1 person
The link doesn’t work for me. Was it “You’ll Never Leave Harlan Alive”? If so, I just watched it… Excellent!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes, that’s the one.
In WordPress’s reader, video links seldom work for me. I have to visit the actual site (Including yours) for the link to work.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Interesting. I’ve not been able to get any links to work from the comments. Those in the post seem ok, though…; -)
LikeLiked by 1 person
Do you imbed the video, or just add the link?
LikeLiked by 1 person
So far, I’ve embedded all video links in my posts.
LikeLiked by 1 person
So have I the few times I’ve posted a song from YouTube. Like I said, on yours I have to click “visit site” for the video to work. I may do an experiment and see if just adding the link in a post will make it work from the reader.
LikeLiked by 1 person
That’s interesting. I’ve can always play my own post links from the reader. And I’ve been able to play other posters’ links from the reader, too. But I don’t know if theirs are imbeded or not.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I can’t play my own links from the reader either. Maybe it has something to do with the theme I’m running…who knows…??
LikeLiked by 1 person
Let me know if you figure it out. I’m only using the ‘basic’ theme. It seems the more complex the theme, the less streamlined its operation… at least that is the case on Blogger, where I have my art studio site…
LikeLiked by 1 person