Bruce adapted classic literature in song long before “The Ghost of Tom Joad.”
In the autumn of 1968, nineteen-year-old Bruce Springsteen put pen to paper and wrote a song called “Mississippi,” featuring two friends drifting down the great river on a raft on a beautiful, lazy summer day. One of them was named Jim, and although the narrator never identifies himself, it’s not too difficult to figure out his name, too.
Sailing down the Mississippi Chewing on a piece of hay Just ain’t nothing like my river On such a beautiful day
Brother Jim lying right beside me Everything’s feeling just fine ‘Cause we’re as free as the river Faithful by each other’s side
The sun feels mighty good this morning Gonna be a good day I can see Its gentle rays are mighty warmin’ Why don’t you come along with Jim and me
Plenty of fish to make good eatin’ Lots of room upon the raft Now that you’re friends with the river Maybe you’ll never go back
Put down the load you been carrying Follow me and don’t look back Jim’s just about got supper cookin’ Plenty of room upon the raft
Forget about time for there’s no reason To worry about things like that The days just melt into seasons There is no future or past
Summer sky is our roof top Travelin’ on just another mile Don’t think I’m ever gonna stop Can’t do nothing now but smile and smile
Bruce never recorded his adaptation of Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, but he did include some margin notes (for example, “Instead of A minor use D”) that at least tell us he envisioned “Mississippi” as a song rather than a poem.
“Mississippi” is one of the many unrecorded, unreleased songs Bruce transcribed in his 1968 Notebook. Discover others in the series here.
Mississippi
Never recorded
Never released
Never performed
Looking for your favorite Bruce song? Check our full index here. New entries every week!
