lee “likes” tom joad

“The Ghost of Tom Joad” is one of my favorite songs of all time. (Tom Joad is the protagonist in Steinbeck’s Grapes of Wrath.) While cover songs often bother me, RAGE perfectly amplify the raw emotion of Springsteen’s poetry/lyrics, particularly in this live version from Irvine, CA in 1997, which I used to watch over and over again on VHS. Tom Morello, chopping political heads, on his double axe. Drummer Brad Wilk replicating macine guns pulsating on the drums. And Mr. Zach de la Rocha … “YOU’LL SEE ME!!!” I get GOOSEBUMPS (practically tears) when I hear both versions, especially back-to-back …

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