"New Timer" is a song by

Bruce Springsteen Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen (born September 23, 1949) is an American singer and songwriter. He has released 21 studio albums, most of which feature his backing band, the E Street Band. Originally from the Jersey Shore, he is an originat ...

from his 1995 album '' The Ghost of Tom Joad''. Springsteen performs the song solo on the album, with only guitar accompaniment.

Lyrics

The narrator of the song is a man who has left behind a wife and children in

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

in order to find work, but ends up becoming a hobo, riding on freight trains. He tells of an older man, Frank, who has been riding the rails since the

Great Depression The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...

and serves as a protector and mentor to the narrator. They eventually part ways, and the narrator never sees Frank again except for one night when Frank passed him on a rail car, shouted the narrator's name, and then "disappeared into the rain and wind." Eventually Frank is found dead, killed for no apparent reason, just "somebody killin' just to kill." Afterwards, the narrator daydreams about the family he left behind and prays for love and mercy, although his heart is filled with hatred and longing for vengeance.

Inspiration

"New Timer" and another song from '' The Ghost of Tom Joad'', "

Youngstown Youngstown is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio, and the largest city and county seat of Mahoning County. At the 2020 census, Youngstown had a city population of 60,068. It is a principal city of the Youngstown–Warren metropolitan area, which ...

," were inspired by Springsteen reading

Dale Maharidge Dale Maharidge (born 24 October 1956) is an American author, journalist and academic best known for his collaborations with photographer Michael Williamson. Maharidge and Williamson's book '' And Their Children After Them'' won the Pulitzer Prize ...

's 1985 book '' Journey to Nowhere: The Saga of the New Underclass'', illustrated by Michael Williamson. The narrator is the "new timer," defined by Maharidge as a "new breed of street person, forced to the bottom by economic hardship". Unlike older hobos, they had once been members of the

middle class The middle class refers to a class of people in the middle of a social hierarchy, often defined by occupation, income, education, or social status. The term has historically been associated with modernity, capitalism and political debate. Commo ...

, making their circumstances particularly painful. The 1996 reprint of ''Journey to Nowhere'' included an introduction by Springsteen and the lyrics of his "The New Timer" and "Youngstown". Another influence on the song was the real-life story of Thomas Jefferson "Alabama" Glenn, who became a hobo during the

. Glenn and two others were killed one night for no apparent reason, like Frank in the song.

Woody Guthrie Woodrow Wilson Guthrie (; July 14, 1912 – October 3, 1967) was an American singer-songwriter, one of the most significant figures in American folk music. His work focused on themes of American socialism and anti-fascism. He has inspired ...

's songs from the 1930 and '40s were another influence. "The New Timer" has a similar tone and melody as Springsteen's earlier song "

Nebraska Nebraska () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Kansas to the south; Colorado to the southwe ...

". Both songs tell stories of needless violence. In "Nebraska" the narrator is a murderer who states that he kills because "there's just a meanness in this world"; in "The New Timer", Frank is murdered for no reason, by "somebody killin' just to kill." The narrator sings that he and Frank took transient work such as picking peaches. This appears to be a nod to one of the jobs the Joads take in

John Steinbeck John Ernst Steinbeck Jr. (; February 27, 1902 – December 20, 1968) was an American writer and the 1962 Nobel Prize in Literature winner "for his realistic and imaginative writings, combining as they do sympathetic humor and keen social ...

's novel ''

The Grapes of Wrath ''The Grapes of Wrath'' is an American realist novel written by John Steinbeck and published in 1939. The book won the National Book Award and Pulitzer Prize for fiction, and it was cited prominently when Steinbeck was awarded the Nobel Prize ...

'', which inspired the title (and the title song) of ''The Ghost of Tom Joad''.

References

External links

Lyrics, at official Springsteen website
{{DEFAULTSORT:New Timer, The 1995 songs Bruce Springsteen songs Songs written by Bruce Springsteen Song recordings produced by Bruce Springsteen Song recordings produced by Chuck Plotkin