The Ghost of Old Tom Joad is a classic Bruce Springsteen song. It was originally marketed as a mellow folk song but was taken and reformatted by Rage Against the Machine. Each version of the song does an excellent job at presenting the lyrics in different contexts. The way each band decided to deliver the words has a profound effect on the way they are perceived. Bruce Springsteen argues that the story of Tom Joad is a lonely, sad and depressing one. On the other hand, Rage Against the Machine presents it in a manner filled with anger and angst.
Because the musical genres of Bruce and Rage differ so much, I am going to focus mainly on the presentation of the lyrics. In Bruce’s version, the song begins with only guitar and vocals. The choice to have the drums and the rest of the band come in on the lyrics “He pulls a prayer book out of his sleeping bag,” was deliberative. Often in folk music religion comes up. And I believe the band backing this line draws attention to it. Bruce’s version is no doubt more somber than rages. The harmonicas do a very good job at projecting a ad and heavy tone.
In Rage Against the Machine’s version, anger is the main focus. The music starts strong and heavy but relaxes as the vocals come in. In general the lyrics are presented in a much more aggressive fashion, but emphasis on certain words provides fuel for the pain. Lyrics like “You got a hole in your belly and gun in your hand “ and “Welcome to the new world order, Families sleepin' in their cars in the Southwest “ can all be taken as angry statements by the way they are presented. Rage uses the words “No Rest” and repeats them one more time shouting them. This is the best example demonstrating the anger in the lyrics. Both bands present the same lyrics in a very different manner. A combination of musical styles and vocal styles provide the context needed to present the song to both a folk music fan base as well as an alternative rock fan base.
A similar example can be found with Paint it Black covered by The Black Dahlia Murder.
