Tonight’s song comes from a novel: The Grapes of Wrath, by John Steinbeck, about a poor farming family who lost everything in the 1930s and travelled to California looking for work.
Learn from Songs · Specials: Civil rights and hardship · B2
The Ghost of Tom Joad
Bruce Springsteen’s quiet song inspired by John Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath: wherever / whenever / whoever, the present simple for scenes, reported speech, and words for poverty and hardship, with Philo, Sophia, Marcos and Demetria.
SOPHIA
MARCOS
Did they find it?
SOPHIA
Not much. But the hero, Tom Joad, makes a famous promise: wherever there is someone fighting for justice, wherever someone is hungry, he will be there. Springsteen wonders where Tom Joad is today.
PHILO
Wherever there is injustice. That’s a big promise.
Before you listen: the song
Los Angeles, 1995
In the 1930s, drought and dust storms destroyed the farms of Oklahoma and neighbouring states, the “Dust Bowl”. Thousands of families travelled west to California, where they were often exploited and despised. John Steinbeck’s novel The Grapes of Wrath (1939) told their story, and John Ford made it into a film in 1940.
Bruce Springsteen wrote “The Ghost of Tom Joad” for his quiet, acoustic 1995 album of the same name, which won a Grammy. He was also inspired by Woody Guthrie’s song about Tom Joad. Later he played it with the band Rage Against the Machine, who had recorded their own loud version.
In the song, the singer describes homeless people today, sleeping under bridges and waiting for work. He remembers what Tom Joad said: wherever there is injustice, look for him, and he’ll be there.
Wherever there is need, someone must be there.
Listen: the scenes
PHILO
Listen once. What scenes does he describe? Who is he waiting for?
SOPHIA
Listen to how quietly he sings. Then answer Section A.
🔦 Listen to the song: “The Ghost of Tom Joad” (Bruce Springsteen, 1995), by Bruce Springsteen.Find the recording →
📜 Read the words while you listen: “The Ghost of Tom Joad”, Bruce Springsteen.Read the lyrics →
Wherever, whenever, whoever
MARCOS
Wherever people are hungry, I’ll be there. Whenever you need me, call. Whoever comes will be welcome.
SOPHIA
-ever words = it doesn’t matter which place / time / person: wherever, whenever, whoever, whatever, however. Sit wherever you like. Whatever happens, don’t give up.
Present simple for scenes
DEMETRIA
Men walk along the railway line. A family sleeps under the bridge. The wind blows.
SOPHIA
Songs and stories sometimes use the present simple to describe scenes, to make them feel close and timeless, like a painting. In a story you would usually use the past.
Reported speech
PHILO
Tom said: “I’ll be there.” → Tom said (that) he would be there. “Look for me.” → He told us to look for him.
SOPHIA
Reporting: will → would, am / is → was, can → could. Orders: tell + person + to + infinitive. Remember The Letter in Unit 11?
Poverty and hardship words
MARCOS
homeless, unemployed, poverty, hardship, migrant, shelter, to make ends meet, to be on the road.
SOPHIA
homeless = with no home; unemployed = with no job; migrant = someone who moves to find work; make ends meet = have just enough money to live.
Sophia’s comparison: Ruth gleaning and Elijah’s widow
PHILO
When Ruth and Naomi came back to Bethlehem with nothing, Ruth followed the harvesters and picked up the grain they left behind, as the Law allows the poor to do. And Boaz told his men: drop some extra for her.
SOPHIA
And Homer says that strangers and beggars are sent by Zeus. Odysseus came home as a beggar, and the suitors who mocked him were the ones who were punished.
Sophia’s summary
| Words and forms | Use | Example |
|---|---|---|
| wherever / whenever / whoever | it doesn’t matter where / when / who | Wherever you go, I’ll follow. |
| whatever / however | it doesn’t matter what / how | Whatever happens, keep going. |
| present simple | scenes in songs and poems | A family sleeps under the bridge. |
| reported speech: will → would | reporting promises | He said he would be there. |
| homeless, unemployed, migrant | hardship words | They were homeless and unemployed. |
Practice
Listen to the song for Section A, then do the rest. Press “Check my answers” at the end. You can try again as many times as you like.
A · Listen: the song
Listen to the song and choose the best answer.
1. Which novel inspired the song?
2. What does Tom Joad promise?
3. What scenes does the song describe?
4. What was the Dust Bowl?
5. What kind of album is it on?
6. Which band also recorded it, loudly?
B · Grammar and vocabulary
Write the missing word or words.
7. people are hungry, I’ll be there. (in any place where)
8. you need me, call. (at any time)
9. happens, don’t give up. (no matter what)
10. He said he be there. (will)
11. He told us look for him.
12. They have no home. They are .
C · Right or wrong?
Is the sentence correct English?
13. “He said he will come.” (reported, past)
14. “Sit wherever you like.”
15. “Whoever comes will be welcome.”
16. “They can hardly make end meet.”
Talk and write
Discussion and writing
Wherever, whenever. Complete these promises and share them: Wherever you go, … Whenever you’re sad, … Whatever happens, …
Discuss. 1. Who are the people today who most need help? 2. Can a song or novel make people care about the poor? 3. Is helping the poor the job of individuals, churches and charities, or governments? Listen to different views.
Write (120–150 words). Where is Tom Joad today? Describe a scene of hardship in the present simple, then report a promise someone made, using would.
Now play the gamebook: a family with nothing, arriving in the city.Play the gamebook →