The album's release was followed by Springsteen's solo acoustic Ghost of Tom Joad Tour, which ran from 1995–1997 and consisted of mostly small venues.
Bruce Springsteen has stated that the idea for his 1995 song "My Best Was Never Good Enough" (on the album The Ghost of Tom Joad) came from this book, specifically Ford's penchant for speaking in cliches.
Tom Hanks | Tom Waits | Tom Jones | Tom Jones (singer) | Tom Cruise | Tom and Jerry | Uncle Tom's Cabin | Tom Petty | Tom Stoppard | Tom Clancy | Tom Wolfe | Tom Selleck | Tom Baker | Ghost Whisperer | Tom Brokaw | Tom Robinson | Tom Mix | Tom | Tom Paxton | Tom DeLay | ghost town | Ghost Hunters | Casper the Friendly Ghost | Tom Sawyer | Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers | Tom Joyner | Tom Harkin | Tom Green | Tom Brady | Tom Ridge |
"New Timer" and another song from The Ghost of Tom Joad, "Youngstown," were inspired by Springsteen reading Dale Maharidge's 1985 book Journey to Nowhere: The Saga of the New Underclass, illustrated by Michael Williamson.
•
This appears to be a nod to one of the jobs the Joads took in John Steinbeck's novel The Grapes of Wrath, which inspired the title (and the title song) of the album "The New Timer" comes from.