"The Promised Land" is a song by the American singer-songwriter Bruce Springsteen from his 1978 album Darkness on the Edge of Town.

[6] "The Promised Land" originated through a trip to Utah and Nevada on August 16–20, 1977, with photographer Eric Meola (who shot the Born to Run cover) and guitarist Steven Van Zandt.

After flying to Salt Lake City and renting a red 1965 Ford Galaxie, the group set out towards Reno, Nevada, Meola looking for photo ops, Springsteen to see some of the places he envisioned in his dreams.

Thirty days later, Springsteen came to the Record Plant with the words and music he had been working on since he left Nevada, for a song called "The Promised Land".

[8] In the documentary The Promise: The Making of Darkness On the Edge of Town, Springsteen said the song is about "how we honor the community and the place we came from".

[11] The lyrics of "The Promised Land" include a number of links to other Springsteen songs, particularly those on Darkness on the Edge of Town.

[8][12] Like "Adam Raised a Cain" and non-Darkness songs such as "Pink Cadillac", "The Promised Land" incorporates biblical imagery.

[13][14] The opening harmonica solo is covered by the New Jersey band Titus Andronicus on their debut album The Airing of Grievances in the song "Joset of Nazareth's Blues".

[15] Robert Christgau referred to "The Promised Land" as a model "of how an unsophisticated genre can illuminate a mature, full-bodied philosophical insight.

[21] Darren Hanlon covered "The Promised Land" on Play Some Pool, Skip Some School, Act Real Cool.