THE PROMISE

Graziano Romani's cover version



Johnny works in a factory, and Billy works downtown
Terry works in a rock and roll band lookin' for that million-dollar sound
Me, sometimes I don't do nothing, spending a lot of time alone
Some nights I go to the drive-in and some nights I stay home
I follow that dream just like those guys do up on the screen
And I drove a Challenger down Route 9 through the dead ends and all the bad scenes
When the promise was broken, I cashed in a few of my dreams

Well now I built that Challenger by myself, but I needed money and so I sold it
I lived a secret I should'a kept to myself, but I got drunk one night and I told it
All my life I fought this fight, the one that no man can ever win
And every day it just gets harder to live a dream I'm believing in
Thunder Road, oh baby you were so right
Thunder Road, there's something dyin' down on the highway tonight
Hmm

Well now I won big once and I hit the coast, oh but somehow I paid the big cost
Inside I felt like I was carryin' the broken spirits of all the other ones who lost
And when the promise is broken you go on living, but, man, it steals something from down in your soul
Like when the truth is spoken and it don't make no difference, something in your heart goes cold
Well I followed that dream through the southwestern tracks, that dead ends in two-bit bars
And when the promise was broken I was far away from home sleepin' in the backseat of a borrowed car
Thunder Road, for the lost lovers and all the fixed games
Thunder Road, for the tires rushing by in the rain
Thunder Road, what Billy and me we'd always say
Thunder Road, we were gonna take it all and throw it all away
All away
Hooo


Info

The above lyrics are for Graziano Romani's cover version of THE PROMISE. The song was released on his 2017 Bruce Springsteen tribute album Soul Crusader Again: The Songs Of Bruce Springsteen.

Graziano Romani -- Soul Crusader Again: The Songs Of Bruce Springsteen
Graziano Romani -- Soul Crusader Again: The Songs Of Bruce Springsteen

CD - Route 66 Music (RT612017004) - Italy, 2017

This is a Bruce Springsteen tribute album.

The song was recorded and mixed by Alberto Solieri on 27 May 2002 at Blue Velvet recording studio in Modena, Italy. It was mastered by Davide Barbi at IK mastering in Modena, Italy, and produced by Graziano Romani. The track features Graziano Romani on vocals and acoustic guitar, Fabrizio 'Tede' Tedeschini on electric guitars, Francesco Germini on piano and strings, Max Baldaccini on drums and percussion, and Alex lass on bass guitar.

Graziano Romani's cover version of THE PROMISE was first included on the 2003 various artists tribute album Light Of Day: A Tribute To Bruce Springsteen. It was also included on Romani's 2017 compilation album Sings Bruce Springsteen 1987-2017.

Various artists -- Light Of Day: A Tribute To Bruce Springsteen
Various artists -- Light Of Day: A Tribute To Bruce Springsteen

2xCD - Schoolhouse Records / Big Daddy (SHR0022-2) - USA, 2003
2xCD - Good Sounds / DiscMedi Blau (DM 797E-02) - Spain, 2003
3xCD - Good Sounds / DiscMedi Blau (DM 797-02) - Spain, 2003
2xCD - Schoolhouse Records / Revolver (REV XD244) - UK, 2004
2xCD - Revolver / Sony (MHCP 928-9) - Japan, 2005

This is a Bruce Springsteen tribute album. There are five issues of this album (with three track configurations) and this track was included on all five issues listed above.
Graziano Romani -- Sings Bruce Springsteen 1987-2017
Graziano Romani -- Sings Bruce Springsteen 1987-2017

LP - Route 61 Music (RT612017005) - Italy, 2017

This is a Bruce Springsteen tribute album. It was first issued as a limited edition Record Store Day exclusive on black vinyl and subsequently reissued as a 200-copies limited edition on white vinyl.

Liner notes from the Light Of Day: A Tribute To Bruce Springsteen album booklet:

One of my favourite Springsteen ballads, I always imagined this song someway linked to "Thunder Road", its mood, themes and characters. I used to play it in rehearsals, back in the days of my first band The Rocking Chairs, but I think this version has the same feeling I tried to capture recording my own Springsteen tribute album, titled "Soul Crusader". To me, "The Promise" is like a story for a movie, pure Bruce romanticism, absolutely great.

- Graziano Romani

Available Versions

List of available versions of THE PROMISE on this website:

THE PROMISE [Official 1977 studio version]
THE PROMISE [Official 1978 studio version]
THE PROMISE [Official 1999 studio version]
THE PROMISE [Unofficial studio version 1]
THE PROMISE [Unofficial studio version 2]
THE PROMISE [Unofficial studio version 3]
THE PROMISE [Live 03 Aug 1976 version]
THE PROMISE [Live 29 Sep 1976 version]
THE PROMISE [Live 30 Oct 1976 version]
THE PROMISE [Live 19 May 1978 version]
THE PROMISE [Live 23 May 1978 version]
THE PROMISE [Live 16 Jun 1978 version]
THE PROMISE [Live 01 Jul 1978 version]
THE PROMISE [Live 23 Oct 1999 version]
THE PROMISE [Live 01 Jul 2000 version]
THE PROMISE [Live 20 Jul 2005 version]
THE PROMISE [Live 07 Dec 2010 version]
THE PROMISE [Live 08 Feb 2014 version]
THE PROMISE [Live 22 Apr 2014 version]
THE PROMISE [Graziano Romani's cover version]

Page last updated: 18 Apr 2017