Bruce Springsteen Tribute - Lebanese Tribute to Bruce Springsteen

THUNDER ROAD^©

Live 19 Sep 1978 version

The screen door slams, Mary's dress sways
Like a vision she dances across the porch as the radio plays
Roy Orbison singing for the lonely
Hey that's me and I want you only
Don't turn me home again
I just can't face myself alone again
Don't you run back inside, you know just what I'm here for
You're scared and you're thinking that maybe we ain't that young anymore
Now sing!
Show a little faith, there's magic in the night*
You ain't a beauty, but hey you're alright*
Alright!
And that's alright with me

You can hide 'neath your covers and study your pain
Make crosses from your lovers, throw roses in the rain
Waste your summer praying in vain for a saviour to rise from these streets
Well I'm no hero, that's understood
Well all the redemption I can offer, girl, is beneath this dirty hood
With a chance to make it good somehow
Hey what else can we do now
Except roll down the window and let the wind blow back your hair
The night's bustin' open, these two lanes will take us anywhere
We got one last chance to make it real
Trade in them wings on some wheels
Climb in back, heaven's waiting down on the tracks

Oh come and take my hand
We're riding out tonight to case the promised land
Oh oh oh Thunder Road, oh Thunder Road, oh Thunder Road
Lying out there like a killer in the sun
Hey I know it's late, we can make it if we run
Oh oh oh oh Thunder Road, sit tight, take hold, Thunder Road

Well I got this guitar and I learned how to make her talk**
My car's out back if you're ready to take that long walk
From your front porch to my front seat
The door's open, the ride it ain't free
And I know you're lonely, these words that I ain't spoken
Tonight girl we'll be free, all the promises will be broken
There were ghosts in the eyes of all the boys you sent away
They haunt this dusty beach road in skeleton frames of burned-out Chevrolets
They scream your name at night in the street
Your graduation gown lies in rags at their feet
In the lonely cool before dawn
You can hear their engines roaring on
You get to the porch, they're gone on the wind, so Mary climb in
It's a town full of losers, I'm pulling out of here to win
Oh yeah!

Page last updated: 11 Sep 2007

The above lyrics are for the 19 Sep 1978 performance at the Capitol Theater, Passaic, NJ, during the Darkness On The Edge Of Town Tour. This is what many consider to be the best full-band THUNDER ROAD ever. This show was broadcast live on the New York radio station WNEW-FM, and soundboard tape and video footage are available.

Bruce Springsteen performing THUNDER ROAD on 19 Sep 1978 at the Capitol Theater, Passaic, NJ

* Lines in italic correspond to the audience singing.
** This line is followed by a quick but heavy guitar riff.

Promo poster for the three 1978 shows at The Capitol Theater, Passaic, NJ

List of available versions of THUNDER ROAD on this website:

Spoken intro to THUNDER ROAD [Live 19 Sep 1978 version]:

There was this... there was this Robert Mitchum movie. And it was about these moonshine runners down south. And I never saw the movie, I only saw the poster in the lobby at the theater [chuckles]. And I... took the title and I wrote this song, but I didn't... I didn't think that there was ever a place that was like... that was like what I wrote in this song and all I know... didn't know if there was or not. And uh.... we were out in the desert over the summertime driving uh... driving to Nevada and we came upon this, this house on the side of the road, this Indian had built... had a big picture of Geronimo out front with "Landlord", said "Landlord" over the top, had a big sign said "This is the land of peace, love, justice and no mercy". And it pointed down this little dirt road that said "Thunder Road". This is for Matty.

THUNDER ROAD©

Live 19 Sep 1978 version

Page last updated: 11 Sep 2007

THUNDER ROAD^©