Live 13 May 1977 (early show) version
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
Darling, you know just what I'm here for
So you're scared and you're thinking that maybe we ain't that young anymore
Well, show a little faith, there's magic in the night
Hey, you ain't a beauty, but ah, it's all right
Whoa, and that's all right with me
You 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 savior to rise from these streets
Well now, the kid ain't no hero, that's understood
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
Well, the night's busted open, these two lanes will take us anywhere
We got one last chance to make it real
To trade in these wings on some wheels
Climb in back, heaven's waiting down on the tracks
Whoa, come and take my hand
We're riding out tonight to case the promised land
Whoa, oh, oh, Thunder Road, oh, Thunder Road, oh, Thunder Road
Lying out there like a killer in the sun
I know it's late, but 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
And 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 but the ride, it ain't free
Well, I know you're lonely, there's 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 the 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 hear their engines roaring on
When you get to the porch they're gone
On the wind, Mary climb in
It's a town full of losers and I'm pulling out of here to win
Whoa!
Whoa!
[Spoken outro:] Thank you! Miami Steve!
The above lyrics are for the live 13 May 1977 early show performance of THUNDER ROAD at Monmouth Arts Center in Red Bank, NJ, with The Asbury Park All-Star Revue. The song was played in a full-band arrangement backed by the E Street Band and featuring a piano introduction by Roy Bittan
Four Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes gigs were scheduled on 12 and 13 May 1977 (two shows each night) at Monmouth Arts Center in Red Bank, NJ. Southside fell ill and couldn't perform, so Steve Van Zandt came to the rescue by organizing The Asbury Park All-Star Revue, a combination of the Asbury Jukes, the E Street Band, Ronnie Spector, and Bruce Springsteen. The first night's two shows were rearranged into a single concert.
Thanks Jake (ol'catfishinthelake at BTX and Greasy Lake) for the lyrics help. Some of the above info is taken from Brucebase.
List of available versions of THUNDER ROAD on this website:
THUNDER ROAD [Album version]