- Home
-
Lyrics
-
- Collection
-
Bootlegs
-
Intro / Wanted list
-
- Links
- Forum
-
-
-
Live 21 Feb 1995 version
[Spoken intro:] Do we have an F harmonica around anywhere? F? All right, Jonathan, Jonathan Demme, now it's his birthday, too! Happy birthday to the director. There he is! (chuckles) All right! He looks good for 62! (chuckles) Let's see.
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
Well, 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
Show a little faith, there's magic in the night
You ain't a beauty, but, hey, you're all right
Oh, and that's all right 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 savior to rise from these streets
Well, I'm no hero, that's understood
All the redemption I can offer is beneath this dirty hood
With a chance to make it good somehow
Baby, what else can we do now
Except roll down the window and let the wind blow back your hair
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, oh, come take my hand
We're riding out tonight to case the promised land
Whoa, oh, oh, Thunder Road, oh, Thunder Road, oh, Thunder Road
It's lying out there like a killer in the sun
Hey, I know it's late, but we can make it if we run
Whoa, 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
And 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; so Mary climb in
It's a town full of losers, we're pulling out of here to win
[Spoken outro:] Oh, ah!
The above lyrics are for the live 21 Feb 1995 performance of THUNDER ROAD at Tramps in New York City, NY, during a reunion gig with the E Street Band. The parts in bold are sung by the crowd.
On 21 Feb 1995, Bruce Springsteen performed an unannounced show with the E Street Band at Tramps nightclub in New York City, NY, in front of an audience of about 300 invitees. This was a reunion gig with the band intended for the shooting of the MURDER INCORPORATED music video and to promote Springsteen's upcoming Greatest Hits album. This was the first time Springsteen has performed with the E Street Band in more than six years; their last show together was on 15 Oct 1988 in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
The taping at the nightclub lasted five hours, from around 8:00PM to around 1:00PM, though there was only about an hour and a half of music. For the video, which was directed by Jonathan Demme, Springsteen and the band performed six takes MURDER INCORPORATED, in addition to the two takes they had practiced prior to the taping. They also treated the audience with 12 additional songs. Some footage from the 21 Feb 1995 evening was included on Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band's 1996 documentary Blood Brothers.
Sound-check prior to taping:
Taping:
Thanks Jake (ol'catfishinthelake at BTX and Greasy Lake) for the lyrics help.
List of available versions of THUNDER ROAD on this website:
THUNDER ROAD [Album version]