THUNDER ROAD

Live 27 Jun 2000 / 01 Jul 2000 version

[27 Jun 2000 part:]

Screen door slams, Mary's dress sway
Like a vision she danced across the porch as the radio plays
It's Roy Orbison, he's singing for the lonely
Hey it's me and I want you only
Don't turn me home again
I just can't face myself alone anymore
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, go!
Show a little faith, there's magic in the night
Hey you ain't a beauty, but hey you're alright, yeah
Well that's alright with me

[01 Jul 2000 part:]

You can hide 'neath your covers and study your pain
Make crosses from your lover, 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 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
Hey the night's busting open, these two lanes will take us anywhere
Well 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

Oh oh come take my hand
We're riding out tonight to case the promised land
Oh oh 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 Thunder Road, sit tight, take hold, Thunder Road

Well I got this guitar and I learned how to make it talk
My car's out back if you're ready to take that long long walk
From your front porch to my front seat
The door's open but the ride it ain't free
I know you're lonely, those words that I ain't spoken
Well 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 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, we're pulling outta here to win

Info

The above lyrics are for a mix of the live 27 Jun 2000 and 01 Jul 2000 performances of THUNDER ROAD at Madison Square Garden in New York City, NY, during The Reunion Tour. The first verse is from the 27 Jun 2000 show and the rest is from the 01 Jul 2000 show. The song was played in a full-band arrangement. The part in bold is sung by the crowd.

This mix of the live 27 Jun 2000 version and the live 01 Jul 2000 version of THUNDER ROAD was not part of the 2001 HBO special (read below) and was not included on the Live In New York City album. However, it was included on the home video release.

Live In New York City

The Reunion Tour concluded with a ten-night stand at Madison Square Garden in New York City, NY, between 12 June and 01 July 2000. Footage from the last three nights (27 Jun, 29 Jun, and 01 Jul 2000) was used in early 2001 for HBO's Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band: Live In New York City TV special. Running at 90 minutes, the film consisted of a 14-song selection from the last two nights (29 Jun and 01 Jul 2000). It first aired on 07 Apr 2001 and was the first ever major televised Bruce Springsteen concert.

In 2001, HBO received six Emmy Award nominations and won two for their acclaimed film.

• Nominee for "Outstanding Directing for a Variety or Music Program"
• Winner of "Outstanding Lighting Direction (Electronic, Multicamera) for VMC Programming"
• Nominee for "Outstanding Technical Direction, Camerawork, Video for a Miniseries, Movie or a Special"
• Nominee for "Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Variety or Music Series or Special"
• Winner of "Outstanding Multi-Camera Picture Editing for a Miniseries, Movie or a Special"
• Nominee for "Outstanding Variety, Music or Comedy Special"

The full HBO broadcast was released on Live In New York City, both the album (released on 03 Apr 2001) and the home video (released on 06 Nov 2001). The album includes 6 bonus tracks (20 in all) and the home video includes an additional 5 plus one audio track that plays over the end credits (26 in all). These bonus tracks are taken from all three filmed nights (27 Jun, 29 Jun, and 01 Jul 2000) and were not part of the HBO broadcast.

Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band -- Live In New York City (album)

Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band -- Live In New York City (DVD)

Official Releases

In addition to its release on the Live In New York City home video, the live 27 Jun 2000 / 01 Jul 2000 version of THUNDER ROAD was also officially released in 2003 on the Waitin' On A Sunny Day CD EP in Australia and Europe.

Bruce Springsteen -- Waitin' On A Sunny Day

CD EP - Columbia (673583.2) - Australia, 2003

01- WAITIN' ON A SUNNY DAY
02- BORN TO RUN [Live 01 Jul 2000 version]
03- DARKNESS ON THE EDGE OF TOWN [Live 29 Jun 2000 version]
04- THUNDER ROAD [Live 27 Jun 2000 / 01 Jul 2000 version]

Bruce Springsteen -- Waitin' On A Sunny Day

CD EP - Columbia (673583.2) - Australia, 2003

This is an enhanced issue of the Australian EP on which tracks 1 and 2 are regular CD audio tracks and tracks 3 and 4 are MPEG video files taken from the Live In New York City home video.

01- WAITIN' ON A SUNNY DAY
02- BORN TO RUN [Live 01 Jul 2000 version]
03- DARKNESS ON THE EDGE OF TOWN [Live 29 Jun 2000 version]
04- THUNDER ROAD [Live 27 Jun 2000 / 01 Jul 2000 version]

Bruce Springsteen -- Waitin' On A Sunny Day

CD EP - Columbia (673491 2) - Austria, 2003

Austrian pressing for the European market.

01- WAITIN' ON A SUNNY DAY
02- BORN TO RUN [Live 01 Jul 2000 version]
03- DARKNESS ON THE EDGE OF TOWN [Live 29 Jun 2000 version]
04- THUNDER ROAD [Live 27 Jun 2000 / 01 Jul 2000 version]

Available Versions

List of available versions of THUNDER ROAD on this website:

Page last updated: 07 Sep 2021