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

Page last updated: 06 Nov 2010

Info

The above lyrics are for Graziano Romani's cover of THE PROMISE. He recorded the song in 2002 and released it the following year on the Light Of Day: A Tribute To Bruce Springsteen tribute album.

Various artists -- Light Of Day: A Tribute To Bruce Springsteen 3 CD - Good Sounds (DM 797-02) - Spain, 2003 2 CD - Good Sounds (DM 797E-02) - Spain, 2003 2 CD - Schoolhouse Records (SHR0022-2) - USA, 2003 2 CD - Sony (MHCP-928/9) - Japan, 2005 2 CD - Revolver (REVXD 244) - UK, 2005 This is various artists Bruce Springsteen tribute album. THE RPOMISE is performed by Graziano Romani.

Track credits

Graziano Romani: vocals, acoustic guitar
Fabrizio 'Tede' Tedeschini: electric guitars
Francesco Germini: piano, strings
Max Baldaccini: drums, percussion
Alex Class: bass guitar

Recorded and mixed by Alberto Solieri at Blue Velvet recording studio, Modena, Italy, May 27th, 2002. Mastered by Davide Barbi at IK mastering, Modena, Italy. Produced by Graziano Romani.

Liner Notes

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

• Official 1977 studio version
• Official 1978 studio version
• Official 1999 studio version
• Unofficial Jun-Jul 1977 studio version
• Unofficial Aug 1977 studio version
• Unofficial Sep-Oct 1977 studio version
• Live 03 Aug 1976 version
• Live 29 Sep 1976 version
• Live 30 Oct 1976 version
• Live 19 May 1978 version
• Live 23 May 1978 version
• Live 01 Jul 2000 version
• Live 20 Jul 2005 version
• Live 07 Dec 2010 version
• Graziano Romani's cover version