 |
THE PROMISE 
Official 1978 studio version
Johnny works in a factory, hey, Billy works downtown
And Terry works in a rock and roll band lookin' for that million-dollar sound
And me I got a job down in Denville but some nights I just don't go
I said I ride to the drive-in or some nights I just stay home
Well 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
And when the promise was broken, I cashed in a few of my own dreams
Whoa-ah-um
Well now I built that Challenger by myself, but I needed money and so I sold it
And 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 the fight, the one that no man can ever win
Every day it just gets harder, a dream I'm only livin' in
Thunder Road, ??? the evening 'till it turns light
Thunder Road, there's something dyin' out on the highway tonight
Well my daddy taught me how to walk quiet and how to make my peace with the past
I learned real good to tighten up inside and I don't say nothing unless I'm asked
And the promise is broken you go on living, it steals something from down in your soul
Like when the truth gets spoken, don't make a difference, something in your heart ??? turns cold
Well I follow that dream to the southwest ???, the dead ends in the two-bit bars
The promise was broken, I go far away from home sleepin' in the backseat of a borrowed car
Thunder Road, hey-yeahhh-yeah
Thunder Road, here's all for the tires rushing by in the rain
Thunder Road, remember what me and Billy we always say
Thunder Road, we wanna take it all, gonna throw it all
Throw it all away
Throw it all away
Throw it all away
Throw it all away
Throw it all away
Page last updated: 16 Nov 2010
Info
The above lyrics are for a version of THE PROMISE that was recorded in early
1978 (most probably early January) at The Record Plant in New York City, NY. In-studio video
footage of the recording of this take was released on the Thrill Hill Vault 1976-1978 DVD
in 2010 (read below). The video is shot by Barry Rebo.
[Click thumbnail to enlarge/reduce snapshot]
Thrill Hill Vault 1976-1978
Thrill Hill Vault 1976-1978 is a collection of archival footage from
Springsteen's personal vault that was released on 16 Nov 2010 exclusively as part of the The
Promise: The Darkness On The Edge Of Town Story box set, in both DVD and Blu-Ray formats. The
video clocks at about 56 minutes, and is combined with Darkness On The Edge Of Town: Paramount
Theater, Asbury Park 2009 on one disc.
Thrill Hill Vault 1976-1978 consists of an about-an-hour's worth of
home rehearsals footage from 1976, studio sessions footage from 1978, and live in concert footage
from 1978. It was produced and edited by Emmy- and Grammy-winner Thom Zimny and the audio for the
live 1978 footage and some of the 1978 studio footage was mixed by Bob Ludwig. Zimny re-edited the
1978 concert footage making use of previously unseen camera angles. The home rehearsals and studio
session footage was originally produced and directed by Barry Rebo, while the live in concert
footage was originally directed by Arnold Levine.
[Click thumbnail to enlarge/reduce artwork]
[Click here
to display/hide detailed track listing]
Available Versions
List of available versions of THE PROMISE on this website:
Request
If you have any corrections or additional info, please contact me via the below
form or by email: . You will be
credited. Thanks in advance.
|
|
