THUNDER ROAD^©

Live 22 Sep 1992 version

Well the 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 alright
Oh and that's alright 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 now 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
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

Well oh oh come take my hand
We're riding out tonight to case the promised land
Whoa oh oh oh Thunder Road, whoa Thunder Road, 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 it 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 we'll be free, all the promises'll 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
But when you get to the porch they're gone on the wind, so Mary climb in
It's a town full of losers and we're pulling out of here to win

Page last updated: 22 Sep 2007

The above lyrics are for the live 22 Sep 1992 performance of THUNDER ROAD at Warner Hollywood Studios (Stage #4), Los Angeles, CA, during the MTV Unplugged taping. This was a stripped-down rendition with Bruce Springsteen playing guitar and harmonica, and accompanied only by Roy Bittan on keyboards.

MTV Unplugged is a popular MTV series that began in the 1989/1990 TV season, and was first aired on 26 Nov 1989. Produced by Viacom and directed by Beth McCarthy, the program showcases popular musicians primarily known for playing electric amplified instruments (usually the electric guitar and electric bass) performing live using only acoustic instruments.

During a break in his Human Touch / Lucky Town Tour, Bruce Springsteen was booked on 22 Sep 1992 for the taping of an episode of MTV Unplugged. He opened the show with a solo acoustic RED HEADED WOMAN, but he then brought his 1992-93 touring band onstage, and in a twist on the program's theme, put the plug back in and played a full-band concert. Reportedly Springsteen had been unhappy with the touring band's rehearsals of acoustic arrangements, and this was what led him to break the unplugged format.

Springsteen was the first to insist on an electric performance, and MTV executives were reportedly furious at his decision to abandon the acoustic format of the show. MTV Unplugged producer Alex Coletti told UK's Q magazine that "when you have the chance to work with Bruce Springsteen, he can do what he wants." To make best of the situation, the "Un" was crossed out from "Unlugged", and the concert premiered on MTV on 11 Nov 1992 as MTV Plugged.

A VHS release of the show preceded any audio release, coming out on 15 Dec 1992. It was titled In Concert / MTV Plugged, with "Plugged" written as "UnPlugged" on the cover art. The concert was not released in its complete form, but more songs were present on the home video release than on the later audio incarnation and on what actually aired on MTV. It was also released on LaserDisc on 31 Jan 1993. The live album of the same title was released in Europe (CD and double disc vinyl) on 12 Apr 1993 to promote the 1993 European (and final) leg of the Human Touch / Lucky Town Tour. It was not released in the United States until 26 Aug 1997. On 09 Nov 2004, a DVD reissuing of this performance was released. THUNDER ROAD is available on both video and audio releases of In Concert / MTV Plugged.

Tying with the release of Greatest Hits in 1995, this live 22 Sep 1992 version of THUNDER ROAD was released as a B-side for the Secret Garden single. It was also included on several Secret Garden EP's that year.

Track credits:
Bruce Springsteen: vocals, harmonica, guitar
Roy Bittan: keyboards

Check out also all available lyrics pages for THUNDER ROAD:

• Album's version (more details)
• Alternative version #1
• Alternative version #2
• Alternative version #3
• Alternative version #4
• Live 05 Feb 1975 version
• Live 18 Oct 1975 version
• Live 18 Nov 1975 version
• Live 19 Sep 1978 version
• Live 22 Sep 1979 version
• Live 16 Nov 1990 version
• Live 22 Sep 1992 version
• Live 24 Jun 1993 version
• Live 15 Feb 1995 version
• Live 05 Apr 1995 version
• Live 05 May 1997 version
• Live 31 Jan 1998 version
• Live 29 Jun 2000 version
• Live 19 Oct 2001 version
• Live 04 Oct 2002 version
• Live 16 Oct 2002 version
• Live 19 Feb 2003 version
• Live 04 Apr 2005 version
• Live 12 Oct 2005 version
• Greg Kihn's version
• Badly Drawn Boy
• Cowboy Junkies' version
• Kevin Rowland's version

Most scans and info for the SECRET GARDEN singles are taken from the Lost In The Flood website. Thanks Jake (ol'catfishinthelake from BTX and Greasy Lake) for the lyrics and spoken intro help.

Spoken intro to THUNDER ROAD [Live 22 Sep 1992 version]:

Alright... Alright. Can I get any more water, is there... We're out of water, right? There's no more water left. [chuckles] I couldn't figure out like any of that stuff's at when I came out here... Flew all the way out west... If you can't ???, you can't watch ??? either. Can't flush your toilet. And that's when the earth is standing still! Shit! Everything is relative. That tastes so good. Alright Roy... Well, did they fly you guys from all over the states? Is that, is that the story then? Anybody from uh... the great state of New Jersey out there? [cheers] Oh, good Lord! Alright, this is for you then. [chuckles] This is for you. I thought they were just kidding.