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
The above lyrics are for Graziano Romani's cover version of THE PROMISE. The song was released on his 2017 Bruce Springsteen tribute album Soul Crusader Again: The Songs Of Bruce Springsteen.
The song was recorded and mixed by Alberto Solieri on 27 May 2002 at Blue Velvet recording studio in Modena, Italy. It was mastered by Davide Barbi at IK mastering in Modena, Italy, and produced by Graziano Romani. The track features Graziano Romani on vocals and acoustic guitar, Fabrizio 'Tede' Tedeschini on electric guitars, Francesco Germini on piano and strings, Max Baldaccini on drums and percussion, and Alex lass on bass guitar.
Graziano Romani's cover version of THE PROMISE was first included on the 2003 various artists tribute album Light Of Day: A Tribute To Bruce Springsteen. It was also included on Romani's 2017 compilation album Sings Bruce Springsteen 1987-2017.
Liner notes from the Light Of Day: A Tribute To Bruce Springsteen album 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
List of available versions of THE PROMISE on this website:
THE PROMISE [Official 1977 studio version]
