THUNDER ROAD

Live 07 Apr 1976 version

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
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
Well, show a little faith, there's magic in the night
You ain't a beauty, but hey, you're all right
Oh, and that's all right with me

You can hide 'neath your covers and study your pain
Make crosses from your lovers and 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, 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
Well, the night's busted open, these two lanes will take us anywhere
We've 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
Whoa, come and take my hand
We're riding out tonight to case the promised land
Whoa, oh, oh, Thunder Road, oh, Thunder Road, oh, Thunder Road
Lying out there like a killer in the sun
Hey, I know it's late, 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 her 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
Hey, I know you're lonely, and there's words that I ain't spoken
But 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 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
When you get to the porch they're gone
On the wind, Mary climb in
It's a town full of losers, I'm pulling out of here to win

Big Man!

[Spoken outro:] Thanks.

Info

The above lyrics are for the live 07 Apr 1976 performance of THUNDER ROAD at Allen Theatre in Cleveland, OH, during the so-called Chicken Scratch Tour. The song was played in a full-band arrangement featuring a piano introduction by Roy Bittan.

This tour (35 know dates, March to May 1976) was nicknamed the "Chicken Scratch Tour" by the road crew because of the high proportion of secondary markets in the South.

The 07 Apr 1976 Show

During the so-called Chicken Scratch Tour, Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band performed two consecutive shows at Allen Theatre in Cleveland, OH, on 07 and 08 Apr 1976. Soundboard recordings for both concert are in circulation among collectors. The recording from the second night is incomplete, but the one from the second night is complete and is of higher quality.

Ticket stub for the 07 Apr 1976 show at Allen Theatre, Cleveland, OH
(Taken from Brucebase)

The 07 Apr 1976 show at Allen Theatre was commercially released in Europe. Since 2005 some enterprising record labels in Europe (mostly in the UK) have been releasing Bruce Springsteen radio and TV broadcasts (and some soundboard recordings) from the seventies, eighties, and nineties. Though these releases are not authorized by Bruce Springsteen or his record company, they are lawful due to a legal loophole in Europe.

Bruce Springsteen -- The Gap Year Broadcast – Live In Cleveland 7th April 1976

2xCD - Sonic Boom (SON0345) - UK, 2017

This release contains the 07 Apr 1976 show at Allen Theatre.

Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band -- The Gap Year Broadcast - Live In Cleveland 7th April 1976 Vol. 1

2xLP - Parachute Recording Company (PARA158LP) - UK, 2019

This release contains part 1 of 2 of the 07 Apr 1976 show at Allen Theatre.

Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band -- The Gap Year Broadcast - Live In Cleveland 7th April 1976 Vol. 2

2xLP - Parachute Recording Company (PARA160LP) - UK, 2019

This release contains part 2 of 2 of the 07 Apr 1976 show at Allen Theatre.

Credits

Thanks Jake (ol'catfishinthelake at BTX and Greasy Lake) for the lyrics help.

Available Versions

List of available versions of THUNDER ROAD on this website:

Page last updated: 18 Jan 2016