This document provides lyrics from Bruce Springsteen's song "Thunder Road" from different versions across 1975-1978. It also includes some background context about the inspiration for the song from a Robert Mitchum movie poster Springsteen saw and a house he came upon while driving through the desert that helped validate the world he wrote about in the song for him.

2. 1975

3. 1983 1985

4. October, 1975

5. 1958

6. Roy Orbison (1936-1988)

7. Phil Spector Bob Dylan

8. Wings for Wheels (early version of Thunder Road)
The screen door slams, Angelina’s dress waves
Like a vision she dances across the porch as the radio plays
Roy Orbison singing for the lonely
That’s me and I want you only
Don’t turn me home again
I just can’t face myself alone in that mirror again tonight
Don’t run back inside, baby you know just what I’m here for
So you’re scared and you’re thinking
That maybe you 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
And that’s alright with me
This 4/4 she’s gonna overheat
Make up your mind girl I gotta get her back out on the street
I know you’re lonely like me so baby don’t try and fake it
I’m no prince and I can’t lay the stars at your feet
But I got this old car and she’s pretty tough to beat
There’s plenty of room in my front seat, baby if you wanna take it
Oh roll down the window and let the wind blow back your hair
It’s like the rushing touch, the dirty wings them highway Angels wear
Well tonight we’re gonna find out how it feels
I’m gonna trade in your wings - for wheels
Climb in back, heaven’s waiting down on the tracks
Ah, mama, come take my hand
We’re gonna ride all the way to the promised land
Oh I’m gonna dance all the way, dance all the way
Well I don’t know but baby I’ve been told
There’s something waiting for us, down that dirty road
Oh take a chance, take a chance, take a chance

9. Well now I bought this guitar and I learned how to make it talk
I got my car parked out back if you’re ready to take that long walk
From your front porch to my front seat
Well I think we could take it all babe, just you and me
Climb in back baby, the ride’s for free
Oh come take my hand, we’re gonna ride all the way to the promised land
We’ll dance all the way
Oh baby I don’t know but I’ve been told
There’s something waiting for us, down that dirty road
If we take our chance, take our chance
Now the season’s over and I feel it getting cold
I wish I could take you to some sandy beach where we’d never grow old
Ah but baby you know that’s just jive
But tonight’s bustin’ open and I’m alive
Oh do what you can to make me feel like a man
But this 4/4/2’s gonna overheat
Make up your mind girl, I gotta get her back out on the street
I know you’re lonely like me, oh so don’t fake it
And maybe I can’t lay the stars at your feet
But I got this old car and she’s pretty tough to beat
There’s plenty of room in my front seat
Oh if you think you can make it, climb in
This is town full of losers and baby I was born to win.

10. Thunder Road (Early acoustic version)
The screen door slams, Chrissy's dress sways.
Like a vision she dances across the porch
as the radio plays.
Roy Orbison's singin' for the lonely,
hey that's me babe, and I want you only.
Don't turn me home again,
I just can't face myself alone again.
Don't run back inside,
baby you know just what I'm here for
So you're scared and you're thinkin' that
maybe we ain't that young anymore
There's magic in the night,
You ain't a beauty, but hey you're alright.
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 prayin' in vain,
for a savior to rise from these streets.
Well I'm no hero, that's understood.
All the redemption I can offer, babe,
is beneath this old hood.
With one last chance to make it good somehow.
Hey, what else can you do now.
Except roll down the window and let the wind roll back your hair
The night's bustin' open and these two lanes will take us anywhere
We got one last chance to make it real,
to trade in these wings for some wheels.
Climb in back, it's waitin' down on the track.

11. Well, now try hard Chrissy to understand,
I'm ridin' out tonight to case the promised land,
Babe, if you're born with nothin',
hey, it's your only chance.
Well it's lyin' out there, like a killer in the sun
Yeah, I know it's late, but we can make it if we run.
Oh, I wish you could come.
Leave what you've lost, leave what's grown old,
On Thunder Road.
Well, I got this guitar, and I learned how to make it talk
my car's out back if you're ready to take that long walk
From your front porch to my front seat,
Hey, the door's open, but the ride, it ain't free.
Well, there were ghosts in the eyes of the boys
that you sent away
They haunt this dirty beach road,
in the skeleton remains of burned out Chevrolets.
They scream to you at night from the street,
your graduation gown lies in rags at their feet.
And in the lonely cool before dawn,
from your room you hear their engines roar on,
but when you get to their porch their gone,
lost in the wind.
So, Chrissy climb in,
It's a town full of losers,
and I'm pullin' outta here to win

12. Thunder Road (album 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 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 saviour 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 busting open
This 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 on down the tracks

13. Oh-oh come take my hand
Riding out tonight to case the promised land
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 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
and there’s words that I ain’t spoken
But 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
And 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 I’m pulling out of here to win.

14. (9/19/1978 Capitol Theatre, Passaic, NJ)
quot;It was this Robert Mitchum movie,
it was about these moonshine runners down south.
I never saw the movie,
I only saw the poster in the lobby in the theater,
and I took the title and I wrote this song.
But I didn't think that there was ever a place that was
like what I wrote in the song,
I didn't know if there was or not.
And we were out in the desert over the summertime,
driving to Nevada, and we came upon this house
on the side of the road.
It had a big picture of Geronimo out front,
said quot;landlordquot; over the top, and had a big sign that said
quot;This is the land of peace, love, justice and no mercyquot;.
And it pointed down this little dirt road
that said Thunder Road.
This is for Mattie.quot;

15. Geronimo (1829-1909 )

16. honeypie.org
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