Ballad of Thunder Road

Lyrics

Now, let me tell a story, I can tell it all About a mountain boy who ran illegal alcohol His daddy made the whiskey, the son, he drove the load And when his engine roared, they called the highway Thunder Road Sometimes into Asheville, sometimes Memphis town The revenuers, they chased him, but they couldn't run him down Each time they thought they had him, his engine would explode He'd go by like they were standing still on Thunder Road There was thunder, thunder over Thunder Road Thunder was his engine, and white lightnin' was his load There was moonshine, moonshine to quench the Devil's thirst The law, they swore they'd get him, but the Devil got him first On the first of April, 1954 The federal man sent word he'd better make his run no more He said two hundred agents were coverin' the state Whichever road he'd try to take, they'd get him, sure as fate "Now, son", his daddy told him, "Make this run your last Your tank is filled with hundred-proof, you're all tuned-up and gassed Now don't take any chances, if you can't get through I'd rather have you back again than all that mountain dew" There was thunder, thunder over Thunder Road Thunder was his engine, and white lightnin' was his load There was moonshine, moonshine to quench the Devil's thirst The law, they swore they'd get him, but the Devil got him first Roarin' out of Harlan, revvin' up his mill He shot the gap at Cumberland and screamed through Maynardville With G-men on his taillight, roadblocks up ahead That mountain boy took roads that even angels feared to tread Blazing right through Knoxville, out on Kingston Pike Then right outside of Bearden, there they made the fatal strike He left the road at ninety, that's all there is to say The Devil got the moonshine and the mountain boy that day There was thunder, thunder over Thunder Road Thunder was his engine, and white lightnin' was his load There was moonshine, moonshine to quench the Devil's thirst The law, they swore they'd get him, but the Devil got him first The law, they swore they'd get him, but the Devil got him first