Mark Collie — Ballad Of Thunder Road lyrics

Now let me tell a story and I can tell it all

It's about a mountain boy who ran illegal alcohol

His daddy made the moonshine while he drove the load
And when his engine roared they called the highway Thunder Road




Sometimes into Asheville sometimes Memphis town
The revenuers chased him but they could not run him down


Just when they thought they had him his engine would explode
And he'd blow by while they were standing still on Thunder Road



And there was thunder thunder on that Thunder Road

Thunder was his engine white lightning was his load


There was moonshine moonshine quench the old devil's thirst

The G men swore they'd get him but the devil got him first

[ guitar ]

Roaring out of Harlan went the whippoorwill

He shot the gap at Cumberland and screamed through Maynardsville

With G men oh his taillights and roadblocks up ahead


That mountain boy took roads that even angels fear to thread


Blazin' right through knoxville on down Kingston Pike
It was just outside of Bearden where they made that fatal strike

He left the road at ninety that's all there is to tell


The devil sent the moonshine and the driver straight to hell

And there was thunder thunder...

Yeah the G men swore they'd get him but the devil got him first