Robert Mitchum - The Ballad Of Thunder Road lyrics

Let me tell the story, I can tell it all About the mountain boy who ran illegal alcohol His daddy made the whiskey, son he drove the load When his engine roared, they called the highway Thunder Road Sometimes into Asheville, sometimes Memphis town The revenuers 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 And there was thunder, thunder over Thunder Road Thunder was his engine and white lightning was his load And 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, nineteen fifty-four A Federal man sent word he'd better make his run no more He said 200 agents were coverin' the state Which ever road he'd tried to take, they did ensure his fate Son, his daddy told him, Make this run your last The Tank is filled with hundred proof You’re all tuned up and ga**ed Now don’t take any chances if you can't get through I’d rather have you back again, than all that mountain dew And there was thunder, thunder over Thunder Road Thunder was his engine and white lightning was his load And there was moonshine, moonshine, to quench the devil's thirst The law they swore they'd get him, but the devil got him first Roaring out of Harlan, revvin' up his mill He shot the gap at Cumberland and screamed by Maynardville With G-men on his taillight, roadblocks up ahead The mountain boy took roads that even angels fear to thread Blazin' right through Knoxville out on Kingston Pike Then right outside of Bearden, where they made that 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 And there was thunder, thunder over Thunder Road Thunder was his engine white, lightning was his load And there was moonshine, moonshine, to quench the devil's thirst The Law, they never got him, 'cause the devil got him first Law, they never got him, 'cause the devil got him first (thunder thunder thunder road)