Johnny works in a factory and Billy works downtown
Terry plays in a rock band
Dreaming of the million-dollar score
I’ve got a little job down in Darlington
But some nights I don’t go there
Some nights I hit the drive-in, or some nights I stay home
I chased that dream just like they do in the movies
And I drove a Challenger down Route 9 through
the dead ends and all the bad scenes
When the promise was broken a little bit of my dreams died
Well, I had built that Challenger myself
But I needed the money so I sold it
I lived with a secret I should have kept to myself
But one night I got drunk and spilled it
All my life I’ve fought this battle
A battle that no man can win
Every day it’s getting harder
This dream I believe in
Thunder Road, oh baby you were right
Thunder Road, there’s something dying on the highway tonight
I had a big win and I beat the coast
But somehow I paid the heavy price
Inside I felt like I was dragging the broken souls
Of all those who had lost
When the promise is broken you keep living
But you need something that comes from your soul
Like when the truth is told and it don’t matter
But something in your heart freezes
I chased that dream all over the southwest
And in the dead ends that lead to dives
And when the promise was broken I was far from home
Sleeping in the back seat of a borrowed car
Thunder Road, for the tires running in the rain
Thunder Road, Billy and I always said
Thunder Road, that we’d take it all and then throw it away.
Bruce Springsteen
The Promise