Ballad Of Thunder Road lyrics

Let me tell a story, I can tell it all 'Bout the 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 chased him, but they couldn't run him down Each time they thought they had him, his engine would explode And he'd go by like they were standing still on Thunder Road Thunder, thunder over Thunder Road Thunder was his engine and white lightning was his load Moonshine, moonshine quenched the Devil's thirst The law, they never got him 'cause 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 covering the state Whichever road he'd try to take, they'd get him sure as fate 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 and if you can't get through I'd rather have you back again than all that Mountain Dew Thunder, thunder over Thunder Road Thunder was his engine and white lightning was his load Moonshine, moonshine quenched the Devil's thirst The law, they never got him 'cause the Devil got him first Roaring out of Harlan, revving up his mill He shot the gap at Cumberland and screamed by Maynardville With G-men on his tail light, road blocks up ahead The 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 Thunder, thunder over Thunder Road Thunder was his engine and white lightning was his load Moonshine, moonshine quenched the Devil's thirst The law, they never got him 'cause the Devil got him first The law, they never got him 'cause the Devil got him first