Ballad of Thunder Road
Now let me tell a story, I can tell it all
About 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 Ashville, 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 lightning 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 better make his run no more
He said 200 agents were covering the state
Whichever road he'd try to take, they'd get him sure as fate
“Son”, his daddy told him, “Now make this run your last
Your tank is filled with 100 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 lightning 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
Roaring out of Harlan, revving up his mill
He shot the gap at Cumberland and screamed through Maynardville
With G-men on his tail light, roadblocks 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
There was thunder, thunder over thunder road
Thunder was his engine and white lightning 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