I was saving this for a cold snowy evening but we don't seem to be having much snow this year. The original lyrics are in ()'s.  In the movie there are more '57 Fords than anything else although the revenoors are driving '57 scrubs.

THE BALLAD OF THUNDER ROAD

BY ROBERT MITCHUM written about 1957

ANNOTATED BY Y BLOCKER 2012

 

NOW LET ME TELL THE STORY, I CAN TELL IT ALL

                                                                          

ABOUT THE MOUNTAIN BOY WHO RAN ILLEGAL ALCOHOL

 

HIS DADDY BUILT THE Y BLOCKS (MADE THE WHISKEY), SON, HE DROVE THE LOAD

 

WHEN HIS Y BLOCK (ENGINE) ROARED, THEY CALLED THE HIGHWAY THUNDER ROAD.

 

SOMETIMES INTO ASHVILLE, SOMETIMES MEMPHIS TOWN

 

THE SCRUBS AND MOPARS(REVENOORS) CHASED HIM BUT THEY COULDN'T RUN HIM DOWN

 

EACH TIME THEY THOUGHT THEY HAD HIM, HIS Y BLOCK(ENGINE) WOULD EXPLODE

 

HE'D GO BY LIKE THEY WERE STANDIN' STILL ON THUNDER ROAD.

  

CHORUS

 

AND THERE WERE Y BLOCKS, Y BLOCKS OUT ON (WAS THUNDER, THUNDER OVER) THUNDER ROAD

 

Y BLOCKS WERE(THUNDER WAS) HIS ENGINES, AND WHITE LIGHTNING WAS HIS LOAD

 

THERE WAS MOONSHINE, MOONSHINE TO QUENCH THE DEVIL'S THIRST

 

THE SCRUBS (LAW) THEY SWORE THEY'D GET HIM, BUT THE DEVIL GOT HIM FIRST.

 

 

 

ON THE FIRST OF APRIL, NINETEEN FIFTY-EIGHT (-FOUR)

 

A FEDERAL MAN SENT WORD HE'D BETTER MAKE HIS RUN NO MORE

 

HE SAID TWO HUNDRED AGENTS WERE COVERIN' THE STATE

 

WHICHEVER ROAD HE TRIED 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,THE BLOWER BELT IS NEW                                            

                                                    (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

 

CHORUS

 

TACHIN’ UP THE Y BLOCK, ROARING UP THE HILL

                                   (ROARIN' OUT OF HARLAN, REVVING' UP HIS MILL)

        

HE SHOT THE GAP AT CUMBERLAND, AND SCREAMED BY MAYNORDSVILLE

 

WITH G-MEN ON HIS TAILLIGHTS, ROADBLOCKS UP AHEAD

 

THE MOUNTAIN BOY TOOK ROADS THAT NO SCRUB WOULD DARE (EVEN ANGELS FEARED) TO TREAD.

 

BLAZING' RIGHT THROUGH KNOXVILLE, OUT ON KINGSTON PIKE

 

THEN RIGHT OUTSIDE OF BEARDON, THEY MADE THE FATAL STRIKE

 

HE LEFT THE ROAD AT NINETY, THAT'S ALL THERE IS TO SAY

 

THE DEVIL GOT THE Y BLOCK (MOONSHINE) AND THE MOUNTAIN BOY THAT DAY

 

CHORUS

Doug T

The Highlands, Louisville, Ky.

I have the movie on VHS. Watched it often and tried to get good look at the engines. '57 looks like stock single 4. The '50 has a multi carb flathead as I recall. Acting isn't the greatest but great period piece. The cars are the stars.

Well, I managed to be out of town for the big Seattle snow last month, but it's likely to snow a bit here tonight, so it's a fit for me. I managed to get an old tape of that movie, and ran it thru a free program, and on to disc, and in freeze frame, it sure looks like that was under the hood. Thanks, Doug

miker
55 bird, 32 cabrio F code
Kent, WA
Tucson, AZ

the 50 had a 292.it never showed the 57.

Excellent but lets not stop here. Rewrite the lyrics to Hot Rod Lincoln and Maybellene!

Mark

1956 Mercury M100
1955 Ford Fairlane Club Sedan
Delta, British Columbia