Don Raye/Traditional • Robert Mitchum
It's something fishy with that flippin' YouTube. Last year I got a recommendation in my feed, without any reasonable cause. It was a modest successful single from 1958, recorded by Robert Mitchum. I've never cared about that freak; I didn't even know that he had music as a sideshow. The song was horrible, and my mouse pointer instinctly went for the holy reliefing cross on right top, as I suddenly realized that the melody he tried to disguise was familiar. It was almost similar to a xmas song for children I hated already as a child. What the heck? Who was the copycat; Robert Mitchum or Alf Prøysen?
None of them. The songs are independently adapted from the same origin.
The origin is a traditional "Reinlender", a polka-like couple dance, widespread in Scandinavia and also common in e.g. Germany, which may be the hearth; nobody knows for certain. It was first recorded already in 1906. Forty years later, the Norwegian legend Alf Prøysen used it for a children's radio program - he was a brilliant lyricist and author, but no composer. Recorded in April 1949, it soon became an annual plague. The title "Musevisa" ... well, You may call it something like "Christmas Eve for the Mice".
Mitchum's mother was an immigrant from Norway, nee Ann Harriet Gunderson. Producing "Thunder Road" - a B-movie later to be a cult film - he cooperated with Donald MacRae Wilhoite, Jr. aka Don Raye, a professional songwriter. Mitchum wrote the song lyrics as well as the screenplay, and most probably introduced Raye to a tune from his childhood, which then got rearranged with a confusing mix of majors and minors. No mice here, and no copycat either.
I've seen Jack Marshall credited music for "Thunder Road". He arranged it. He was mainly a guitarist, arranger and conductor. Both theme song "Whipporwill" and "The Ballad of Thunder Road" are Mitchum/Raye's work.
The 1958 movie was inspired by a real incident a few years before, where a driver in the bootlegging business met his fate, chased by the police. You can dig it out yourself right HERE.
So. Why do I write this, as long as I dispite both songs? Well, recently I took a chance and played it for a small public. Nobody left their seat; polite audience. But they covered me up with questions. If I'm stupid enough to repeat the stunt, I can refer to my site instead of answering stupid questions.
And why I included this nonsense in my humble, but serious song collection? I've got a thing about whoopiecrap, and I get a kick from having a REAL good annoyance.
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 Ashville : 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"
on the first of April 1954
a federal man sent word he'd better make his run no more
he said : "Two hundred agents were covering the state
which ever road he tried to take they'd get him sure as fate"
"Son" his daddy told him : "Make this run your last
the 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"
roaring out of Harlan and revving up his mill
he shot the Gap at Cumberland and streamed by Maynardville
with G men on his tail light and road block up ahead
the mountain boy took roads that even angels fear to tread
blazing right through Knoxville and out on Kingston Pike
then right outside of Bearden there they made the fatal strike
he left the road at 90 : 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 and white lightening 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
For the following CHORD section, fullscreen/horizontal mobile is recommended.
Chords in brackets may be omitted.
Cm Am C C7 let me tell the story I can tell it all Dm G7 C G about the mountain boy who ran illegal alcohol C Cm Am A7 his daddy made the whiskey son he drove the load Dm G7 F C when his engine roared they called the highway Thunder Road Cm Am C C7 sometimes into Ashville sometimes Memphis town Dm G7 C G The Revenuers chased him but they couldn't run him down C Cm Am A7 each time they thought they had him his engine would explode Dm G7 F C he'd go by like they were standing still on Thunder Road F Fdim C C7 and there was thunder thunder over Thunder Road Dm G7 C C7 Thunder was his engine and white lightening was his load F Fdim C A7 and there was moonshine moonshine to quench the devil's thirst Dm G7 F C the law they swore they'd get him but the devil got him first
