The song lyrics were written by the band Van Halen, as they were asked to write a song for the 1979 movie "Over the Edge" starring Matt Dillon. The movie (and the lyrics, although more obliquely) are about bored, rebellious youth with nothing better to do than get into trouble. If you see the movie, these lyrics will make more sense. It's a great movie if you grew up in the 70s/80s you'll definitely remember some of these characters from your own life. Fun fact, after writing the song, Van Halen decided not to let the movie use it.
Thunder on the mountain, fires on the moon
There's a ruckus in the alley and the sun will be here soon
Today's the day, gonna grab my trombone and blow
Well, there's hot stuff here and it's everywhere I go
I was thinkin' 'bout Alicia Keys, couldn't keep from crying
When she was born in Hell's Kitchen, I was living down the line
I'm wondering where in the world Alicia Keys could be
I been looking for her even clear through Tennessee
Feel like my soul is beginning to expand
Look into my heart and you will sort of understand
You brought me here, now you're trying to run me away
The writing's on the wall, come read it, come see what it say
Thunder on the mountain, rolling like a drum
Gonna sleep over there, that's where the music coming from
I don't need any guide, I already know the way
Remember this, I'm your servant both night and day
The pistols are poppin' and the power is down
I'd like to try somethin' but I'm so far from town
The sun keeps shinin' and the North Wind keeps picking up speed
Gonna forget about myself for a while, gonna go out and see what others need
I've been sitting down studying the art of love
I think it will fit me like a glove
I want some real good woman to do just what I say
Everybody got to wonder what's the matter with this cruel world today
Thunder on the mountain rolling to the ground
Gonna get up in the morning walk the hard road down
Some sweet day I'll stand beside my king
I wouldn't betray your love or any other thing
Gonna raise me an army, some tough sons of bitches
I'll recruit my army from the orphanages
I been to St. Herman's church and I've said my religious vows
I've sucked the milk out of a thousand cows
I got the pork chops, she got the pie
She ain't no angel and neither am I
Shame on your greed, shame on your wicked schemes
I'll say this, I don't give a damn about your dreams
Thunder on the mountain heavy as can be
Mean old twister bearing down on me
All the ladies of Washington scrambling to get out of town
Looks like something bad gonna happen, better roll your airplane down
Everybody's going and I want to go too
Don't wanna take a chance with somebody new
I did all I could and I did it right there and then
I've already confessed, no need to confess again
Gonna make a lot of money, gonna go up north
I'll plant and I'll harvest what the earth brings forth
The hammer's on the table, the pitchfork's on the shelf
For the love of God, you ought to take pity on yourself
There's a ruckus in the alley and the sun will be here soon
Today's the day, gonna grab my trombone and blow
Well, there's hot stuff here and it's everywhere I go
I was thinkin' 'bout Alicia Keys, couldn't keep from crying
When she was born in Hell's Kitchen, I was living down the line
I'm wondering where in the world Alicia Keys could be
I been looking for her even clear through Tennessee
Feel like my soul is beginning to expand
Look into my heart and you will sort of understand
You brought me here, now you're trying to run me away
The writing's on the wall, come read it, come see what it say
Thunder on the mountain, rolling like a drum
Gonna sleep over there, that's where the music coming from
I don't need any guide, I already know the way
Remember this, I'm your servant both night and day
The pistols are poppin' and the power is down
I'd like to try somethin' but I'm so far from town
The sun keeps shinin' and the North Wind keeps picking up speed
Gonna forget about myself for a while, gonna go out and see what others need
I've been sitting down studying the art of love
I think it will fit me like a glove
I want some real good woman to do just what I say
Everybody got to wonder what's the matter with this cruel world today
Thunder on the mountain rolling to the ground
Gonna get up in the morning walk the hard road down
Some sweet day I'll stand beside my king
I wouldn't betray your love or any other thing
Gonna raise me an army, some tough sons of bitches
I'll recruit my army from the orphanages
I been to St. Herman's church and I've said my religious vows
I've sucked the milk out of a thousand cows
I got the pork chops, she got the pie
She ain't no angel and neither am I
Shame on your greed, shame on your wicked schemes
I'll say this, I don't give a damn about your dreams
Thunder on the mountain heavy as can be
Mean old twister bearing down on me
All the ladies of Washington scrambling to get out of town
Looks like something bad gonna happen, better roll your airplane down
Everybody's going and I want to go too
Don't wanna take a chance with somebody new
I did all I could and I did it right there and then
I've already confessed, no need to confess again
Gonna make a lot of money, gonna go up north
I'll plant and I'll harvest what the earth brings forth
The hammer's on the table, the pitchfork's on the shelf
For the love of God, you ought to take pity on yourself
Lyrics submitted by JoshPowell
Thunder on the Mountain Lyrics as written by Bob Dylan
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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What's that? Is that the sound of Dylan laughing at us all trying to make sense of the absurdity of the song and its lyrics? This is Dylan laughing not just at that but at his critics and people who have put words in his mouth or tried to make him into something he isn't. A few years ago, the press went gaga over Alicia Keys, declaring her, like Dylan, Springsteen and Prince, lo so many years ago, the great saviour of pop music. This of course, is dumb - you shouldn't look for saviours in pop music. Of course all those critics are obsessing over the references to Alicia here (lol). Of course, she didn't turn out to be anything like that. Dylan makes allusions to his past and the things he has done to confound the critics, fans and so forth - his turn towards Christianity, his (and likewise Alicia Keys) "sell-out", his critics obsession with his divorce (likewise his own) and so forth. As he says "she aint no angel and neither am I" - and he goes on to condemn everyone and says he "doesn't give a damn about your dreams" - Part of the song is sung in the voice of these critics, fans and people who looked towards him as their saviour - their false bravado, piety - secular and otherwise. In the end, their yammering and blather amounts only to "Thunder on the Mountain" -- he even takes it further and relates the critical blather to the mass of offensive punditry so prevalent on cable TV and in politics ("all the ladies of Washington scrambling to get out of town"). Dylan sums it up in the last line - "for the love of God, you ought to take pity on yourself"
Our wordsmith at his finest. In the words of Allen Ginsberg, " Bob Dylan is the master of American tongue ".
Agreed Easyjim1967
Why Alicia Keys?
@RalphieGiordano Dylan likes the dark meat
awesome song!
Well vinylminer (which is an awesome name by the way) seems to have sumed it up rather nicely. I would just like to say that when I bought Dylan's new album and threw it in, this song knocked my socks off. It is a great way to kick off the album, and kudos to Dylan for still kickin' ass.
I love this song, and I agree with vinylminer about it's meanings. "Gonna raise me some army, some tough sons of bitches/I'll recruit my arm from the orphanages" is straight golden.
This is Dylan at his very best. The whole Album is superb. Why do folk try to find something that most likely isn't there? Just enjoy listening as much as Dylan likes singing.
It’s full of Judeo Christian apolcalyptic imagery from the old and New Testament. It’s also full of ideas from Jesus and the epistles of the New Testament. I quickly counted a minimum of 25 references.
The "Jesus Freak" movement of the seventies temporarily hooked in a batch of hipsters, but Dylan shows that he's not one of these: "Some sweet day I'll stand beside my king I wouldn't betray your love or any other thing"
I have listened to Dylan (as many of you have ) for amy years and am still perplexed by some of his lyrics. However, Thunder on the Mountain is one that, I believe, I have some grasp on. Dylan is talking about 9/11 in many of the phrases. i.e. "better roll your airplane down" "ladies in Washington trying to get out of town" "gonna raise me an army some tough sons a bitchs, I'll recruit my army from the orphanges"...airplane down reference to all planes being brought in on 9/11; ladies in Washington--scrambling is reference to Washington pandemonium on 9/11 (see the video); raise army,tough SOB from orphanges is reference to the children left without parents after 9/11; "hammers on the table, pitchfork on the shelf" is reference to we can war with you or have peace with you (9/11 persons); "for the love of God ya'll take pity on yourselves" is reference to war with U.S. will bring no pity. There are other refernces, also, to 9/11 in the lyrics. Some lyrics like "I've got the porkchop she's got the pie" have nothing to do with 9/11, and are pretty easy to comprehend; but overall, most of the song lyrics refer to 9/11.