There’s Bob and then there’s everyone else.

Today’s featured song comes from what is probably my least favourite Bob Dylan album – Modern Times from 2006 (image inset). The irony is that Thunder on the Mountain is still one of my top twenty Dylan tracks from his post-2000 output. It’s a straight-up rockabilly gem. Dylan also slips in more than just a nod to his contemporary Alicia Keys, which I originally pointed out when writing about her magnificent song No One.

I was thinkin’ ’bout Alicia Keys, couldn’t keep from crying
But 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

When Keys was made aware of what Dylan had written, she responded by saying:

“He texted me saying, ‘You’re never gonna believe this…Bob Dylan wrote a song about you.‘ It’s a mind-blower and an honor. And then another part of me is wondering what he was thinking,” Keys told Mojo magazine.

“Maybe he read something about me and it said when I was born and he got to thinking where he was in his life back then,” she continues. “I’m not sure what line he was living down then, but I know he knows, and he knows what it all means.“

The media-shy Dylan hasn’t exactly been quick to clarify exactly how or why Keys became such a central part of ‘Thunder On The Mountain‘. In an interview with Rolling Stone, he told the magazine that after having been on a Grammy Awards show with Keys, he reportedly told himself ‘There’s nothing about that girl I don’t like.‘”

Being a Dylan fan, Keys was humbled with his paying homage to her.  She even covered his 1980 song ‘Pressing On‘ (from ‘Saved‘) for a music documentary.

“I’m glad I’m in Bob Dylan’s songbook…I hope to meet him one day.“

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From the get-go Thunder On the Mountain has a groove that nods to rock ’n’ roll and rockabilly – a bit of a callback to old-school blues-influenced riffs. Lyrically, the song is a blend of romance, myth and a kind of apocalyptic thing happening: there’s talk of “thunder on the mountain,” “fires on the moon,” “ruckus in the alley,” and – even if there’s that nod to love as previously discussed.

Some interpreters suggest Dylan assumes the role of a kind of wandering prophet or messenger – a pilgrim of sorts, pledging service “night and day.” The song evokes a sense of urgency: there’s love, longing, but also a gathering storm – “mean old twister bearing down on me,” “pistols poppin’,” power down.

Musically the band delivers an all tight, blues-rooted with a swing that feels easy yet sharp. Dylan’s voice, a rasp honed by decades, now carries a kind of subtle croon, giving the song an effortless cool that belies the lyric’s inner tension.

The song, unsurprisingly got more airplay than almost any other track from Modern Times, and – though not released as a U.S. single – it charted on Billboard’s Adult Alternative Songs, peaking at No. 22 in early 2007. The song helped cement Dylan’s continued relevance even in his later years.

On stage, Thunder on the Mountain became a go-to. By late 2019, Dylan had played it hundreds of times – it easily became the most frequently performed song from Modern Times.

[Verse 1]
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

[Verse 2]
I was thinking ’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 have been looking for her even clear through Tennessee

[Verse 3]
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

[Verse 4]
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

[Verse 5]
The pistols are poppin’ and the power is down
I’d like to try something’ but I’m so far from town
The sun keeps shining’
And the North Wind keeps picking up speed
Gonna forget about myself for a while, gonna go out and see what others need

[Verse 6]
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

[Verse 7]
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

[Verse 8]
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

[Verse 9]
I got the porkchops, 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

[Verse 10]
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

[Verse 11]
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

[Verse 12]
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

References:
1. Thunder on the Mountain – Wikipedia