The Thunder Rolls
¸ð˹²¼Â³¿Ë˹ Garth Brooks Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

Three thirty in the morning
Not a soul in sight
The city's lookin' like a ghost town
On a moonless summer night
Raindrops on the windshield
There's a storm movin' in
He's headin' back from somewhere
That he never should have been
And the thunder rolls
And the thunder rolls

Every light is burnin'
In a house across town
She's pacin' by the telephone
In her faded flannel gown
Askin' for miracle
Hopin' she's not right
Prayin' it's the weather
That's kept him out all night
And the thunder rolls
And the thunder rolls

The thunder rolls
And the lightnin' strikes
Another love grows cold
On a sleepless night
As the storm blows on
Out of control
Deep in her heart
The thunder rolls

She's waitin' by the window
When he pulls into the drive
She rushes out to hold him
Thankful he's alive
But on the wind and rain
A strange new perfume blows
And the lightnin' flashes in her eyes
And he knows that she knows
And the thunder rolls
And the thunder rolls

The thunder rolls
And the lightnin' strikes
Another love grows cold
On a sleepless night
As the storm blows on
Out of control




Deep in her heart
The thunder rolls

Overall Meaning

The Thunder Rolls by Garth Brooks tells the story of a man coming home late in the night during a heavy thunderstorm. The city is deserted, and raindrops are hitting his windshield. Meanwhile, in another part of town, a woman is waiting impatiently for her partner to come home, pacing back and forth in her flannel gown. She's hoping she's right about it being the weather responsible for his absence instead of something else. As the storm continues to rage on and the thunder rolls, she frets incessantly. We then find out that the man has a strange perfume on his jacket, and from the lightning flashing in her eyes, he knows that she knows that he was with another woman. The song ends with the storm continuing to rage on as her heart breaks and the relationship falls apart.


The Thunder Rolls was released in 1991, and it quickly became one of Brooks' most well-known and well-loved songs. It was his sixth number-one hit on the Billboard country charts and even won him his first Grammy. Despite its popularity, the song and music video were supposedly banned from some country radio stations and TV networks due to controversial content, including infidelity and violence. However, the controversy boosted the song's popularity, and it has since become a country classic.


Line by Line Meaning

Three thirty in the morning
It is late at night when most people are asleep


Not a soul in sight
There is no one around, the area is deserted


The city's lookin' like a ghost town
The city is eerily quiet, as if deserted by all living beings


On a moonless summer night
Despite being summer, it is dark and there is no moon to be seen


Raindrops on the windshield
Water droplets are hitting the car's windshield, indicating the beginning of a storm


There's a storm movin' in
As indicated by the raindrops, a storm is approaching the area


He's headin' back from somewhere
Someone is driving back home from an unknown location


That he never should have been
The person was possibly engaged in an activity that they were not supposed to be doing


And the thunder rolls
Thunder is heard as a result of the oncoming storm


And the thunder rolls
Thunder continues to be heard


Every light is burnin'
All the lights in a house are turned on


In a house across town
The house is located in another part of the town


She's pacin' by the telephone
A woman is walking back and forth while waiting by the phone


In her faded flannel gown
She is wearing an old and worn flannel nightgown


Askin' for miracle
She is hoping for some kind of good news or a positive outcome


Hopin' she's not right
She is praying that her suspicions about her loved one are wrong


Prayin' it's the weather
She is hoping that the storm is the reason that her loved one is not home yet


That's kept him out all night
She believes that the storm is the reason that her loved one has not returned home


And the thunder rolls
Thunder can still be heard in the background


And the thunder rolls
Thunder continues to be heard


The thunder rolls
Thunder still continues


And the lightnin' strikes
Lightning flashes as part of the storm


Another love grows cold
The love between two people is failing or disappearing


On a sleepless night
The night is bringing anxiety and making it hard to sleep


As the storm blows on
The storm continues to rage on


Out of control
The storm seems to be intensifying and it feels like it cannot be stopped


Deep in her heart
In her innermost feelings and emotions


The thunder rolls
Thunder still remains a constant sound in her mind


She's waitin' by the window
She is standing by the window, waiting for her loved one to return


When he pulls into the drive
When he arrives home and enters the driveway


She rushes out to hold him
She quickly goes out to embrace and hold her loved one


Thankful he's alive
She is relieved and thankful that her loved one has returned home safely


But on the wind and rain
Amidst the sounds and movements of the storm


A strange new perfume blows
A scent that is unfamiliar and belonging to someone else is carried in by the storm winds


And the lightnin' flashes in her eyes
Lightning illuminates the area and shines brightly in her eyes


And he knows that she knows
He realizes that she has found out about something that he has been keeping secret


And the thunder rolls
Thunder continues to be heard in the background despite the revelation


And the thunder rolls
Thunder remains a constant sound in the midst of the storm


The thunder rolls
Thunder is still heard amidst the chaos of the storm




Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: GARTH BROOKS, PATRICK ALGER

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

Genre not found
Artist not found
Album not found
Song not found
Most interesting comments from YouTube:

@betahampton4358

I wish they had included the fourth verse, would have really fit the music.


She runs back down the hallway
And through the bedroom door
She reaches for the pistol
kept in a dresser drawer
Tells the lady in the mirror
He won't do this again
'Cause tonight will be the last time
She'll wonder where he's been



@troysmusicalroom5260

Three thirty in the morning
Not a soul in sight
The city's looking like a ghost town
On a moonless summer night
Raindrops on the windshield
There's a storm moving in
He's heading back from somewhere
That he never should have been
And the thunder rolls
And the thunder rolls
Every light is burning
In a house across town
She's pacing by the telephone
In her faded flannel gown
Asking for a miracle
Hoping she's not right
Praying it's the weather
That's kept him out all night
And the thunder rolls
And the thunder rolls
The thunder rolls (the thunder rolls)
And the lightning strikes
Another love grows cold
On a sleepless night (on a sleepless night)
As the storm blows on out of control
Deep in her heart
As the thunder rolls
She's waiting by the window
When he pulls into the drive
She rushes out to hold him
Thankful he's alive
But on the wind and rain
A strange new perfume blows
And the lightning flashes in her eyes
And he knows that she knows
And the thunder rolls
And the thunder rolls
And the thunder rolls
The thunder rolls (the thunder rolls)
And the lightning strikes
Another love grows cold
On a sleepless night
As the storm blows on
Out of control
Deep in her heart
As the thunder rolls (deep in her heart)
Deep in her heart
The thunder rolls
The thunder rolls
The thunder rolls on
And the thunder rolls



@tomdas688

FilmFanaticX they both do I've been a Garth Brooks fan since i was a small boy.....

" She runs back down the hallway
And through the bedroom door
She reaches for the pistol
Kept in the dresser drawer
She tells the lady in the mirror
" He won't do this again!"
Cause tonight will be the last time
She'll wonder where he's been!"

He used to only play it at Large live events. I learned it from his HBO Live in Central Park Concert



All comments from YouTube:

@rynz_2893

"The lightning flashes in her eyes and he knows that she knows... and the thunder rolls..."
Damn that gave me chills! So powerful

@chadtrickbateman476

If you heard the original one its better

@TechDove

The original is much more powerful

@dee5298

Holy fuck, I didn't see this coming. I saw the title and was sure it was just the name....
This is good shit, especially for those of us who grew up listening to that 90s country and rock.

@Burks2121

Same. I have no idea how many times I've heard the original (probably 1k+) as country is all my dad and grandma listened to. I'm digging this version just as much as Garth's original!

@corycollier

@Burks yeah, same here. I heard it and I'm pretty sure I heard & felt My jaw hitting My desk. It takes a lot to get that kinda reaction out of Me.

@robinalberti177

Dee Jolly you weren't supposed to see this coming. No one was gonna see it coming. No one.

@robinalberti177

Dee Jolly please come home before I really am all alone....

@robinalberti177

I'm not one to beg...but if I lost you too I just don't know if I even want to live.

4 More Replies...

@Scrotum_69420

They did a hell of a job on this song. You take a classic song from a different style of music - turn it into a rock/metal song and more times than not it doesn't sound right. They nailed it!

More Comments

More Versions