1.Classified
(bill fries, chip davis)
I's thumbin' through the want ads in the shelby county tribune
when this classified advertisement caught my eye. it said, 'take
imme-di-ate delivery on this '57 chevrolet half-ton pickup tr
Will sell or swap for a hide-a-bed and thirty-five bucks. call
one-four-oh, ring two, and ask for bob.'
Well, i called bob up on the telephone, he says, 'hello, this is
bob speakin'.' i says 'this here the bob got the pickup truck
for sale？' he says, 'yeah.' i says, ＆
Where are ya？' he says, 'fourteen east on county 12, turn right
on the one-lane gravel road, you can park in the yard, beware of
the dog, wipe your feet off, knock three times, and bri
Ur billfold.'
Well, i tooled on east on county 12, turned right on the
one-lane gravel road, and i parked in the yard and a german
shepherd come out and grabbed onto my leg. then i knocked three
times and wip
Feet, the dog let go and the screen door opened and bob come out
and says 'whaddya want？' i says, 'come to see your truck.' he
says, 'follow me. come on, frank.' (
Name is frank.)
Well, we all went past the chicken house, through the hog pen,
down to the tractor shed, and then wound up in back of the barn
in a field of cowpies. and settin' right there in a pool of
grease
Half-ton chevy pickup truck with a 1960 license plate, a bumper
sticker says 'vote for dick' and brillo box full of rusty parts,
and bob says 'whaddya think？'.
Well, i kicked the tires and i got in the seat and set on a
petrified apple core and found a bunch of field mice livin' in
the glove compartment. he says, 'her shaft is bent and her rear
en
Ks, you can fix her quick with an oily rag. use a nail as a
starter; i lost the key. don't pay no mind to that whirrin'
sound. she use a little oil, but outside a' that, she's cherry.'
I says, 'what'll take？' he says, 'what've you got？' i says,
'twenty-eight dollars and fifteen cents.' he says, 'you got a
deal. sign here, i'll go get the titl
A can full of gas.' i put the nail in the slot and fired 'er up;
she coughed and belched up a bunch a' smoke and i backed her
right through the hog pen into the yard.
Well, frank jumped in and bit my leg and i beat him off with a
crowbar. he jumped on out and the door fell off and the left
front tire went flat. i jacked it up and patched the tube and
frank to
Piece of my shirt off. then bob come out and called him off and
says 'you better'd get on out of here.'
I went left on the one-lane gravel road, went fourteen west on
county 12. took two full quarts of forty-weight oil just to get
her to the conoco station. and i pulled up to the regular pump
and
Harold sykes and his kid come out. he says, 'i've seen better
stuff at junkyards and where'd you ever get that truck？'
I says, 'that's a long story, harold. i's thumbin' through the
want ads in the shelby county tribune when this classified
advertisement caught my eye. it said, 'take imme-di-ate delive
This '57 chevrolet half-ton pickup truck. will sell or swap for
a hide-a-bed and thirty-five bucks...'
2.Four Wheel Drive
(bill fries, chip davis)
We is screamin' through the valley
Where the nishnabotna flows
Through the mud and crud and cornfields
Where the mari-ju-wana grows
'cross the railroad tracks of persia
Down the hills and up the dale
Had a cj-5 with a four-wheel drive
And smokey on my tail.
Well, he picked me up at exit 12
On the i-six-eighty ramp
I was doin' 67 per
When i rumbled through his trap
He commenced to whirl his flashin' lights
And he made his siren wail
I slipped on down to four-wheel drive
With smokey on my tail
Now i got racin' stripes and dual pipes
And smokey's got a ford
Got a mill with a four pot carb, you know
But smokey's stroked and bored
Well, the chase was on, but i had the edge
With a rig that'll never fail
Got a cj-5 with a four-wheel drive
And smokey on my tail
Yeah, he was.
Well, i dropped on down to granny low
And i made a hard right turn
My big ol' fat commando tires
Went slashin' through the corn
Well, the tassels blew
And the kernels flew
And it looked like yella hail
Just cookin' alive in a four-wheel drive
With smokey on my tail
Well, we went screamin' through the valley
Where the nishnabotna flows
Through the mud and crud and cornfields
Where the mari-ju-wana grows
'cross the railroad tracks of persia
Up the hills and down the dales
My cj-5 with four-wheel drive
And smokey on my tail.
Look out, now. here he come.
Oh, we gonna get it on now.
(don't hit that fella with the banjo.)
We gonna swim this here creek now, smokey. [pronounced 'crick',
of course.]
Yard wide and a foot deep.
'nishnabota river', they call it.
Might haveta winch out.
Gonna do a wheelie on that there gopher mound now, smokey.
Can you dig it, smokey？
Got four on the floor and four in the air on that one, didn't
we？
Goodness gracious. 'bout ta bust my shocks.
[back to our regularly-scheduled rhyming. add the sound of
wailing sirens.]
Well, that jeep of mine made smokey whine
His rig was made of lead
He was mired in fourteen feet of mud
So he radioed ahead
I pulled up onto the blacktop
Went crashin' on through the rail
Sakes alive! i had twenty-five more
Smokeys on my tail!
Now i had racin' stripes and dual pipes
And smokey had a ford
Had a mill with a four pot carb, you know
But smokey's stroked and bored
Well, the race was on, but i had the edge
With a rig that'll never fail
Got a cj-5 with a four-wheel drive
Settin' out back a' the jail
3.Glenwood Canyon
When rivers ran blue up on the mountain
And rivers ran green out on the plain
When the river ran red in glenwood canyon
It was only a matter of time
Then rivers ran gold up on the mountain
And rivers ran wild out on the plain
And the river ran free through glenwood canyon
And it was only a matter of time
And the miners came and they took the gold and the people staked
a claim
And the builders came and they made a dam and the people came to
play
And the 'dozers came and they built a road and the people found
a way
Through glenwood canyon
Now rivers run grey up on the mountain
And rivers brown out on the plain
And the river runs red through glenwood canyon
But it's only a matter of time
4.I've Trucked All Over This Land
(bill fries, chip davis)
Well, i've walked the line on 89
In the arizona sun
I've chased the moon and i've caught a star
On u.s. one-oh-one
I've seen the sights from the northern lights
To the bend in the rio grande
I've took in a lot of this u.s.a.
'cause i've trucked all over this land
Well, i've changed a tire by the light of a fire
On the rock-bound coast of maine
I've shoveled snow up in idaho
Been stuck on the kansas plains
I've been to the end of the world and back
With a wheel and a stick in my hands
I've passed the test and i've done my best
I've trucked all over this land
I've trucked all over this land
From maine to the rio grande
I've paid the price of a truckin' life
But i've trucked all over this land
I've heard the wail of a gallopin' gale
On the road to the florida keys
I've felt the roar of a thunderstorm
On the oklahoma seas
I've set my sail on the oregon trail
I've camped in a redwood stand
I've loved the best and i've hated the rest
But i've trucked all over this land
I've trucked all over this land
From maine to the rio grande
I've paid the price of a truckin' life
But i've trucked all over this land
I've said a prayer as i climbed the stairs
On the rocky mountain side
I've learned the words and i've sung my song
And i've travelled far and wide
I've fought the fight and i've done all right
For the likes of a wanderin' man
I've paid the price of a truckin' life
But i've trucked all over this land
Well, i've trucked all over this land
From maine to the rio grande
I've paid the price of a truckin' life
But i've trucked all over this land
Yeah i've trucked all over this land
From maine to the rio grande
I've paid the price of a truckin' life
But i've trucked all over this land
5.Night Rider
(bill fries, chip davis)
Night rider
Well, a-truckin' on the night line, quarter past five
Tryin' to get my rig an' me to 'frisco alive
Fog lights up tight, a-givin' me the creeps
Just a winnemucca trucka with a load a' black sheep
Night rider
I got a belly full a' jelly and head full a' pain
Bennies spinnin' spider webs, a-messin' my brain
Tryin' ta get myself together with a shot a' black c
What i really oughta get me is an hour a' zs
Night rider, night rider, losin' your mind
Look at those lights 'til you think you've gone blind
Night rider, night rider, losin' your mind
Look at those lights, 'til you've gone blind
Well, alabammy mammy got a spell on my life
Kansas city kitty cut my heart out tonight
I lost a c-note in reno off a' keno and craps
And now smokey's on the overpass a-settin' his traps
White lines lasers burnin' holes in my eyes
Feel like i'm hypnotized, think i'm gonna die
Interstate 80, gonna get me no sleep
Just a-winkin' and a-blinkin' with a stinkin' load a' sheep
Night rider, night rider, losin' your mind
Look at those lights 'til you think you've gone blind
Night rider, night rider, losin' your mind
Look at those lights, 'til you've gone blind
Night rider
Ba ba black sheep, have you any wool？
Yes sah, yes sah, three bags full
One for my master, and one for my dame
And one for jimmy bowen who lives in l.a.
Night rider, night rider, losin' your mind (yeah)
Look at those lights 'til you think you've gone blind
Night rider, night rider, losin' your mind
Look at those lights 'til you think you've gone blind
Night rider, night rider, losin' your mind
Look at those lights 'til you think you've gone blind
Night rider, night rider, losin' your mind
Look at those lights 'til you think you've gone blind
Night rider, night rider, losin' your mind
Look at those lights 'til you think you've gone blind
Night rider, night rider, losin' your mind
Look at those lights 'til you think you've gone blind
Night rider, night rider, losin' your mind
Look at those lights 'til you think you've gone blind
Night rider, night rider, losin' your mind
Look at those lights 'til you think you've gone blind
6.Old 30
(bill fries, chip davis)
She was mud and sand and concrete
Mixed with water made a' tears
From the rivers runnin' down the great divide
She was three thousand miles
Of rockin', rollin' highway
A million mem'ries long and two lanes wide
Far across the wide missouri
To the ol' wyomin' line
From the jersey shore to san francisco bay
She was known to all the truckers
As the mighty lincoln highway
But to me, she's still old 30 all the way
Now the interstate goes screamin' through the backyard of her
life
But it just don't send those shivers down my spine
So before i take that exit
To the highway in the sky
I'm gonna take old 30 one more time
She was radiators boilin'
In the burnin' summer sun
And a blizzard blowin' wild across the plains
She was tumbleweeds a-rollin'
In the gentle winds of fall
And the lights of old grand island in the rain
She was mud and sand and concrete
Mixed with water made a' tears
From the rivers runnin' down the great divide
She was three thousand miles
Of rockin', rollin' highway
A million mem'ries long and two lanes wide
Now the interstate goes screamin' through the backyard of her
life
But it just don't send those shivers down my spine
So before i take that exit
To the highway in the sky
I'm gonna take old 30 one more time
One more time
7.Old Home Filler-up An' Keep On A-truckin' Cafe
(bill fries, chip davis)
Well, interstate 80, we was cuttin' the fog
Just me an' old sloan (old sloan's my dog)
We had an eighteen-wheeler with ten on the floor and stereo
layin' a strip
Now we spied a sign, says 'eat gas now'
We decided to whip in and pick up some chow
At the old home filler-up an' keep on a-truckin' cafe
Oh, the old home filler-up an' keep on a-truckin'
Oh, the old home filler-up an' keep on a-truckin' (a-lookin' for
mavis)
Oh, the old home filler-up an' keep on a-truckin' cafe
Now we've been every place between here and south sioux
And we've seen us a truck-stop waitress or two
But this gal's built like a burlap bag full of bobcats：
She's got it to-gether
Well, she filled my tank; i said 'thank you, honey.'
Her name was mavis, i gave her the money
Old sloan just set there, watchin' and waggin' and wishin'.
I says, 'you wait in the truck, boy.'
Then i went inside. she says, 'what'll it be？'
I says 'a cup of your best and a number three.'
She come back with an order to go and a quart of hot c and a
bone for sloan.
I said, 'much obliged'; old sloan gave a bark
I left her a buck and he left his heart
At the old home filler-up an' keep on a-truckin' cafe
Oh, the old home filler-up an' keep on a-truckin'
Oh, the old home filler-up an' keep on a-truckin'
Oh, the old home filler-up an' keep on a-truckin' cafe
Well, saturday night we was truckin' along
Yeah, me and old sloan was a-gettin' it on
I said, 'sloan, i've been thinkin' on a-gettin' up my courage,
and tonight's the night'
Well, i popped the clutch, gave the tranny a spin
Took the beebeetown ramp and slid on in
To the old home filler-up an' keep on a-truckin' cafe
Oh, the old home filler-up an' keep on a-truckin'
Oh, the old home filler-up an' keep on a-truckin' (it never
closes)
Oh, the old home filler-up an' keep on a-truckin' cafe
Well, i got me a stool, took a load off my shoes,
Made mavis an offer that she couldn't refuse
I says, 'how'd ya like to go for a ride with me and old sloan？ i
just had my truck warshed.'
She allowed as how it sounded like a whole lot of fun
But we was gonna have ta wait until the dishes was done
And was it all right with me if she brought along her mother as
a chaperone？
I said, 'why not？'
Well, we geared that tranny into super-low
And the four of us went to see a picture show
Yeah, i took 'em to the drive-in the-a-ter over by pisgah, to
see true grit
Saw the late, late show; old sloan hit the sack
And then along about two o'clock i hauled 'em all back
To the old home filler-up an' keep on a-truckin' cafe
Oh, the old home filler-up an' keep on a-truckin'
Oh, the old home filler-up an' keep on a-truckin'
Oh, the old home filler-up an' keep on a-truckin' cafe (eight
stools and a promise)
Oh, the old home filler-up an' keep on a-truckin'
Oh, the old home filler-up an' keep on a-truckin'
Oh, the old home filler-up an' keep on a-truckin' cafe (they got
a real nice place there)
8.Rocky Mountain September
(bill fries, chip davis)
From the album wolf creek pass
When the skies are gray, and the wind is cold, i remember. how
the snow was silver, and the leaves were gold when i left her.
it was early mornin', on a rocky mountain september. and she was
gon
R＞
Well now it's five a.m. an' i'm a hunnert an' ten miles from
denver
An' the snow is silver an' the leaves are gold an' i miss her
'cause it's another mornin' on a another mountain september
An' i'm alone
Yeah, we climbed the mountain together, an' we stood on top a'
the world. but now i gotta remember it all... alone.
When the fire is warm, an' the sun is cool, in november. when my
heart is young, and my mind is old, i remember. an early
mornin', on a rocky mountain september. and she's gone.
Well now it's fall again an' i'm a thousand miles from nowhere
An' i can can hear her voice an' i see her smile an' i miss her
An' it's another mornin' on another mountain september
An' i'm alone
Yeah, we climbed the mountain together, an' we stood on top a'
the world. but now i gotta try to remember it all... alone.
9.Sloan
(bill fries, chip davis)
Well, i found him on the corner of seventh and main
In the iowa township of sloan (township of sloan...)
He's tired, and he's hungry, he's old, and he's grungy
And parked in a no-parkin' zone
Well i bent down an' says 'how ya doin', old fella？'
He tried to get up on his own (on his own...)
When i gave him a piece a' my ham salad sandwich
He reached up an' licked on my nose
He gave him a piece of his ham salad sandwich
And reached up and licked on his nose
Old sloan...
Well, i opened the door of my old beat-up semi
Threw an old dirty shirt on the floor (on the floor...)
He hopped in an' laid hisself down by the gearshift
Curled up and started to snore
For years we went truckin' them highways together
On the byways of life we did roam (they did roam...)
With his paws on the dashboard an' his head out the winda
An' his ears in the breeze, gently blowin'
With his paws on the dashboard, his head out the winder
And his ears in the breeze gently blowin'
Old sloan...
When one mornin' last may, four miles north a' mondamin
I stopped to use a pay telephone (pay telephone...)
Old sloan made a fireplug, while i made a phone call
An' when i come back, he was gone
Well i searched forty miles of that interstate highway
And the byways that we used to roam (used to roam...)
From ricketts to red line, magnolia to woodbine
But i just couldn't find poor ol' sloan
From fiscus to jacksonville, quick to correctionville
Looked like the end for old sloan
Poor ol' fella. he didn't have no license, nor shots, nor
nothin'.
I thought he's a goner.
When on a cold winter day on the ninth of november
I's drivin' my rig all alone (all alone...)
When my eye caught a blur in my left rear-view mirror
An' my ears heard the sound of old sloan
He's runnin' as fast as his old legs could run 'im
An' cryin' for me to slow down (to slow down...)
His tail was a-waggin', his tongue was a-draggin'
An' i opened the door for old sloan
His tail was a-waggin', his tongue was a-draggin'
And he opened the door for old sloan
Old sloan...
Well i gave him a hug as he licked me all over
An' i threw him his old dirty bone (old dirty bone...)
Then in through the winda jumped a poodle from pisgah
An' she set on down beside sloan
Then in through the winder come a poodle from pisgah
And set herself down beside sloan.
Old sloan...
So that's where ya been, boy.
Hey! she's kinda purty.
Aw, sloan.
10.Wolf Creek Pass
(bill fries, chip davis)
Me an' earl was haulin' chickens on a flatbed out of wiggins,
and we'd spent all night on the uphill side of thirty-seven
miles of hell called wolf creek pass. which is up on the great
divide？
We was settin' there suckin' toothpicks, drinkin' nehi and onion
soup mix, and i said, 'earl, let's mail a card to mother then
send them chickens on down the other side. yeah, let's give 'e
Ide.'
Wolf creek pass, way up on the great divide
Truckin' on down the other side
Well, earl put down his bottle, mashed his foot down on the
throttle, and then a couple'a boobs with a thousand cubes in a
nineteen-forty-eight peterbilt screamed to life. we woke up the
chicken
R＞
Well, we roared up offa that shoulder sprayin' pine cones,
rocks, and boulders, and put four hundred head of them rhode
island reds and a couple a' burnt-out roosters on the line. look
out below
Use here we go!
Well, we commenced to truckin' and them hens commenced to
cluckin' and then earl took out a match and scratched his pants
and lit up the unused half of a dollar cigar and took a puff.
says '
Ain't this purdy up here.'
I says, 'earl, this hill can spill us. you better slow down or
you gonna kill us. just make one mistake and it's the pearly
gates for them eight-five crates a' usda-approved cluckers. you
w
Hit second？'
Wolf creek pass, way up on the great divide
Truckin' on down the other side
Well, earl grabbed on the shifter and he stabbed her into fifth
gear and then the chromium-plated, fully-illuminated genuine
accessory shift knob come right off in his hand. i says, 'you wa
Crew that thing back on, earl？'
He was tryin' to thread it on there when the fire fell off a'
his cigar and dropped on down, sorta rolled around, and then lit
in the cuff of earl's pants and burned a hole in his sock. yeah,
so
Et him right on fire.
I looked on outta the window and i started countin' phone poles,
goin' by at the rate of four to the seventh power. well i put
two and two together, and added twelve and carried five; come up
wi
Enty-two thousand telephone poles an hour.
I looked at earl and his eyes was wide, his lip was curled, and
his leg was fried. and his hand was froze to the wheel like a
tongue to a sled in the middle of a blizzard. i says, 'earl, i'
The type to complain; but the time has come for me to explain
that if you don't apply some brake real soon, they're gonna have
to pick us up with a stick and a spoon.'
Well, earl rared back, and cocked his leg, stepped as down as
hard as he could on the brake, and the pedal went clear to the
floor and stayed there, right there on the floor. he said it was
sort
E steppin' on a plum.
Well, from there on down it just wasn't real purdy： it was
hairpin county and switchback city. one of 'em looked like a can
full'a worms; another one looked like malaria germs. right in
the midd
The whole damn show was a real nice tunnel, now wouldn't you
know？
Sign says clearance to the twelve-foot line, but the chickens
was stacked to thirteen-nine. well we shot that tunnel at a
hundred-and-ten, like gas through a funnel and eggs through a
hen, and w
K that top row of chickens off slicker than scum off a lousiana
swamp. went down and around and around and down 'til we run
outta ground at the edge of town. bashed into the side of the
feed sto
In downtown pagosa springs.
Wolf creek pass, way up on the great divide
Truckin' on down the other side
Wolf creek pass, way up on the great divide
Truckin' on down the other side
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