A road song that follows the crew of an 18-wheeler over 3,000 miles from Watsonville to the Hunts Point Market in New York.
martin craig acoustic fol
Story behind the song
I drove for a living for some years, although not in 18-wheelers. This road song was written for Elvis, but with sensationally bad timing I demoed it ready to send to RCA about a month before he died! I still imagine how he would have done it - probably something like the way he handled 'Promised Land'.
Lyrics
GEAR JAMMIN' BOOTS AND A 3-SPEED HAT
It was a foggy morning in Watsonville
When we pulled away from the Sands Motel
And pointed the trailer rig down the hill for the loading
Three hours later we were clear of town
We weighed out at seventy thousand pounds
With 18 wheels between us and the ground, we were rolling
The Hunts Point Market was three thousand miles away
I'd be on the road back eastward four long days
Wearing gear jammin' boots, a 3 speed hat
A chain-drive wallet fastened to my belt
For mile after mile we'd listen to the stacks a-droning
Vester took a five-hour spell at the wheel
70 cents a mile was the wages deal
The firm took care of the motel bill on arrival
If we got the load to New York on time
We'd make five thousand dollars, split down the line
But I still wouldn't let no boy of mine be a driver
You sleep with the noise of the road drummin' through your head
Miss one red light and the two of you could wind up dead
Fighting snowdrifts on the Donner Pass
Looking for a truck-stop, low on gas
Searching the scene of a four-car smash for survivors
We took Highway 5 to Sacramento
Over the pass and down to Reno
Parking at the Old Wild West Casino truck-stop
I put away a plateful of egg and beans
Lost ten dollars on the slot machines
Looked through the hot rod magazines in the bookshop
Jukebox playing a lonesome country tune
I'd be ready for a spell of driving in the afternoon
A boy was talking to a girl in tears
A trucker was buying some souvenirs
We walked outside with two cold beers from the icebox
Back on the road we crossed Nevada
Over the line into Western Utah
The sun went down and the sky looked set for snowing
In the back of the cab I made a bunk for the night
Vester turned on the driving lights
I went to sleep to the sound of the heater blowin'
Midnight came and it was my turn behind the wheel
The moon was bright on the snow laying in the fields
Up came the dawn at 6 a.m.
God knows how I stayed awake till then
We rolled into Salt Lake City in the early morning
Folks try to tell me I should quit the road
But I like to keep movin' and the money's good
And I get to see things I never would back in Fargo
Driving coast to coast across the USA
Rollin' three thousand miles over fourteen states
A truckload of fresh California grapes for the cargo
I had a love one time in a sleepy little Southern town
She's still on my mind but I couldn't let it tie me down
Now the traffic's gettin' heavy on the New Jersey Pike
Headin' for the city in the morning light
We'll be first in line to get a load tonight for Chicago