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Big Joe And Phantom 309 |
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See, I just happened to be back on the East coast a few years back |
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I was tryin' to make me a buck like everybody else |
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I'll be damned if times didn't get hard, and Christ I got down on my luck |
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And I got tired of just roamin' and bummin' around |
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So I started thumbin' my way back to my old hometown |
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And you know, I made quite a few miles in the first couple of days |
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You know, I figured I'd be home in a week if my luck held out this way |
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You know, it was the third night, oh and I got stranded |
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And it was out at a cold lonely crossroads |
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And as the rain came pouring down, man I was hungry |
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Yeah, I was hungry, tired and freezin', caught myself a chill |
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But it was just about that time |
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Yeah, it was just about that time that the lights of an ol' semi topped the hill |
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You should've seen me smile when I heard them air brakes come on |
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Yeah, and I climbed up into that cab where I knew it'd be warm |
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At the wheel... well, at the wheel sat a big man |
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And I'd have to say he must've weighed two ten |
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As he stuck out a big hand and he said with a grin |
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'Big Joe's the name, and this here rig's called Phantom 309' |
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Well, I asked him why he called his rig such a name |
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And you know, he turned to me and said ' |
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Why son, don't you know this here rig'll be puttin' 'em all to shame |
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Nah, there ain't a driver |
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No, there ain't a driver on this or any other line for that matter that... |
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That's seen nothin' but the taillights of Big Joe and Phantom 309' |
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So we rode and we talked the better part of the night |
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And I told my stories and Joe told his |
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And I smoked up all his Viceroys as we rolled along |
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Pushed her ahead with 10 forward gears |
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Man, that dashboard was lit like the old Madam La Rue pinball |
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Serious semi truck |
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Till almost mysteriously... |
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Well, it was the lights of a truck stop that rolled into sight |
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Joe turned to me, said 'I'm sorry son, but I'm afraid this is just as far as you go, you see... |
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You see, I kinda gotta be makin' a turn just up the road a piece' |
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I'll be damned if he didn't toss me a dime as he threw her in low and said |
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'Go on in there son, and get yourself a hot cup of coffee on Big Joe' |
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I mean to tell you, when Joe and his rig pulled off into the night |
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Man, in nothing flat they was clean outta sight |
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So I walked into this stop, well I ordered me up a cup of mud, |
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sayin' 'Big Joe's settin' this dude up', |
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but it got so deadly quiet in that place |
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Yeah, it got so deadly quiet in that place, you could've heard a pin drop |
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And as the waiter's face turned kinda pale I said, |
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'What's the matter, did I say somethin' wrong?' |
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I kinda said with a half way grin |
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He said, 'No son, you see it'll kinda happen every now and then |
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Cause every driver in here knows Big Joe, son, but... |
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But let me tell you what happened just 10 years ago out there |
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Yeah, it was 10 years ago, out there at that cold lonely crossroads |
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And there was a whole bus load of kids |
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And then they were just comin' from school |
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And they were right in the middle when Joe topped the hill and... |
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They could've been slaughtered except Joe turned his wheels |
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And he jacknifed, yeah he jacknifed, and he went into a skid |
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And you know, folks around here, well... |
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They say he gave his life to save that bunch of kids |
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And out there at that cold lonely crossroads |
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Well, they're saying it was the end of the line for Big Joe and Phantom 309 |
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'But it's funny you know, cause... cause every now and then |
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Yeah, every now and then when the moon's holdin' the water |
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Well, they say that old Joe'll stop and give you a ride |
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It seems, just like you, some hitchhiker'll be comin' by' |
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'So here, son,' he said to me, 'you get yourself another cup of coffee |
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It's on the house, I kind of want you to hang on to that dime |
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Yeah, I kind of want you to hang on to that dime as a souvenir |
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I want you to keep that dime as a souvenir of Big Joe |
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Of Big Joe and Phantom |
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Big Joe and Phantom 309' |
