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