"Mama Hated Diesels" lyrics

"Mama Hated Diesels"

Mama hated diesels so bad
I guess I knew it was something to do with dad
The first time I ever seen her cry
Was after one of them things went by
Mama hated diesels so bad

I remember hearin' those semis gearing down
My mom and me lived right on the high grade end of town
I sure loved them white freightliners, but there was somethin' in Mama's eyes
When she'd catch me watching the road, lord, a little bitty piece of her died

Mama hated diesels so bad
I guess I knew it was something to do with dad
The first time I ever seen her cry
Was after one of them things went by
Mama hated diesels so bad

As the years passed and I grew older, mama did too
Pretty soon she stopped singin' and laughin', well, she'd hardly even eat
I began staying away from home on the weekdays, and wouldn't come home from school till way after dark
I was always too busy havin' fun either messing around with some girl or hanging around the truckstop
Or talking too my buddies about about the big rigs that were all the time rollin' in
Or talking about all the crazy places we never been, like California
Well, one day the county sheriff came up to me
He said they found my mama wandering all by herself in the middle of the highway cryin'
She was trying of all things Lord, to flag down one of them rigs with a pocket handkerchief
Well, that left me all on my own
I got a job unloadin' rigs down at the local freight yard
Pretty soon I got a rig of my own and I left hometown on my very first runt to Frisco
That was three years ago today, and I ain't been home in all that time since then, till now

Now it's me and the local preacher, standing in the graveyard grass
Staring down at the highway, watching those big boys pass
Well he laid his hand upon me and he prayed for quite some time
I could barely understand the words he said behind that highways whine

He handed me a faded photograph, he said he found it in my mama's hand
He said, son, I'm afraid you and this picture were the best your mama ever had
Well I looked down at that picture, it was Mama and some guy
Standing in front of a semi-truck, "just married" painted on the side

Mama hated diesels so bad
I guess I knew it was something to do with dad
The first time I ever seen her cry
Was after one of them things went by
Mama hated diesels so bad
Mama hated diesels so bad


Writer(s): Bill Kirchen, Kevin Blackie Farrell
You May Also Like
Warren Zevon - "Carmelita" I hear Mariachi static on my radio And the tubes they glow in the dark And I'm there with her in Ensenada And I'm here in Echo Park Carmelita hold me tighter I think I'm sinking down And I'm all...
Lyle Lovett - "If I Had A Boat" If I had a boat I'd go out on the ocean And if I had a pony I'd ride him on my boat And we could all together Go out on the ocean Me upon my pony on my boat If I were Roy Rogers I'd sure enough be...
Drive-By Truckers - "Gravity's Gone" I went stumbling through the fog trying to find a reason for the things I told her She woke up sunny side down and I was still thinking I was too proud to flip her over Between the champagne hand...
The Charlie Daniels Band - "Uneasy Rider" I was takin a trip out to L.A. Toolin along in my cheverolet Tokin on a number and diggin on the radio Just as I crossed the Mississippi line I heard that highway start to whine And I knew that left...
Steve Earle - "Copperhead Road" Well my name's John Lee Pettimore Same as my daddy and his daddy before You hardly ever saw Grandaddy down here He only came to town about twice a year He'd buy a hundred pounds of yeast and some...