I left home the day I turned eighteen
And mama begged me not to go
I left her crying on the front porch
And then the road became my home
I found a way to make some money fast
A night in a hotel’s all I need
I’d read the bible and talk to Jesus
Every night while I cooked speed

Chorus:
Gear and dust turns new to rust
I can’t trust the people that I meet
Yeah making gear and dust
I hardly ever get to sleep


Deals were easy in the truck stops
And the dancehalls were the same
Lord I knew it wasn’t honest
But I kept on playing Franklin’s game
I saved some money and started thinking
That I might head down to the coast
Quit all this over-shoulder looking
And try my luck out on a boat

Chorus

I met a drifter on the highway
I had less cash than he had hate
He left me lying in a bar ditch
Somewhere beside the interstate
When you’re dead it’s not really over
Some say they’ve even seen my ghost
At a roadside up in Guthrie
Lord knows that’s where I sold the most

Chorus

Making gear and dust
They finally laid me down to sleep