Gears

Lyrics

His is the way that it was Just as far back as I can remember, I was always hangin' around a drafty ol' garage Gettin' grease on my hands and feet Smellin' the exhaust and watchin' my dad and brothers tear down an old truck or Model T Pickin' up a wore-out fanbelt or some other kinda souvenirs Only one thing on my mind Man, I was dyin' to dig into them gears So, when I was old enough to get my driver's license and permit I chucked it all, quit the eleventh grade, went into debt to get my first rig Skipped town several hundred bucks in arrеars Headed down the opеn highway Eatin' that concrete comin' my way Brother, I had it made At long last, I was jammin' gears I got to know all the spots along the way, and they got to know me I courted the waitresses and the cashiers I had a line that wouldn't quit I was king of the highway, a self-admitted heartbreaker on wheels They treated me to the coffee, and I treated them to the beers Them gals couldn't figure out what went on inside my head How could they, when you and I know there ain't nothin' in this ol' noggin 'cept maybe some gears Finally set my sights on a pretty little thing south of Ardmore Every time I pulled away from her place, I had to face a whole passel of her tears So I says, Hon', if you don't like my leavin' Then you just pack your little ol' bag and jump on board Ain't nobody gonna stop you if you wanna flag my rig Watch ol' Daddy make her swing And, for some pretty music, just listen to the hummin' of my gears Well, I ditched her down in Brownsville Told her my run'd bring me back in a week or two Man, I was fed up, clean to my ears "Love 'em and leave 'em" was my motto I had tracks to make, so I flew the coop Turned ol' Jenny around and headed north This time, I mean to tell you, I was really pushin' them gears Latched onto another up in Kokomo This looked like the real thing, so I popped the question quick That's what you gotta do whenever ol' Dan Cupid appears We tied the knot and rented a place up the road She didn't seem to mind my leavin' near as much as I did I just made sure that none of my runs took me near Brownsville 'Cause that'n down there could surely recognize the sound of my gears Well, you know that ol' sayin' That bad nickel always reappears Next night when I got home, there was Brownsville sittin' across from my wife The wife was cryin', the other not sayin' nothin' Nothin' now, that is And don't you know, she had said plenty already What with all the lies she had piled up on top of the truth She just sat there, silent-like Her face all covered with smears I couldn't say nothin' either, 'cause inside my head somethin' had already started spinnin' They was roarin', and they was grindin', and all of a sudden I was at the wheel We was in a blizzard and a sandstorm at the same time We was headed down Bakers Ridge wide open, and the brakes was gone The horns and the sirens was blastin' my head off The hood flew off, and the motor opened up right in my face I was divin' headfirst, right straight into them Whirlin', grindin', spinnin', greasy gears Well, that's all of my story, mister reporter Just tell 'em I'm real sorry for what I done Think it'll come out in the papers 'fore that ol' warden appears? If it's worth anything to ya, just give it to my widow Don't know where she is Just check the truck stops 'tween here and Kokomo That'll be her, sittin' there over a couple of beers And that guy that's buyin' 'em I'll lay you a million to one, he ain't nothin' but a crazy mixed-up dropout That run away from home To make his fortune eatin' concrete And jammin' them gol-dang greasy gears