I was out on the Coast, tryin' to make a And things didn't out, I was down on my luck Got tired a-roamin' and around So I started thumbin' back East, my home town.
Made a lot of miles, the two days And I I'd be home in week, if my luck held out this way But, the night I got stranded, way out of town At a cold, lonely crossroads, was pourin' down.
I was hungry and freezin', done a chill When the lights of a big semi topped the Lord, I sure was glad to hear them air brakes come on And I climbed in that cab, I knew it'd be warm.
At the wheel sit a big man, he weighed about He out his hand and said with a grin "Big the name", I told him mine And he said: "The name of my rig is 309."
I asked him why he called his rig such a He said: "Son, this old can put 'em all to shame There ain't a driver, or a rig, a-runnin' any Ain't seen nothin' but from Phantom 309."
Well, we and talked the better part of the night When the lights of a truck stop in sight He "I'm sorry son, this is as far as you go 'Cause, I gotta a turn, just on up the road."
Well, he tossed me a dime as he her in low And said: "Have a cup on old Big Joe." When Joe and his rig out in the night In nothin' flat, he was out of sight.
Well, I went inside and me a cup Told the waiter Big Joe was me up Aw!, you heard a pin drop, it got deathly quiet And the waiter's turned kinda white.
Well, did I say something wrong? I said with a halfway He "Naw, this happens every now and then Ever' driver in here Big Joe But son, let me you what happened about ten years ago.
At the tonight, where you flagged him down There was a bus load of kids, from town And they were right in the middle, Big Joe topped the hill It could have slaughter, but he turned his wheel.
Well, Joe lost control, went into a And gave his life to save bunch-a kids And there at that crossroads, was the end of the For Big Joe and 309
But, every now and then, hiker'll come by And like you, Big Joe'll give 'em a Here, another cup and forget about the dime Keep it as a souvenir, from Big Joe and 309!"