PHANTOM 309
Red Sovine

I was out on the West Coast
Tryin' to make a buck 
And things didn't work out
I was down on my luck
Got tired a-roaming and bumming around 
So I started thumbing back East
Toward my home town

Made a lot of miles the first two days 
And I figured I'd be home in week
If my luck held out this way 
But...the third night I got stranded
Way out of town
At a cold lonely crossroads
Rain was pouring down

I was hungry and freezing
Done caught a chill 
When the lights of a big semi topped the hill 
Lord, I sure was glad to hear them air brakes come on 
And I climbed in that cab
Where I knew it'd be warm

At the wheel sat a big man
He weighed about two-ten
He stuck out his hand and said with a grin
Big Joe's the name

I told him mine
And he said
The name of my rig is 
Phantom 309

I asked him why he called his rig such a name
He said Son
This old Mack can put 'em all to shame 
There ain't a driver or a rig
Running any line 
That seen nothing
But taillights from Phantom 309

Well we rode and talked 
The better part of the night
When the lights of a truck stop came in sight 
He said I'm sorry son
This is as far as you go 
Cause I gotta make a turn
Just on up the road

Well he tossed me a dime 
As he pulled her in low 
And said
Have yourself a cup on old Big Joe

When Joe and his rig 
Roared out in the night 
In nothing flat
He was clean out of sight

Well, I went inside and ordered me a cup 
Told the waiter Big Joe was setting me up 
Aw!, you coulda heard a pin drop
It got deathly quiet 
And the waiter's face turned kinda white

Well, did I say something wrong 
I said with a halfway grin 
He said
Naw this happens every now and then 
Every driver in here knows Big Joe
But son let me tell you 
What happened about ten years ago
At the crossroads tonight

Where you flagged him down 
There was a bus load of kids
Coming from town 
And they were right in the middle
When Big Joe topped the hill 
It could have been slaughter
But he turned his wheel
Well, Joe lost control
Went into a skid 
And gave his life
To save that bunch of kids

And there at that crossroads
Was the end of the line 
For Big Joe and phantom 309
But, every now and then
Some hiker'll come by 
And like you
Big Joe'll give 'em a ride 

Here have another cup 
And forget about the dime 
Keep it as a souvenir
From Big Joe 
And Phantom 309 
