King of the Road
Wandering the Highway of Life: King of the Road's Tale
Lyrics
Trailers for sale or rent
Advertisements for trailers available for purchase or rent.
Rooms to let, fifty cents
Rooms offered for rent at the price of fifty cents.
No phone, no pool, no pets
Description of the rooms: no telephone, swimming pool, or pets allowed.
I ain't got no cigarettes, oh but
The speaker doesn't possess any cigarettes, but...
Two hours of pushing broom buys an
Working hard for two hours using a broom can afford a modest-sized house.
Eight by twelve four bedroom, I'm a
Referring to an eight-foot by twelve-foot four-room house; despite its size, it's still a home.
A man of mean by no means
The speaker is resourceful and self-sufficient despite not having much.
King of the road
Feels like the king or master of their own life despite their humble circumstances.
Third boxcar, midnight train
Describes a journey on a train, mentioning the destination and the speaker's attire and habits.
Destination Bangor, Maine
-Old worn out suits and shoes
-I don't pay no union dues, I smoke old stogies I have found
-Short, but not too big around, I'm a
-A man of mean by no means
-King of the road
-I know every engineer on every train
The speaker knows a lot about trains, the people involved, and the security lapses.
All of their children and all of their names
-And every hand out in every town
-And every lock that ain't locked when no one's around, I sing
-Trailers for sale or rent
Repetition of the earlier verses, emphasizing the speaker's resourcefulness and contentment.
Rooms to let, fifty cents
-No phone, no pool, no pets
-I ain't got no cigarettes, oh but
-Two hours of pushing broom buys an
-Eight by twelve four bedroom, I'm a
-A man of mean by no means
-King of the road
-Trailers for sale or rent
Reiteration of the trailer and room advertisements, emphasizing the speaker's self-sufficiency.
Rooms to let, fifty cents
-No phone, no pool, no pets
-I ain't got no cigarettes, oh but
-Two hours of pushing broom
-Buys a eight by twelve four bedroom, I'm a
-A man of mean by no means
-King of the road
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