Phantom 309 Songtext
von Ferlin Husky

I was out on the West Coast tryin′ to make a buck
Things didn't work out, and I was down on my luck
I got tired of rollin′ and bummin' around
So I started thumbin' east toward my hometown

Made a lot of miles the first couple of days
And I figured I′d be home in a week if my luck held out that way
But the third night, I got stranded way out of town
At a cold lonely crossroads where the rain was pouring down

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

At the wheel, sat a big man
And he weighed, I guess about two-ten
He stuck out his hand and said with a grin
"Big Joe's the name", and I told him mine


And he said, "The name of my rig is Phantom 309"
Well, I asked him why he called his rig such a name
And he said, "Son, this old Mack can put ′em all to shame
There ain't a driver or a rig runnin′ any line
That's seen nothin′ but the taillights from Phantom 309

Well, we rode and talked the better part of the night
When the lights of a truckstop came into 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, and he put her in low
And said, "Have yourself a hot cup on old Big Joe

When Joe and his rig roared out into 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

Oh, you could′ve 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, "No, this happens every now and then
Every driver in here knows Big Joe
Son, let me tell you what happened about ten years ago"


At the crossroads tonight where you flagged him down
There was a busload of kids coming from town
And they were right in the middle when Big Joe topped the hill
And it would've been slaughter but he turned his wheels
Well, Joe lost control and went into a skid
And gave his life to save that bunch of kids
And there at the crossroads was the end of the line
For Big Joe and Phantom 309

But every now and then some hiker will come by
And like you, Big Joe will give him a ride
Here, have another cup and forget about the dime
Keep it as a souvenir from Big Joe and Phantom 309