Album: Spirit

Hitchhiker

This song was first released on the Spirit album. It is the only album it has been released on.
If your drivin¡¯ down the road and you come across an old man
Holdin¡¯ out his thumb in the wind
His clothes are old and dirty and dirty that doesn¡¯t matter
It¡¯s his eyes that tell where he¡¯s been
If you¡¯re not afraid to take your chances on a stranger
He might have some company to lend
Why don¡¯t you pull off to the side and let that old man have a ride
He can tell you all the crazy things he¡¯s seen
I¡¯m an old hitchhiker
The highway is the only home I know
Where you¡¯re headed I don¡¯t mind
I ain¡¯t been there in some time
And it¡¯s just exactly where I want to go
I can tell you how I started in the circus as a barker
Drawin¡¯ people in from far and wide
They never did regret the dollar that it cost ¡®em
We always left ¡®em feelin¡¯ good inside
We were headed for Montana when we hired us a dancer
Her beauty it was more than I can say
Then one summer night she set my soul on fire
Lord, I wish that she was here with me today
I¡¯m an old hitchhiker, I wonder what¡¯s a waitin¡¯ ¡®round the bend
I don¡¯t know what I might see and I don¡¯t need no guarantee
Just a ride from here to there and back again
I was only seventeen when I took the open highway
Took it for my teacher and a friend
I¡¯ve been thirty years a-thumbin¡¯
Some might call it bummin¡¯
But it¡¯s better than just cryin¡¯ in the wind
So if you¡¯re drivin¡¯ down the road and you come across an old man holdin¡¯ out his thumb in the rain
Why don¡¯t you pull off to the side let the poor boy have a ride
He can tell you all the crazy things he¡¯s seen
I¡¯m an old hitchhiker lookin¡¯ to the far side of the hill
Some people say I¡¯ll settle down
Build a home in some small town
But within my heart I know I never will
I¡¯m an old hitchhiker
Words by Steve Weisberg and John Denver, music by Steve Weisberg