“Convoy” by C.W. McCall – Song Lyric Sunday – Trucks

This week for Song Lyric Sunday, Jim Adams has prompted us with Bus/Truck/Lorry Songs. Talk about an interesting song that gave truckers a true identity. Written by Bill Fries & Chip Davis and performed by C.W. McCall, Convoy reached #1 on both the US country & pop charts in 1975 & hit #1 on the Canada RPM top singles chart in January 1976. Rolling Stones Magazine has listed “Convoy” at 98th of its 100 Greatest Country Songs of All Time. This song led to an onslaught of Americana trucking movies. Smokey and the Bandit leading the way in 1977. “Convoy” was turned into an action film staring Kris Kristofferson, Ali MacGraw & Ernest Borgnine in 1978. Truck driving Pop Culture and CB radios in America had hit an all time high.

This was a household song for my family. It almost became an anthem in a way. My uncle & my future step-dad drove a truck. Eighteen wheelers were constantly passing by my grand-parents house located in the country in Texas. Whether they were on their way to pick up a load or heading back to town with a full load, it was an exciting part of our day. As soon as we heard them coming a mile up the road, my cousins & I would run towards the cattle guard before they got to the homestead. The cattle guard was located next to the main road to keep the cows on the property. It also served as a thru-way allowing cars to enter the driveway. Otherwise, we’d be trapped.

With our arms in an “L” shape like flexing your muscle and fists clinched, we began our motion “up and down” for the driver to blow his horn. Sometimes, they ignored us, but other times they blew it not once, but 2 or 3 times! Wow! What a rush for a bunch of 10 & 11 year olds. We could recognize a Peterbilt, Kenworth, Freightliner or Mack as soon as they cleared the hilly pavement. Breaker 1-9, anybody there? This here is the Firefly! That was the call name that I gave myself.

Was the dark of the moon on the sixth of June
In a Kenworth pullin' logs
Cab-over Pete with a reefer on
And a Jimmy haulin' hogs
We is headin' for bear on I-one-oh
'Bout a mile outta Shaky Town
I says, "Pig Pen, this here's the Rubber Duck.
"And I'm about to put the hammer down."
'Cause we got a little convoy
Rockin' through the night.
Yeah, we got a little convoy,
Ain't she a beautiful sight?
Come on and join our convoy
Ain't nothin' gonna get in our way.
We gonna roll this truckin' convoy
'Cross the U-S-A.
Convoy!
By the time we got into Tulsa Town,
We had eighty-five trucks in all.
But they's a roadblock up on the cloverleaf,
And them bears was wall-to-wall.
Yeah, them smokies is thick as bugs on a bumper;
They even had a bear in the air!
I says, "Callin' all trucks, this here's the Duck.
"We about to go a-huntin' bear."
'Cause we got a little convoy
Rockin' through the night.
Yeah, we got a little convoy,
Ain't she a beautiful sight?
Come on and join our convoy
Ain't nothin' gonna get in our way.
We gonna roll this truckin' convoy
'Cross the U-S-A.
Convoy!
Well, we rolled up Interstate 44
Like a rocket sled on rails.
We tore up all of our swindle sheets,
And left 'em settin' on the scales.
By the time we hit that Chi-town,
Them bears was a-gettin' smart:
They'd brought up some reinforcements
From the Illinois National Guard.
There's armored cars, and tanks, and jeeps,
And rigs of ev'ry size.
Yeah, them chicken coops was full'a bears
And choppers filled the skies.
Well, we shot the line and we went for broke
With a thousand screamin' trucks
An' eleven long-haired Friends a' Jesus
In a chartreuse micra-bus.
Well, we laid a strip for the Jersey shore
And prepared to cross the line
I could see the bridge was lined with bears
But I didn't have a dog-goned dime.
I says, "Pig Pen, this here's the Rubber Duck.
"We just ain't a-gonna pay no toll."
So we crashed the gate doing ninety-eight
I says "Let them truckers roll, 10-4."
'Cause we got a little convoy
Rockin' through the night.
Yeah, we got a little convoy,
Ain't she a beautiful sight?
Come on and join our convoy
Ain't nothin' gonna get in our way.
We gonna roll this truckin' convoy
'Cross the U-S-A.
Convoy!
Source: LyricFind
Songwriters: Chip Davis / William Fries
Convoy lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC