Some time ago I was sippin' on some coffee and havin' some ham and biscuits
When a motion caught my eye through the truck stop window
It was a little lost puppy, half-starved and shaken from fear
But I just had to make friends with him
So I went out and picked him up and put him in the cab of my truck
And buddy, he took to that truck like he was born there
Well, I named him Little Joe
And as I watched him sleep on the seat beside me
I figured, well, Little Joe's gonna be with me for a long, long time
A couple years later I was talkin' to my old friend Teddy Bear on the OCB
And not payin' much attention to my back door
And Little Joe started barkin' up a storm
I looked up and saw Smokey in the mirror
And I slowed my rig down just in time
But you know somethin'?
Teddy Bear heard Little Joe barkin' and he said
Hey, Bear!
Hey, Red!
Let me talk to your partner
And I said, you got it, good buddy
How's that old Smokey situation, Little Joe?
And Little Joe said, rough!
Now, I just tore him up
And for the next 200 miles, I just flew by
Cause everybody on the CB wanted to talk to Little Joe
One night we were headed through the Smokies of East Tennessee
And Little Joe started actin' real nervous
I heard the sounds of lightnin' on the old CB
And suddenly, I heard a voice in the back of my ear
We were in the worst storm I'd ever seen
All at once, I saw some headlights comin' straight at my rig
Someone was blinded by the rain
So I swerved fast and just barely missed a camper full of kids
But the shoulder gave way and we crashed
Over on the side of the mountain
And when I woke up, my rig was on fire and I couldn't move
But somehow, Little Joe grabbed me by the collar
And pulled me away from that burnin' rig
I was in the hospital the next time I got out of bed


And I woke up, and the doctor was there to break the bad news
The accident had taken my sight
And I said, good Lord, I won't be able to drive anymore
And that's when I realized how helpless Little Teddy Bear must have felt
Before the miracle happened that made him walk again
And I thought, well, how about Little Joe?
Ain't nobody said nothin' about him
I wondered, well, I figured, well, Little Joe,
How could he give his life to save mine?
I went to live with my brother
And when he opened the door to my room
I heard an old CB just blaring away
I couldn't wait to *** that mic
And the first voice I heard was my old buddy Teddy Bear ratchet-jawin'
So I broke for him and he came right back
Why, it was almost like old times again
Teddy Bear yakkin' away, unloadin' all the latest news on me
And gettin' louder and louder
But all of a sudden, I heard a voice in my ear
And the sound of an engine seemed to drown out Teddy Bear
And I said, what's goin' on, Teddy Bear?
Come back, Teddy Bear, what's goin' on?
He said, open your front door, good buddy
I'm just outside
And the roar of the engine seemed to rock the house
And all around me I could hear familiar voices
And doors a-slammin'
I couldn't hold back the tears
All my friends were there
Then I heard somethin' I couldn't believe
There was a dog barkin'
And I couldn't hear it
But, well, now this has to be Little Joe
And no sooner than that, he was all over me
And I put my arms around my old partner
And the tears were streamin' down my face
Then I felt somethin' strange
Little Joe had never worn a collar before
And attached to the collar was a leash and a handle
A hush fell over my friends
And I realized that my new eyes were standin' at my feet
Little Joe
I was letsin' out in the car
And pulled the barricade out, now it was me
Well, I dress like super high
Okay, something came up with me
I kept on doin' my job
I don't hope I'll ever see that raccoon ever again
Anyway, I got gonna run home