I was out on the west coast trying to make a buck, things didn't work out and I was down on my luck, I got tired of rolling and bumming around, so I started thumbing 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, 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 a cab where I knew it'd be warm,
at the wheel sat a big man and he weighed I guess about
210, 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 mac can put them all to shame, there ain't a driver or a rig running any line, that's seen nothing but the taillights from Phantom 309,
well
well

we rode and talked the better part of the night, when the lights of a truck stopped 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, and 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 have 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,
he said,

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 have
been slaughter, but he turned his wheel. 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.
Thank you.