I was just a small-time country boy when I left that dusty town,
Route 66 to the westward and hopped an old freight down.
California, here I come,
By the side-door Pullman and the sunburnt thumb,
And they called us Okies, lowdown bums,
And the po-lice on us frowned.
Never tire of the road, Never tire of the rolling wheel.
Never tire of the ways of the world, Way out yonder is a-calling me.
And the dark road leads me onwards, and the highway that's my code,
And the lonesome voice that I heard in my head said: Never tire of the road.
California to the New York Island, me and my guitar,
And we played in many a hobo jungle, many a skid-row bar,
Standing out in the wind and the rain,
That lonesome whistle is a sweet refrain,
When you're waiting for some old freight train,
That carries an empty car.
Never tire of the road, Never tire of the rolling wheel.
Never tire of the ways of the world, Way out yonder is a-calling me.
And the dark road leads me onwards, and the highway that's my code,
And the lonesome voice that I heard in my head said: Never tire of the road.
Shipped on board of a liberty ship to sail the ocean blue.
We were carrying guns, TNT, D-Day soldiers too.
All of the men on board agreed
With Cisco, Jimmy, Longhi and me,
And our song rang out across the sea:
You fascists bound to lose.
All you fascists bound to lose.
Yes, all you fascists bound to lose.
I said: all you fascists bound to lose.
You're bound to lose. You fascists bound to lose.
Never tire of the road, Never tire of the rolling wheel.
Never tire of the ways of the world, Way out yonder is a-calling me.
And the dark road leads me onwards, and the highway that's my code,
And the lonesome voice that I heard in my head said: Never tire of the road.
Don't let them ever fool you, or take you by surprise,
That dirty smell of a politician and the man with the greed in his eyes.
One big union that's our plan
And the IWW's your only man.
The flames of discontent we'll fan
For the cause that never dies.
Never tire of the road, Never tire of the rolling wheel.
Never tire of the ways of the world, Way out yonder is a-calling me.
And the dark road leads me onwards, and the highway that's my code,
And the lonesome voice that I heard in my head said: Never tire of the road.