GenFM Radio

Lyrics

(Verse 1)
Well, I left Sacramento with a load of frozen freight,
Two hundred miles to Reno, but the devil's at the gate.
Snow's blowin' sideways like a freight train out of hell,
Chains on the duals, prayin' I don't slide to farewell.
Radio's cracklin' warnings from the CHP,
"Whiteout conditions, boys, better pull over or you'll see..."
But the boss man's yellin' deadlines in my ear,
So I light another Camel and shift it into gear.

(Chorus)
Donner Pass, you cold-hearted son of a bitch,
You’ve claimed more rigs than the whiskey and the ditch.
Eighteen wheels spinnin', ghosts ridin' shotgun,
Truckers rollin' dice with the wind and the gun.
From the summit down to Truckee, lord, it’s a killer run,
Outlaw drivers chasin' miles 'til the mornin' sun.
Donner Pass, you’ll break a man or make him free—
But tonight I’m haulin' ass just to make it through to me.

(Verse 2)
They say the old pioneers ate each other up here,
Now it’s diesel and desperation, year after year.
I’ve seen Peterbilts jackknife like they was toys,
Drivers walkin' away with nothin' left but the noise.
Got a .38 Special tucked under the seat,
For the bears or the bandits or the pain I might meet.
Coffee’s gone cold and the heater’s on the fritz,
But I got Waylon on the tape deck, drownin' out the fits.

(Bridge)
Wind’s howlin' like a lonesome coyote call,
Black ice waitin' silent, ready for the fall.
One wrong twitch of the wheel and it’s goodbye rig,
Join the graveyard lineup where the big trucks dig.
But I ain’t no pioneer eatin' my own kind,
I’m just a long-haul sinner with a load and a mind
To beat this mountain pass one more crooked time—
Outlaw country livin', crossin' that white line.

(Chorus)
Donner Pass, you cold-hearted son of a bitch,
You’ve claimed more rigs than the whiskey and the ditch.
Eighteen wheels spinnin', ghosts ridin' shotgun,
Truckers rollin' dice with the wind and the gun.
From the summit down to Truckee, lord, it’s a killer run,
Outlaw drivers chasin' miles 'til the mornin' sun.
Donner Pass, you’ll break a man or make him free—
But tonight I’m haulin' ass just to make it through to me.

(Outro – half-spoken, slow and gritty)
Yeah... when the snow finally quits and the stars come out clear,
I’ll pull into Sparks with a cold one and a beer.
But tomorrow I’ll do it all again, 'cause that’s the code we keep—
Truckers and the devil on Donner Pass, ridin' high and steep.

(Fade out with steel guitar and lonesome harmonica)