GenFM Radio

Lyrics

**Verse 1**
Well, I’m haulin’ freight from Tulsa to the coast,
Ten gears grindin’, keepin’ her between the lines the most.
Log book’s lyin’, D O T’s on my tail again,
Some pencil-pusher in D.C. says I’m breakin’ the law, my friend.
He’s sittin’ in a swivel chair with coffee in his hand,
Never felt the wheel shake when the wind hits a hundred grand.
Never smelled the diesel burn or heard the jake brake whine,
But he’s makin’ rules for me while sippin’ his damn wine.

**Chorus**
They ain’t never seen the inside of a semi truck,
Never rolled through the night with a load that weighs a ton of luck.
Never fought the fatigue on a two-lane blacktop hell,
Never prayed to the Lord when the tire blows and the whole rig starts to swell.
Suit and tie boys drawin’ lines on a map,
While we’re out here dodgin’ death just to keep the wheels on track.
If you ain’t burned rubber and bled a little blood,
Shut your mouth ‘bout regulations – you ain’t one of us.

**Verse 2**
Hours of service like a noose around my neck,
Forty hours off and I’m still wrecked from the last wreck.
They say “safety first” from their leather office throne,
But I’ve seen brothers flip it over tryin’ to make it home.
Congressman’s kid never pushed a reefer through the snow,
Never chained up in the mountains where the wild winds blow.
He’s writin’ fines for idlin’ while the engine’s gotta run,
To keep the frozen load from thawin’ – hell, it ain’t no fun.

**Chorus**
They ain’t never seen the inside of a semi truck,
Never rolled through the night with a load that weighs a ton of luck.
Never fought the fatigue on a two-lane blacktop hell,
Never prayed to the Lord when the tire blows and the whole rig starts to swell.
Suit and tie boys drawin’ lines on a map,
While we’re out here dodgin’ death just to keep the wheels on track.
If you ain’t burned rubber and bled a little blood,
Shut your mouth ‘bout regulations – you ain’t one of us.

**Bridge**
Yeah, I got calluses on my hands from grippin’ that old wheel,
Stories in my rearview of every mile I had to steal.
They talk about “e-logs” like it’s gonna save the day,
But when the storm hits hard, it’s the driver who pays.
So here’s to the kings of the highway, the ones who truly know,
What it takes to keep America movin’ – rain, sleet, or snow.

**Final Chorus** (louder, with more grit)
They ain’t never seen the inside of a semi truck,
Never felt that lonesome whistle when the big engine starts to buck.
We’re the backbone of this country, haulin’ dreams and diesel dust,
While the rule-makers sit pretty – in their rules we don’t trust.
If you ain’t burned rubber and bled a little blood,
Shut your mouth ‘bout regulations – you ain’t one of us.

**Outro** (fading with harmonica wail)
No sir... you ain’t never seen the inside...
Of a semi truck.

*(End with a long, low note on the steel guitar, like a rig rollin’ into the sunset.)*