Big Joe And Phantom 309 Lyrics - Nighthawks At The Diner - Tom Waits

Well you see I happened to be back on the east coast 

A few years back tryin' to make me a buck 

Like everybody else, well you know 

Times get hard and well I got down on my luck 

And I got tired of just roamin' and bummin' 

Around, so I started thumbin' my way 

Back to my old hometown 

You know I made quite a few miles 

In the first couple of days, and I 

Figured I'd be home in a week if my 

Luck held out this way 

But you know it was the third night 

I got stranded, it was out at a cold lonely 

Crossroads, and as the rain came 

Pouring down, I was hungry, tired 

Freezin', caught myself a chill, but 

It was just about that time that 

The lights of an old semi topped the hill 

You should of seen me smile when I 

Heard them air brakes come on, and 

I climbed up in that cab where I 

Knew it'd be warm at the wheel 

Well at the wheel sat a big man 

I'd have to say he must of weighed 210 

The way he stuck out a big hand and 

Said with a grin "Big Joe's the name 

And this here rig's called Phantom 309" 

Well I asked him why he called his 

Rig such a name, but he just turned to me 

And said "Why son don't you know this here 

Rig'll be puttin' 'em all to shame, why 

There ain't a driver on this 

Or any other line for that matter 

That's seen nothin' but the taillights of Big Joe 

And Phantom 309" 

So we rode and talked the better part of the night 

And I told my stories and Joe told his and 

I smoked up all his Viceroys as we rolled along 

He pushed her ahead with 10 forward gears 

Man that dashboard was lit like the old 

Madam La Rue pinball, a serious semi truck 

Until almost mysteriously, well it was the 

Lights of a truck stop that rolled into sight 

Joe turned to me and said "I'm sorry son 

But I'm afraid this is just as far as you go 

You see I kinda gotta be makin' a turn 

Just up the road a piece," but I'll be 

Damned if he didn't throw me a dime as he 

Threw her in low and said "Go on in there 

Son, and get yourself a hot cup of coffee 

On Big Joe" 

And when Joe and his rig pulled off into 

The night, man in nothing flat they was 

Clean outa sight 

So I walked into the old stop and 

Ordered me up a cup of mud sayin' 

"Big Joe's settin' this dude up" but 

It got so deathly quiet in that 

Place, you could of heard a pin drop 

As the waiter's face turned kinda 

Pale, I said "What's the matter did 

I say somethin' wrong?" I kinda 

Said with 8a half way grin. He said 

"No son, you see It'll happen every 

Now and then. You see every driver in 

Here knows Big Joe, but let me 

Tell you what happened just 10 years 

Ago, yea it was 10 years ago 

Out there at that cold lonely crossroads 

Where you flagged Joe down, and 

There was a whole bus load of kids 

And they were just comin' from school 

And they were right in the middle when 

Joe topped the hill, and could 

Have been slaughtered except 

Joe turned his wheels, and 

He jacknifed, and went 

Into a skid, and folks around here 

Say he gave his life to save that bunch 

Of kids, and out there at that cold 

Lonely crossroads, well they say it 

Was the end of the line for 

Big Joe and Phantom 309, but it's 

Funny you know, cause every now and then 

Yea every now and then, when the 

Moon's holdin' water, they say old Joe 

Will stop and give you a ride, and 

Just like you, some hitchhiker will be 

Comin' by" 

"So here son," he said to me, "get 

Yourself another cup of coffee, it's on the 

House, you see I want you to hang on 

To that dime, yea you hang on to that 

Dime as a kind of souvenir, a 

Souvenir of Big Joe and Phantom 309" 

Related 

Songs That Will Make You Cry Uncontrollably 

Love Stinks, So Here Are 15 Anti-Valentine's Day Songs 

Modern Love: The Best Top 40 Love Songs For Valentine's Day 

Photos