The Hitch-hiker
I don't know why it is every time i take a trip
It's always raining somewhere down the line
This particular night was in prestonsburg, kentucky
I stopped to give a country boy a ride
I saw him running toward the car, he carried an old suitcase
A cigarette was dangling from his lips
He threw the suitcase in the back & as he got inside
He said, "i'm sorry, but i'm awful wet."
I said, "where are you headed, kid?" & he said, "to louisville"
Said he had an uncle there who ran a store
Said his daddy died three weeks ago & they didn't own the place
And they said he couldn't live there anymore
He said his education was that he could read & write
He quit school the time his dad got hurt
Ain't much goes on in prestonsburg, & he was seventeen
And he had to go some place to find some work
He talked about the girl whose father had a lot of money
He said he'd send & get her if he could
His daddy taught him all there was about tobacco-farmin'
And he said he played the banjer pretty good
We stopped to get a sandwich & the waitress brought a menu
And i noticed that he read the prices first
He ordered him a hot dog with a lot of table ketchup
And water seemed to satisfy his thirst
Well, it took awhile but i insisted that i pay the ticket
Excused myself & went out to the car
He came out, got in the car & handed me a quarter
And he said, "you left this layin' on the bar."
I dropped him off in lexington & drove down to bowling green
And i thought, boy you'll never make it without help
And then i got to thinkin' about the days when i was younger
And i started out the same darn way myself
Well, i don't know why it is every time i take a trip
It's always raining somewhere down the line...
