King Of The Road
M.A.M.A. Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

Trailers for sale or rent,
Rooms to let, 50 cents,
No phone, no pool, no pets,
Ain't got no cigarettes, ah but
Two hours of pushing broom
Buys an 8 by 12 four-bit room
He's a man of means by no means
King of the road.

Third box car midnight train
Destination bangor, maine
Old worn-out suits and shoes,
Don't pay no union dues.
He smokes old stogies he has found
Short, but not too big around
He's a man of means by no means
King of the road

(He knows) every engineer on every train
All of their children and all of their names
And every hang-out in every town
Every lock that ain't locked
When no one's around.

I say, trailers for sale or rent,
Rooms to let - 50 cents,
No phone, no pool, no pets,
Ain't got no cigarettes.
I've got two hours of pushing broom
Buys an 8 by 12 four-bit room




He's a man of means by no means
King of the road [Repeat: x4]

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of "King of the Road" by Roger Miller, as covered by M.A.M.A., describes the life of a vagabond who travels the country by hopping from train to train and staying in cheap accommodations. The opening lines set the scene of a man searching for a place to live by highlighting the various trailers and rooms available for sale or rent. The man doesn't have much by way of possessions, as he can't afford anything luxurious like a phone, pool, or pets, and he doesn't even have cigarettes. However, the man can always rely on his trusty broom, which he uses to clean his sparse living quarters. Despite his less-than-glamorous lifestyle, the man sees himself as a "King of the Road" because he is free to explore the country and live life on his own terms.


Line by Line Meaning

Trailers for sale or rent,
Advertisements for trailers that are available for purchase or rent


Rooms to let, 50 cents,
A room is available for rent at a cost of fifty cents


No phone, no pool, no pets,
The property has no amenities such as a telephone, swimming pool or pets allowed


Ain't got no cigarettes, ah but
The artist does not have any cigarettes, but still enjoys life


Two hours of pushing broom
Working hard and pushing a broom for two hours


Buys an 8 by 12 four-bit room
The wages earned from working hard for two hours can only buy an 8x12 small room


He's a man of means by no means
He may be earning money, but he is not well-off by any means


King of the road.
He takes pride in being a drifter and roaming around free on his own terms


Third box car midnight train
Traveling on a train in a boxcar at midnight


Destination bangor, maine
Going to Bangor, Maine


Old worn-out suits and shoes,
He wears old suits and shoes that have seen better days


Don't pay no union dues.
He does not pay any union dues


He smokes old stogies he has found
Smoking old and discarded cigars that he has come across


Short, but not too big around
The cigars are small, but not too thick


He's a man of means by no means
He may be earning money, but he is not well-off by any means


King of the road
He takes pride in being a drifter and roaming around free on his own terms


(He knows) every engineer on every train
The artist knows all the engineers on every train


All of their children and all of their names
He knows the names of all the engineers' children


And every hang-out in every town
He knows all the popular spots in every town he visits


Every lock that ain't locked
He notices every unlocked lock, even when no one is looking


When no one's around.
He only notices unlocked locks when no one is looking


I say, trailers for sale or rent,
The artist repeats the advertisement for trailers that are available for purchase or rent


Rooms to let - 50 cents,
A room is still available for rent at a cost of fifty cents


He's a man of means by no means
Despite earning some money, he is not well-off by any means


King of the road [Repeat: x4]
He takes pride in being a drifter and roaming around free on his own terms, repeating the chorus four times




Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: ROGER MILLER

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Comments from YouTube:

@dudenewt

The lady who let Gravette skate the rail deserves all of the money and happiness in the world

@flux_time

my fav part. Best wishes to her.

@jbean9021

All of it. None for anyone else?

@juankruger2598

Awesome, what a rad person! Followed by a douche soon after (at the stairs).

@dudenewt

@@jbean9021 I’m sure she’d be willing to share lol

@papineau4518

she's a karen's worst nightmare

1 More Replies...

@ericwild2175

Andy Roy yelling CHECK!!! after every completed trick makes me so unbelievably happy.

@DiamondRidgeMusic

“CHECKK!”

@r1chhforeverr292

We need KOTR back plzzz

@dontcallmegus

Beagle's Arnold impression from Predator was too good! haha

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