Roll on Big Mama
Moe Bandy & Joe Stampley Lyrics

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Roll on, (roll on) big mama,
I like the way you sing,
Roll on (roll on) big mama,
The night time lets her breathe,
Well, the feel of the wheel delivers me
From a life where I don't wanna be and the diesel smoke
With every stroke sings a song with a heavy note

And rambling is the life I chose,
Sitting here between the doors,
And the yellow line a keeping time,
The things that's a running through my mind,
Through my mind

Roll on (roll on) big mama,
I like the way you roll
Roll on (roll on) big mama,
You are my very soul

On through the snow and the driving rain,
To the forty-below in Bangor Maine,
To the hundred-and-ten in the Texas sun,
There ain't no road that we ain't run,
Up through the Colarado mountain tops,
Down to the desert where Reno stops,
North to the green of Coeur D' Alene
There ain't no road that we ain't seen
We ain't seen

Roll on (roll on) big mama,
You're singing out my song,
Roll on (roll on) big mama,
The highway is our home,
Roll on(roll on) big mama,

Hey anybody got a copy on this silver roadhog?

What's the smokey situation down the way, boys?
My they're fine, I'm a coming I'm a coming

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Moe Bandy & Joe Stampley's song "Roll on Big Mama" paints the picture of a truck driver's life on the road. The singer, who is a truck driver, enjoys the comfort that big mama, his truck, brings him. He loves the sound of her engine as it delivers him from a life that he doesn't want to live. The diesel smoke is like a song with heavy notes, which heightens his appreciation for his truck. Rambling is the life he has chosen, as he sits between the doors, with the yellow line keeping time, and his mind is consumed with thoughts.

The singer has been on the road and traveled on all sorts of roads, from the snow and the driving rain to 40 below in Bangor Maine, 100 and 10 in the Texas sun, from the Colorado mountain tops to the desert where Reno stops, and North to the green of Coeur D' Alene, and there isn't a road they haven't seen. He regards his truck as his soul, and he feels like she sings out his song. The highway is their home, and the truck driver is happy to be on the road.

Line by Line Meaning

Roll on, (roll on) big mama,
Continue driving, big rig, I enjoy your sound

I like the way you sing,
Your engine's growl is music to my ears

Roll on (roll on) big mama,
Keep rolling, dear trucker

The night time lets her breathe,
Driving during the night helps your vehicle perform better

Well, the feel of the wheel delivers me
Steering the truck takes my mind off my unhappy life

From a life where I don't wanna be and the diesel smoke
Driving this rig distracts me from an undesirable life, and the smoke from the truck's diesel engine adds to the mood

With every stroke sings a song with a heavy note
The diesel engine's sound is melancholy

And rambling is the life I chose,
I deliberately chose a life of traveling

Sitting here between the doors,
I'm sitting in the middle of the truck's two doors

And the yellow line a keeping time,
The yellow lane divider is helping me keep time

The things that's a running through my mind,
I'm thinking about things as I drive

Through my mind
In my head

Roll on (roll on) big mama,
Keep driving, trucker

I like the way you roll
I enjoy the way your wheels turn

You are my very soul
You are an essential part of my being

On through the snow and the driving rain,
We travel in harsh weather conditions

To the forty-below in Bangor Maine,
We venture to Maine where it's 40 degrees below zero

To the hundred-and-ten in the Texas sun,
We go to Texas where the temperature reaches 110 degrees