On the road
Primus & Tom Waits Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

I left New York in 1949
To go across the country without a bad blame dime
Montana in the cold cold fall
Found my father in the gambling hall

Father, Father where you been?
I've been out in the world and I'm only ten
Father, Father where you been?

I've been out in the world and I'm only ten

Don't worry about me if I should die of pleurisy

Across to Mississippi, across to Tennessee
Across the Niagara, home I'll never be
Home in ol' Medora, home in Ol' Truckee
Apalachicola, home I'll never be

Better or for worse, thick and thin
Like being married to the Little poor man
God he loves me (God he loves me)
Just like I love him (just like I love him)
I want you to do (I want you to do)
Just the same for him (just the same for him, yeah)

Well the worms eat away but don't worry watch the wind
So I left Montana on an old freight train (on an old freight train)
The night my father died in the cold cold rain (in the cold cold rain)

Road to Opelousas, road to Wounded Knee
Road to Ogallala home I'll never be
Road to Oklahoma, road to El Cahon
Road to Tahachapi, road to San Antone

Hey, hey

Road to Opelousas, road to Wounded Knee
Road to Ogallala, home I'll never be
Road to Oklahoma, road to El Cahon
Road to Tahachapi, road to San Antone

Home I'll never be, home I'll never be

Home I'll never be, home I'll never be
Home I'll never be, home I'll never be

Overall Meaning

The song "On The Road" is a collaboration between the American rock band Primus and the singer-songwriter Tom Waits and tells a story of a young boy's travels across the United States in the mid-20th century. The song opens with the boy leaving his home in New York in 1949 with the intention of traveling across the country without any money. He eventually finds himself in Montana during the cold fall months where he discovers his father working in a gambling hall.

The boy is surprised to see his father as he had not seen him in years and asks him where he has been all this time. The father tells his son that he has been out in the world "like he is" and that he is only ten years old. Despite his youth, the boy's father does not seem concerned about his wellbeing and tells him not to worry if he dies of pleurisy.

As the song progresses, the boy travels across the country, through states such as Mississippi, Tennessee, and Oklahoma, before arriving in places like Medora and Truckee. He reflects on his relationship with God and realizes that God loves him just as much as he loves God. The song ends with the boy continuing his travels, never able to find a true home.

Line by Line Meaning

I left New York in 1949
I departed from New York in the year 1949

To go across the country without a bad blame dime
To travel across the country without any money

Montana in the cold cold fall
I arrived in Montana during a chilly autumn

Found my father in the gambling hall
I discovered my father at a casino

Father, Father where you been?
Father, where have you been?

I've been out in the world and I'm only ten
I've been exploring the world even though I'm just a child

Don't worry about me if I should die of pleurisy
Don't worry about me if I die from lung inflammation

Across to Mississippi, across to Tennessee
Travelling to Mississippi, traveling to Tennessee

Across the Niagara, home I'll never be
Crossing the Niagara, I'll never return home

Home in ol' Medora, home in Ol' Truckee
Yearning for my homes in Medora and Truckee

Apalachicola, home I'll never be
I won't return to my home in Apalachicola

Better or for worse, thick and thin
Through good times or bad, no matter what

Like being married to the Little poor man
Like being married to a poor man

God he loves me (God he loves me)
God loves me

Just like I love him (just like I love him)
I love him just as much

I want you to do (I want you to do)
I want you to do the same

Just the same for him (just the same for him, yeah)
Do the same for him as well

Well the worms eat away but don't worry watch the wind
Even though the worms eat away at us, don't worry, just watch the wind

So I left Montana on an old freight train (on an old freight train)
I departed from Montana on an old cargo train

The night my father died in the cold cold rain (in the cold cold rain)
The night my father passed away in the chilly rain

Road to Opelousas, road to Wounded Knee
Traveling on the road to Opelousas, traveling on the road to Wounded Knee

Road to Ogallala home I'll never be
I won't return home even while travelling on the road to Ogallala

Road to Oklahoma, road to El Cahon
Travelling on the road to Oklahoma, traveling on the road to El Cajon

Road to Tahachapi, road to San Antone
Journeying towards Tahachapi and San Antonio

Home I'll never be, home I'll never be
I won't ever reach home

Lyrics © Wixen Music Publishing, BMG Rights Management, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: THOMAS ALAN WAITS, JACK L KEROUAC

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

TRACKS

Genre not found

Artist not found

Album not found

Search results not found

Song not found

Comments from YouTube:

@lawrencekniser8555

2y↑2

I met Tom on the set of cold feet in my hometown of Livingston Montana when I was 13.he was surprised that I knew who he was.

@ffsf739

13y↑19

Vocals by Tom, lyrics by Kerouac: nothing short of fantastic!

@DooRstoper

10w

I can see dogman tony and slim and josh and john now. Long gone . Thank you jack flash and david e. Jack I was happy to ride out of dunsmuir with you in 04 .

@EvanFowler

7y↑60

The album that this originally came from (not the three disk Waits comp) is actually really great, too. It's a whole album of Kerouac singing airy, far away sounding jazz songs with a long reading from On the Road in the middle. It's kind of magical to listen to in the car at night (especially when you're alone on a long drive). Pretty sure that it's just called "Jack Kerouac Reads On the Road". It begins with Keroac singing this song with just an acoustic guitar (I think) and ends with the badass Waits/Primus cover of it. I lost my copy a while back and am still bummed about it. Gotta track down another. Anyways, just wanted to throw that out there. If you dig Keroac, I'd definitely recommend hunting one down for yourself. It's really special.

@innocentmaps

7y↑6

Whoa! Sounds outstanding. I really appreciate the info and am definitely gonna track that down. Thanks man!

@jeffschick1669

5y↑2

Of all the CDs I've stupidly sold off, I miss that one the most. Love Jack's original tape, even with the overlay. Sue Evans! Ain't we got fun?

@benjaminchristianson2584

6y↑10

You know what, one thing I love about youtube is how much I learn about tom waits's songs from everyone. Listening to the albums I only know so much, but I find this song on youtube and find out this song was actually recorded with primus. Never knew that.

@OlymPigs2010

12y↑14

"Waits has a distinctive voice, described by critic Daniel Durchholz as sounding "like it was soaked in a vat of bourbon, left hanging in the smokehouse for a few months, and then taken outside and run over with a car!"

@fatfox6706

8y↑1

OlymPigs2010 that's pretty good! I heard he sounded like a crocodile in a cement mixxer!

@xtortugaviejox

12y↑6

I like the "sad" version of this song better but this one's still rad. It always gets stick in my head.

@BlueScarecrow

9y↑15

Tom Waits, Primus, and Jack Kerouac. Dig it.

@daveycooper4336

Simply put.... awesomeness!!!!

@briancampbell5673

10y↑33

Why wasn't I told this exists? The universe must hate me, making me wait three years,

@qngoddess

7y↑1

feeling the same way!!!

@coreycox2345

6y↑2

Same, except I more thank the universe that I am hearing it now, Brian Campbell.

@BrianSmith-vl7xu

6y↑3

That's because Tom Waits for no one.

@riffraffrichard

12y↑4

l its like a guy tell his story in a different mood, when he's feeling better. Theres a liberation in this version and mournfulness in the other one

@realToddLane

13y↑4

Thank you for showing me how to be full blooded cool, Sir Tom.

@barnaclebill5663

6y↑3

Pure genius.

@IOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIO

13y↑5

This song is the definition of bad-ass

@zedheisenberg2569

7y↑11

wow, now that I think of it one can sort of hear some Tom Waits like influences in the music of Les Claypool, surprised I didn't make the connection till I found this.

@axelgschaider3227

6y↑2

and if you read the liner notes carefully you will find that members of Primus appeared on various Tom Waits albums since Bone Machine ;)

@jimdugan56

6y↑6

FYI, Waits and Claypool are neighbors and old-school collaborators. See "Tommy the Cat," for example. In any case, they both live in western Sonoma County and while Claypool is definitely part of a very specific sound (see Victim's Family as another example) that came out of the North Bay Area in the late 80s and early 90s, Waits is still a unique genre unto himself. That said, if you know Sonoma County, a lot of what Waits says in his later work strikes home and is immediately identifiable.

@32motormouth

6y↑1

Zed Heisenberg I agree I thought about it then I found it

@sputnut

In his videos as well, like Tom's video for I don't wanna grow up and Primus video for My name is mud... Lone tree and there are others...

@blargmcblarghonk7702

12y↑2

Great song, Great man.

@liquiterge

5y↑2

I remember hearing part of this on Videoplasty before I ever heard a full Tom Waits song.

@DrZaius75

4y↑12

Huh. I never knew that Tom Waits was backed by Primus on this one.

@TheBeavadelic

4y↑4

Me neither till 2 minutes ago

@wannabesedated00

11y↑3

everyone needs a good travelin song

@jaymogamy

7y↑3

Tom Waits is fuckin' great! JfromOH

@keithnunes3741

6y↑1

Mind blown! Thanks for posting Alf

@claudiocalogero4752

10y

seeeee!!! un temaso!!!!!! un demente hermoso!!!

@212729h

6y↑1

Long Gone . !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

@rev.jimmywonko9615

4y↑2

This is the opening to Long Gone. Probably the best opening scene with the perfect song since Devil's Rejects. Check out the trailer.

@sambamachineryrecords6498

6y↑4

MENTAL NO DOUBT THE BEST of THE U.S.A.

@hugodunsany5576

This sounds like it should be incidental music for "Waiting for Godot"

@jamesshearon8124

11y↑1

I'm guessing some of you don't know that waits did not write nor made this song up. It was jack Kerouac a beat poet. Look him up!

@kcorstel

12y↑2

@EnriSuperTramp It was also on a Jack Kerouac comp that I had when I was in college. "Jack Kerouac Reads On the Road"

@russellsolomon6138

This song should be the NATIONAL ANTHEM of the UNITED STATES of AMERICA!

@RichardHBlumberg

9y↑8

Tom Waits, Primus: "Jack Kerouac on the Road"!

@hugodunsany5576

"Let our powers combine! COOL! HIP! And BEAT..."

@jsollien127

7y↑4

From Tom Waits to Les Claypool in seven steps:
1.Tom Waits-Hell broke Luce, 2.Theron Hale-Hell broke loose, and;
3.Fire on the mountain.
4.Charlie Daniels-Fire on the mountain, and;
5.The devil went down to Georgia.
6.Primus-The devil went down to Georgia
7.Les Claypool

@TheBachedPotato

11y↑3

I'm gonna go out on a limb and assume that anyone who looked this song up on youtube at least knows fucking Kerouac. But thanks for the history lesson, bub. Maybe next time you can tell everybody about how Dylan wrote All Along the Watchtower.

@fatfox6706

8y↑1

Kenneth Witzgall go easy on the brother! Maybe he wasn't there like some of us!

@EErriic1

5y↑3

Dylan wrote All Along the Watchtower??

@seriousbismuth2173

@@EErriic1 yes and OP was such a doucher apparently..😕

@alleycatmanski9628

6y↑1

LONG GONE

@pagliaccinodlemantra

11y↑1

I play the video 'cause the title reminded me ON THE ROAD from Kerouac. Nice to read your comment! :D

@tolbydamit

6y↑6

Waits looks like his songs sound.

@Caledonianpug

12y↑3

Lyrics by Jack Kerouac

@53philly

10y↑3

Right, the Kerouac lyrics.

@zenbuddah420

6y↑1

Yes

@waltinhopai

12y

Cabaré puro!

@Paaaaaaaaaaap

12y↑2

@abombinreverse Never forget that those lines are Kerouac's lines

@darylcumming7119

4y↑1

👌👌👌👌

@firasmajdi5165

5y↑2

2019

@thSubliminalCriminal

13y↑3

interesting side note. Live about thirt miles from Wounded Knee and maybe sixty to eighty from Oglala. On the Pine RIdge Indian Reservation. Motherfucker is too cool

@compactdisk2

11y

Nope, you're right, I looked it up, he did write this.

@53philly

10y↑1

Home I`ll never be. Btw, what lyrics are those supplied in the description?

@969bamf

13y↑1

you love him or you hate...there´s no inbetween

@tysonrayne494

11y↑1

The last true vagabond poet...................

@969bamf

13y

@thSubliminalCriminal SOOOO TRUE

@markosjohns6078

you can really hear tommy the cat here and there

@MonsieurGilbert92

11y↑5

It's Jack Kerouac's song

@KhaliWear

12y

Love Tom Waits. Ive got Clothing and Jazz on my channel ;) Sweat to Swag!

@russellsolomon6138

Which Album is this really from? The version on Orphans, Brawlers, & Bastards is different...

@anonymous-yk9sz

4y↑1

where is primus tho?? lmao

@juditkamondi367

11y

a 66-oson - azaz a hatvanhatoson

@thSubliminalCriminal

13y↑2

Coolest motherfucker ALIVE!!!

@compactdisk2

11y

Are you sure Kerouac wrote this? On The Road was his book, obviously, but this doesn't sound like anything in his book.

@brianmark3088

5y↑2

The original version is a poem in the book "On the Road" in Part 4, section 2. Kerouac later sang a longer version in acapella and recorded it. Later music was added to his version. You can find it on YouTube. Kerouac's version is at the end of the movie version of On the Road.