What is “Diesel and Dust” about?
"Diesel and Dust" is a long-haul trucker's declaration of independence. Rolling down I-40 through the Arkansas dark while a Memphis radio preacher warns that the end is near, the narrator explains why he passed on his father's thirty-two years on a factory line for a beat-up Peterbilt and the open road. He owns the cost, missed birthdays and a wedding or two, but somewhere past Amarillo the highway still feels like home. It sits fifth on The Last Porch Light as the album's road song.
Diesel and Dust lyrics
Eighteen wheels and a half tank left
Running I-40 through the Arkansas dark
Radio pulling in a preacher from Memphis
Swearing the end is coming fast
Well, Reverend, I been driving since Tuesday
And the end looks like a Waffle House sign
So save your hellfire for the morning commuters
I got diesel in my blood and dust on my mind
They can keep their corner offices
Their two-week vacations and their 401k's
I'll take the white line and the window down
And the whole damn country stretched out for days
Diesel and dust, that's all I need
A rig that runs and a road that leads
To somewhere I ain't been before
Where the speed limit's a suggestion
And the sunset's worth the drive
Give me diesel and dust, I'll take it from here
I've been alive since I put it in gear
My old man worked a factory line
Thirty-two years for a gold-plated watch
Mama said boy you'll end up just like him
I said yes ma'am, but no ma'am I will not
First paycheck bought a beat-up Peterbilt
Second one fixed the engine twice
Third one I was crossing the Continental Divide
With a load of timber and a brand new life
They can keep their fluorescent ceilings
Their Monday meetings and their parking spot
I'll take the mountains and the desert floor
And the freedom to decide when I stop
Diesel and dust, that's all I need
A rig that runs and a road that leads
To somewhere I ain't been before
Where the speed limit's a suggestion
And the sunset's worth the drive
Give me diesel and dust, I'll take it from here
I've been alive since I put it in gear
Yeah I missed some birthdays and a wedding or two
And I won't pretend the nights ain't long
But somewhere past Amarillo when the stars break open
This highway feels like the only place I belong
Diesel and dust, that's all I need
A rig that runs and a road that leads
To somewhere I ain't been before
Where the speed limit's a suggestion
And the sunset's worth the drive
Give me diesel and dust, I'll take it from here
I've been alive since I put it in gear
Lord, I've been alive since I put it in gear
Dust on my mind