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King Of The Road Lyrics
Trailers for sale or rent
Rooms to let...fifty cents.
No phone, no pool, no pets
I ain't got no cigarettes
Ah, but..two hours of pushin' broom
Buys an eight by twelve four-bit room
I'm a man of means by no means
King of the road.
Third boxcar, midnight train
Destination...Bangor, Maine.
Old worn out clothes and shoes,
I don't pay no union dues,
I smoke old stogies I have found
Short, but not too big around
I'm a man of means by no means
King of the road.
I know every engineer on every train
All of their children, and all of their names
And every handout in every town
And every lock that ain't locked
When no one's around.
I sing,
Trailers for sale or rent
Rooms to let, fifty cents
No phone, no pool, no pets
I ain't got no cigarettes
Ah, but, two hours of pushin' broom
Buys an eight by twelve four-bit room
I'm a man of means by no means
King of the road.
Rooms to let...fifty cents.
No phone, no pool, no pets
I ain't got no cigarettes
Ah, but..two hours of pushin' broom
Buys an eight by twelve four-bit room
I'm a man of means by no means
King of the road.
Destination...Bangor, Maine.
Old worn out clothes and shoes,
I don't pay no union dues,
I smoke old stogies I have found
Short, but not too big around
I'm a man of means by no means
King of the road.
All of their children, and all of their names
And every handout in every town
And every lock that ain't locked
When no one's around.
Trailers for sale or rent
Rooms to let, fifty cents
No phone, no pool, no pets
I ain't got no cigarettes
Ah, but, two hours of pushin' broom
Buys an eight by twelve four-bit room
I'm a man of means by no means
King of the road.
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The narrator hasn't got a penny to his name and lives from one day to the next with no possessions or a place to call his own, hopping on and off trains and travelling the country. But he loves his lifestyle, there is no bitterness and he isn't looking for sympathy, just maybe a cigarette or a bite to eat and somewhere to crash for the night, but if he doesn't get it, no bother, he can take care of himself, he knows how to beg, borrow and steal.
No person can survive without the help & assistance of others in myriads of ways both large and small, and whether consciously realized, admitted and accepted or not. Failure to recognized this most obvious facet of 'life' is perhaps what erroneously leads to some 'romanticized' notions of 'independence' or 'freedom', neither of which reflects reality. The subject of Miller's lyrics isn't able to 'take care of himself'; he must resort to begging, borrowing, and stealing. On the contrary, he's a 'man' who is stuck in a version of 'life' that is satisfactory for him, but what does that...
No person can survive without the help & assistance of others in myriads of ways both large and small, and whether consciously realized, admitted and accepted or not. Failure to recognized this most obvious facet of 'life' is perhaps what erroneously leads to some 'romanticized' notions of 'independence' or 'freedom', neither of which reflects reality. The subject of Miller's lyrics isn't able to 'take care of himself'; he must resort to begging, borrowing, and stealing. On the contrary, he's a 'man' who is stuck in a version of 'life' that is satisfactory for him, but what does that mean? An illiterate individual living in the 3rd century may consider their particular life both satisfactory and enjoyable but would likely welcome the benefits of current, more effective and less dangerous pain medications that wouldn't be developed for hundreds of years into the future. The question is always there -- and some people may refuse the ability to read, write, cure disease, etc. even after having been given the choice(s), but we wouldn't necessarily label that person as 'taking care of themself'.
You always get the feeling that Roger lived the songs he wrote.
OK this guy wrote over 700 songs. on one posted here? This is a great song. a guy song.
I second that. except for the guy part, I'm snappin my fingers and puttin it on repeat, but I ain't no guy. :P This song hasn't lost a bit with age. Good road song, too, but I like it for when I just wish I WAS on the road with nothing better to do.
Many people more or less fantasize about 'being on the road', but if you must beg, borrow and steal, ride in brutal cold or insufferable heat, work as virtual slaves for less than minimum wage, stay dirty and filthy most of the time, the reality of it all will very quickly disturb that 'desire'. Thinking through decisions and choices before you commit to them usually, although not always, leads to more favorable outcomes for all concerned. Miller's character in this song lives a lifestyle that very, very few, including Miller himself, would want to pursue over a lengthy...
Many people more or less fantasize about 'being on the road', but if you must beg, borrow and steal, ride in brutal cold or insufferable heat, work as virtual slaves for less than minimum wage, stay dirty and filthy most of the time, the reality of it all will very quickly disturb that 'desire'. Thinking through decisions and choices before you commit to them usually, although not always, leads to more favorable outcomes for all concerned. Miller's character in this song lives a lifestyle that very, very few, including Miller himself, would want to pursue over a lengthy period of time. There is absolutely no shame in being 'poor', but it takes the rare and exceptional individual who can live the life of Miller's fictional character virtually alone and forgotten for an extended length of time. The song is 'lyrical', but it's not written from the perspective of a person who has had that most meager life experience for any prolonged period of time.
The king is a hobo begging handouts and smoking castoff cigars (stogies) to quiet his cigarette craving. He's a thief sneaking into unlocked buildings or sleeping in a flophouse room when he can manage to work for two hours sweeping, earning 50 cents to pay for the filthy room. At least the mattress may not be infested with fleas since no pets are allowed. But watch out for the crabs and bedbugs. Ah the romance and adventure of the open road.
Actually a bit creepy. He wanders through many towns (all of them) and becomes familiar with every child (enough to know all of their names). It takes a very special effort and focus to know every child in every town that he is just passing through. Maybe things were different back then, but today if a stranger was seen working at getting familiar with all the children, there would be alarm bells going off. Also, I assumed that the locks were to homes (most businesses are very careful about locking up to protect their assets). Again,it takes a special effort to know every home where the folks are trusting enough to always leave the house unlocked every when not there. And it is assumed that he must go in those houses and explore.
The lyrics don't say he knows the names of children in the towns, only the names of the engineers' children. Part of the engineer's job is to throw the hobos off the train, or at least the hobos causing problems. But this hobo isn't causing problems, so the engineers don't throw him off. Instead, they actually like him, have friendly conversations and share details about their lives.
The lyrics don't say he knows the names of children in the towns, only the names of the engineers' children. Part of the engineer's job is to throw the hobos off the train, or at least the hobos causing problems. But this hobo isn't causing problems, so the engineers don't throw him off. Instead, they actually like him, have friendly conversations and share details about their lives.
About those locks: Those are probably abandoned houses or sheds. He is careful that no one is around so he doesn't cause trouble-- If he were causing trouble, those locks wouldn't remain unlocked....
About those locks: Those are probably abandoned houses or sheds. He is careful that no one is around so he doesn't cause trouble-- If he were causing trouble, those locks wouldn't remain unlocked. If he were damaging the places, those locks would be locked next time. I doubt he is trying the doors on occupied houses or businesses because that would cause trouble.
I think you\'ve misheard the lyric:\r\n\r\nI know every e gineer on every train/all of their children, all of their names...\r\n\r\nSo he knows the engineers well enough to speak to, and they tolerate him, unlike \'Shack\' (Ebnest Borgnine) in "The Emperor of the North"...
I think you\'ve misheard the lyric:\r\n\r\nI know every e gineer on every train/all of their children, all of their names...\r\n\r\nSo he knows the engineers well enough to speak to, and they tolerate him, unlike \'Shack\' (Ebnest Borgnine) in "The Emperor of the North"...
I Still and will always enjoy this song! A person Not explaining hardship or worries. It's actually to deep for this"newer age" of people to just Relax. He Did work for his room, pushing the broom. It's Not that deep folks. Good music. Fun to sing
rip mr. miller, we all miss you!
My question is where the comma should be... is he saying a man of means by no means.... or is he saying a man of means (being his skill to get along).. by no means King of the Road... in that he is not living the fancy lifestyle of a King on the road... I guess the way it is written above on this website makes the most sense..
I think the comma is correct above. "King of the Road" is a title he's given himself that's somewhere between self-deprication and a glorification of his humble existence. He isn't a man of means, but he has the one thing that's important to himself--freedom--so that makes him a King in his own mind.
I think the comma is correct above. "King of the Road" is a title he's given himself that's somewhere between self-deprication and a glorification of his humble existence. He isn't a man of means, but he has the one thing that's important to himself--freedom--so that makes him a King in his own mind.
Similarly, my grandfather would proudly state he worked as a Pearl Diver when he was younger. "Pearl Diver" meant he was a dishwasher. Diving into those pearly suds every day had to have been a crappy job, but he did it with pride.
Similarly, my grandfather would proudly state he worked as a Pearl Diver when he was younger. "Pearl Diver" meant he was a dishwasher. Diving into those pearly suds every day had to have been a crappy job, but he did it with pride.