I didn't note in my comment above, but I've always heard the first lines as "Living on the road my friend/ WAS going to keep you free and clean." The lyrics on this page have that as "is," not "was," which would change the meaning signficantly.
I didn't note in my comment above, but I've always heard the first lines as "Living on the road my friend/ WAS going to keep you free and clean." The lyrics on this page have that as "is," not "was," which would change the meaning signficantly.