This song was first released on the spirit album. it is the only album it has been released on.
If your drivin¡¯ down the road and you come across an old man
holdin¡¯ out his thumb in the wind
his clothes are old and dirty and dirty that doesn¡¯t matter
it¡¯s his eyes that tell where he¡¯s been
if you¡¯re not afraid to take your chances on a stranger
he might have some company to lend
why don¡¯t you pull off to the side and let that old man have a ride
he can tell you all the crazy things he¡¯s seen
I¡¯m an old hitchhiker
the highway is the only home i know
where you¡¯re headed i don¡¯t mind
i ain¡¯t been there in some time
and it¡¯s just exactly where i want to go
I can tell you how i started in the circus as a barker
drawin¡¯ people in from far and wide
they never did regret the dollar that it cost ¡®em
we always left ¡®em feelin¡¯ good inside
we were headed for montana when we hired us a dancer
her beauty it was more than i can say
then one summer night she set my soul on fire
lord, i wish that she was here with me today
I¡¯m an old hitchhiker, i wonder what¡¯s a waitin¡¯ ¡®round the bend
i don¡¯t know what i might see and i don¡¯t need no guarantee
just a ride from here to there and back again
I was only seventeen when i took the open highway
took it for my teacher and a friend
i¡¯ve been thirty years a-thumbin¡¯
some might call it bummin¡¯
but it¡¯s better than just cryin¡¯ in the wind
so if you¡¯re drivin¡¯ down the road and you come across an old man holdin¡¯ out his thumb in the rain
why don¡¯t you pull off to the side let the poor boy have a ride
he can tell you all the crazy things he¡¯s seen
I¡¯m an old hitchhiker lookin¡¯ to the far side of the hill
some people say i¡¯ll settle down
build a home in some small town
but within my heart i know i never will
I¡¯m an old hitchhiker
Words by steve weisberg and john denver, music by steve weisberg