Chattanoga City Limit Sign

( spoken )
G
i was thumbin’ a ride one saturday mornin’
C
out of nashville totin’ my sack
D7
i lent my car to a gal that lived in chattanooga
G
and she hadn’t ever brought it back .

she was drinkin’ pretty heavy , when i let her have it

hope she knows it was only a loan

ain’t no tellin’ what i might have told her back at the time ,

but that old car was also my home .

about five miles out i was gettin’ kinda tired

sweatin’ hard and feelin’ kinda weak

i woke up with no cigarettes or nothin’ to drink

and i hadn’t had a bite to eat .

my nerves was so quick i couldn’t tell where i was shakin’

then a set of brakes sang my song

some fellow stuck his head out A ’51 chevy

and hollered “hey man , come on . ”

i tole ’em i was headin’ down to chattanooga

they said hop in , we’re goin’ there too

and the way they took off in a cloud of smoke

i still ain’t believin’ it was true .

they had their windows down , and i was sittin’ in the back

with my tongue still hung in my throat

he was hittin’ just about a hundred and ten

and he said , “man , what you think of this boat?”

well , there was two semi’s A – strugglin’ up ahead

one tryin’ to pass the other

they had the whole road blocked so he passed ’em on the right

and let me tell you somethin’ brother .

i was so nervous my that teeth was clickin’

there wasn’t no way my head could think

then the one that was sittin’ on the passenger side

turned and said , “hey man , you want somethin’ to drink?”

i just shook my head ’cause i couldn’t talk

he said ok and then he said cheers

them fools was drinkin’ whiskey and wine

and chasin’ it down with beer .

well , i started sweatin’ that old sticky sweat

and i know i was white as a sheet

then one turned the radio on wide open

and said , “hey man , check that beat . ”

by the time we reached the top of monteagle

i thought i heard a rumblin’ sound

and then i saw a sign that said ’fallin’ rock’

and right there i was floorboard bound .

i was rollin’ and squirmin’ on the old floorboard

too weak to sit or stand

and then the driver said “we’re doin’ a hundred and twenty

look here man , no hands!”

i got up enough nerve to raise up and look

by now there couldn’t be no surprise ,

but his hair was blowin’ all over my face

and dandruff blowed in both eyes .

he never did drive on the right or left

he just kept on ridin’ that line

i rubbed my eyes and saw the prettiest thing

the chattanooga city limit sign .

he slowed down and i said , “mister please!

i’d like to get off right here”

he said , “aw , ride on into town with us

we’e gonna go down n’ pick up some more beer . ”

i said please once more and he stopped the car

and then he handed me my sack

said they’d look for me on the road later on

( in ) case i wanted to catch a ride back .

i got out and sat down by the side of the road

feelin’ sick and lookin’ mighty pale

i don’t remember anything much after that

but next mornin’ , i woke up in jail .

i didn’t know anybody in my cell ,

and didn’t wanta ask why i was there

but they all kept grinnin’ and turnin’ their heads

and it was more than my head could bear .
G
so i called the jailer and asked him to tell me
C
why i was there , if he’d be so kind
D
he said , {s} {p}

“for stoppin’ traffic , while i was huggin’ and kissin’
G
the chattanooga city limit sign . ”