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