I have always loved trucks. My earliest baby pictures show me with trucks in hand and I went on to drive them for a bit before going to university. To this day my heart skips a little when I see a classic Peterbilt tractor on the go. A childhood friend once built a scale model of that brand’s design that lent its name to this song. As one of my band mates says, every artist needs a song with California in the title, so this is mine. Our hobby band sang an uptempo version, but I feel this one is a better homage to the drivers who make sure I'm getting my vegetables.
Lyrics
He walks across the dusty yard, manifest in hand / Climbs aboard his Peterbilt pride and joy / He fires up the horses and charges up the lines / And hammers down bound for Illinois / Since ’89 he’s owned a rig and he's rolled across the land / All the truckstop coffee beans know his smile / Straight pipes serenading, clean shot straight ahead / And boardroom views that change with every mile / California Hauler, destination someplace USA / California Hauler, take your heavy load and haul away / He’s got a boy in college now, he’s a senior on the team / Keeps a coloured photograph on the dash / He’s been a good provider but always M.I.A. / A trucker pays his tolls with more than cash / California Hauler etc / A grocer in a Champaign store stocks the produce aisle, making sure there’s plenty for everyone / While a truck heads down the big road towards the setting sun / Lighter now, but still three days from done / California Hauler etc. Take your lonely road and haul away