[1] He was standin' by the highway with a sign that just said mother
When he heard a driver comin' 'bout a [2maj] half a mile [5] away
So he [1] held the sign up higher so no decent soul could miss it
It was ten degrees or colder down by [5] Boulder Dam that [1] day

He was raised up in Milwaukee though he never was that famous
He was just a road musician to the taverns he would go
Singin' songs about the ramblin' the loving girls and gamblin'
How the world fell on his shoulder back in Boulder I don't know

It was out in Arizona that he heard the lady listenin'
To each word that he was sayin' to each line that he would write
So he sat down by her table and they talked about the weather
Ninety-eight point six and risin' down by Boulder Dam that night

[1] And she told him [4] she would take him
[5] For a ride [^b7] in the mornin' [1] sun
Back in Boulder [4] he had told her
[5] I don't know when [^b7] I had a better [1] friend

[1] Now he's traded off his Martin but his troubles are not over
His feet are almost frozen and the [2maj] sun is sinkin' [5] low
Won't you [1] listen to me brother if you ever loved your mother
Please pull off on the shoulder if you're [2maj] goin' Milwaukee [5] way

It's ten [1] degrees and getting colder down by [5] Boulder Dam [1] today