Headed down south to the land of the pines
I'm thumbin' my way into North Carolin'
Starin' up the road
Pray to God I see headlights
I made it down the coast in seventeen hours
Pickin' me a bouquet of dogwood flowers
And I'm a hopin' for Raleigh
I can see my baby tonight
So rock me Mama like a wagon wheel
Rock me Mama any way you feel
Hey -- Mama rock me
Rock me Mama like the wind and the rain
Rock me Mama like a south-bound train
Hey -- Mama rock me
Runnin' from the cold up in New England
I was born to be a fiddler in an old-time string band
My baby plays the guitar
I pick a banjo now
Oh, the North country winters keep a gettin' me
An' I lost my money playin' poker so I had to up and leave
But I ain't a turnin' back
To livin' that old life no more
So rock me Mama like a wagon wheel
Rock me Mama any way you feel
Hey -- Mama rock me
Rock me Mama like the wind and the rain
Rock me Mama like a south-bound train
Hey -- Mama rock me
Walkin' to the south, out of Roanoke
I caught a trucker out of Philly, had a nice long toke
But he's a headed west
From the Cumberland Gap to Johnson City, Tennessee
And I gotta get a move on before the sun
I hear my baby callin' my name, and I know that she's the only one
And if I die in Raleigh,
At least I will die free
So rock me Mama like a wagon wheel
Rock me Mama any way you feel
Hey -- Mama rock me
Rock me Mama like the wind and the rain
Rock me Mama like a south-bound train
Hey -- Mama rock me