Working On The Highway

Album: Born In The U.S.A. (1984)
Play Video
  • Friday night and a guy's fresh out of work
    Talking 'bout the weekend, scrubbing off the dirt
    Some heading home to their families, some looking to get hurt
    Some going down to Stovell wearing trouble on their shirts

    I work for the county out on 95
    All day I hold a red flag and watch the traffic pass me by
    In my head I keep a picture of a pretty little miss
    Someday, mister, I'm gonna lead a better life than this

    Working on the highway, laying down the blacktop
    Working on the highway, all day long I don't stop
    Working on the highway, blasting through the bedrock
    Working on the highway, working on the highway

    (Woo)

    I met her at a dance down at the union hall
    She was standing with her brothers, back up against the wall
    Sometimes we'd go walking down the Union tracks
    One day I looked straight at her and she looked straight back
    So I'm

    Working on the highway, laying down the blacktop
    Working on the highway, all day long I don't stop
    Working on the highway, blasting through the bedrock
    Working on the highway, working on the highway

    Woo

    Saved up my money and I put it all away
    I went to see her daddy but we didn't have much to say
    "Son, can't you see that she's just a little girl
    She don't know nothing about this cruel, cruel world"

    We lit out down to Florida, we got along alright
    One day her brothers came and got her and they took me in a black-and-white
    The prosecutor kept the promise that he made on that day
    And the judge got mad and he put me straight away
    I wake up every morning to the work bell clang
    Me and the warden go swinging on the Charlotte County road gang
    I'm

    Working on the highway, laying down the blacktop
    Working on the highway, all day long I don't stop
    Working on the highway, blasting through the bedrock
    Working on the highway, working on the highway

    Working on the highway, laying down the blacktop
    Working on the highway, all day long I don't stop
    Working on the highway, blasting through the bedrock
    Working on the highway, working on the highway

    Ooh ooh ooh
    Ooh ooh ooh
    Ooh ooh ooh
    Alright, come on Writer/s: Bruce Springsteen
    Publisher: Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
    Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind

Comments: 2

  • Bruce from Johnstown, PaAmy, I get the same feeling.
  • Amy from Pittsburgh, PaI always thought this song was about a couple who runs away together and the girl's family disaproves and the police take their side about it even though the guy didn't do anything technically illegal. But you could also interpret it that the narrator out-and-out kidnaps the girl.
see more comments

Editor's Picks

Jeff Trott

Jeff TrottSongwriter Interviews

Sheryl Crow's longtime songwriting partner/guitarist Jeff Trott reveals the stories behind many of the singer's hits, and what its like to be a producer for Leighton Meester and Max Gomez.

JJ Burnel of The Stranglers

JJ Burnel of The StranglersSongwriter Interviews

JJ talks about The Stranglers' signature sound - keyboard and bass - which isn't your typical strain of punk rock.

Jason Newsted (ex-Metallica)

Jason Newsted (ex-Metallica)Songwriter Interviews

The former Metallica bassist talks about his first time writing a song with James Hetfield, and how a hand-me-down iPad has changed his songwriting.

Michael Franti

Michael FrantiSongwriter Interviews

Franti tells the story behind his hit "Say Hey (I Love You)" and explains why yoga is an integral part of his lifestyle and his Soulshine tour.

Dean Pitchford

Dean PitchfordSongwriter Interviews

Dean wrote the screenplay and lyrics to all the songs in Footloose. His other hits include "Fame" and "All The Man That I Need."

Randy Newman

Randy NewmanSongwriting Legends

Newman makes it look easy these days, but in this 1974 interview, he reveals the paranoia and pressures that made him yearn for his old 9-5 job.