i left my home in norfolk virginia california on my mind straddled that greyhound it rode me past raleigh and on across caroline stopped in charlotte and bypassed rock hill and we never was a minute late we was ninety miles out of atlanta by sundown rolling across the georgia state had motor trouble it turned into a struggle half way across alabama the hound broke down left us all stranded in downtown birmingham straight off bought me a through train ticket right across mississippi clean and i was on that midnight flyer out of birmingham smoking into new orleans somebody help me get out of louisiana just help me get to houston town people are there who care a little about me and they won t let the poor boy down sure as she bore me she bought me a silk suit put luggage in my hands and i woke up high over albuquerque on a jet to the promised land working on a t bone steak a la carte flying over to the golden state when the pilot told us in thirteen minutes we d be heading in the terminal gate swing low sweet chariot come down easy taxi to the terminal zone cut your engines cool your wings and let me make it to the telephone los angeles give me norfolk virginia tidewater four ten oh nine tell the folks back home this is the promised land calling and the poor boy s on the line