THERE USED TO BE A MAIN STREET CROSS THE COUNTRY 
AND THAT GOOD OL' ROAD WOULD TAKE YOU ALL THE WAY 
FROM CLARK AND OGDEN STREET UP IN CHICAGO

I WAS PRAISED UP SOMEWHERE IN THE MIDDLE
ME AND MY DADDY WATCH 'EM ROLL THROUGH TOWN
I SAW LICENSE PLATES FROM STATES I'D ONLY DREAMED OF
THEY JUST WAVE GOODBYE AND PUT THAT HAMMER DOWN

CHORUS: 
WELL THE RESTLESS AND THE DESPERATE
THE YOUNG ONES AND THE OLD
ALL TOGETHER LIKE A RIVER FLOWED
LORD I HOPE THEY GOT WHERE THEY WERE GOING 
ALL THE CHILDREN THE MOTHER ROAD

THE DUST BOWL OKIED STOPPEN IN ARIZONA
TO TRADE THEIR FAMILY THINGS ON GASOLINE
JUST TO FIND THEMSELVES OUTNUMBERED BY THE THOUSANDS
WHO'D ALREADY TRAVELED DOWN THAT ROAD OF DREAMS

WHEN THE WAR WAS OVER ALL THE BABY BOOMS
LOADED UP THERE CARS AND THEY GRABBED THEIR KIDS
JUST TO COUNT THE MILES AND CUSS THOSE BIG FREIGHT 
LINERS 
ACROSS TWENTY TWO HUNDRED MILES OF ROUTE 66

WELL THE RESTLESS AND THE DESPERATE
THE YOUNG ONES AND THE OLD
ALL TOGETHER LIKE A RIVER FLOWED
LORD I HOPE THEY GOT WHERE THEY WERE GOING 
ALL THE CHILDREN THE MOTHER ROAD

NOW THE HOT TOP IS JUST RANCH ROADS AND RUNWAYS
AND A WAY OF LIFE FOR SOME FOLKS IS ALL BUT GONE
YOU CAN ALMOST SEE THE GHOST TOWNS FROM THE FAST LANE
OF THIS SUPER HIGHWAY WE'RE ROLLING ON


WELL THE RESTLESS AND THE DESPERATE
THE YOUNG ONES AND THE OLD
ALL TOGETHER LIKE A RIVER FLOWED
LORD I HOPE THEY GOT WHERE THEY WERE GOING 
ALL THE CHILDREN THE MOTHER ROAD