Heading down south to the land of the pines I'm thumbing my way into North Caroline Staring up the road and pray to God I see headlights I made it down the coast in seventeen hours Picking 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 southbound train Hey mama rock me Running from the cold up in New England I was born to be a fiddler in an old time string band My baby plays a guitar, I pick a banjo now Oh, north country winters keep a getting me Now I lost my money playing poker so I had to up and leave But I ain't turning back to living 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 southbound 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 heading west from the Cumberland Gap To Johnson City, Tennessee And I gotta get a move on before the sun I hear my baby calling my name and I know that she's the only one And if I died 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 southbound train Hey mama rock me