Jerry was a long haul trucker

Driving all day and sleeping in his cab at night

He enjoyed the solitude and being a king of the road

Listening to music or books on tape kept him entertained

He owned his own tractor unit

Getting paid to haul loaded trailers

He was his own boss

No corporate rules to follow

He rarely gave people rides

When he did it was with caution

One never knows how crazy people are

Especially those characters who roam the open roads

It was a rainy Tuesday morning as he pulled into a fuel stop

After paying he ran back to his rig 

A woman was standing in front of his truck

She was drenched and asked for a ride

She was young and he took pity on her

As they pulled out she started to talk

Her name was Mary

Her parents died when she was young

She had lived in orphanages and foster homes

Now roaming and looking for casual work

She had no family or ties to any place

Jerry noticed she was very confident

She had no ambitions to settle down

Preferring to travel coast to coast

With just a small bag of possessions

Letting fate decide her destinations

Are you ever afraid of being picked up by a crazy he asked

Oh not at all said Mary

One time a driver tried to hurt me

I killed him with my knife and set fire to his rig