HIGHWAY PATROLMAN^©

Live 20 Aug 1984 version

My name is Joe Roberts, I work for the state
I'm a sergeant out of Perrineville, barracks number 8
I always done an honest job, as honest as I could
I got a brother named Franky, Franky ain't no good

Well ever since we was young kids, it's been the same come down
I get a call on the shortwave, Franky's in trouble downtown
If it was any other man, I'd put him straight away
But when it's your brother sometimes you look the other way

Yeah me and Franky laughin' and drinkin', nothin' feels better than blood on blood
Takin' turns dancin' with Maria as the band played "Night of the Johnstown Flood"
I catch him when he's strayin' like any brother would
Man turns his back on his family, well he just ain't no good

Well Franky went in the army back in 1965
I got a farm deferment, settled down, took Maria for my bride
Them wheat prices kept droppin' till it was like we were gettin' robbed
Franky came home in '68 and me I took this job

Yeah me and Franky laughin' and drinkin', nothin' feels better than blood on blood
Takin' turns dancin' with Maria as the band played "Night of Johnstown Flood"
I catch him when he's strayin', teach him how to walk that line
Man turns his back on his family, he ain't no friend of mine

Well now the night was like any other, I got a call 'bout quarter to nine
Well there was trouble in a roadhouse out on the Michigan line
There was a kid lyin' on the floor lookin' bad, he was bleedin' hard from his head
There was a girl cryin' at a table and it was Frank, they said

Well I ran out and I jumped in my car and then I hit the lights
Well I musta done a hundred and ten through Michigan county that night
It was out at the crossroads, way down 'round Willow bank
Seen a Buick with Ohio plates, behind the wheel was Frank

Well I chased him through those county roads
Till a sign said "Canadian border five miles from here"
Pulled over the side of the highway and watched his taillights disappear

Yeah me and Franky laughin' and drinkin', nothin' feels better than blood on blood
Takin' turns dancin' with Maria as the band played "Night of the Johnstown Flood"
Well I catch him when he's strayin' like any brother would
Man turns his back on his family, well he just ain't no good

Page last updated: 03 Sep 2007

The above lyrics refer to live 20 Aug 1984 performance at Brendan Byrne Arena, East Rutherford, NJ, during the Born In The USA Tour. Check out also the other available versions of this song (all have very similar lyrics):

• Album's version
• Live 20 Aug 1984 version
• Live 19 Oct 1984 version
• Live 07 Jan 1985 version
• Live 25 Apr 1996 version
• Live 23 Jun 2005 version
• Live 18 Nov 2006 version

Spoken intro to HIGHWAY PATROLMAN [Live 20 Aug 1984 version]:

Thank you. This is uh, this is a song about uh, I guess family, and uh, and duty, and how sometimes it's hard to know what the right thing to do is with the ones that you love.