I bought my brother's old Toyota
It still had an O.K. motor
Though it had seen its hundred and fifty thousandth mile
Paid him cash, looked at the rust
Left New York City behind in its dust
To sail around the country for a while
Didn't need no reason
To take a season
'Cept someone back in New York was skating on my heart
Rode the waves near Atlantic City
A.C, it looked so pretty
Floated down to D.C.- I was off to a fine start
Oh, ya gotta go easy, oh, ya gotta go slow
I heard a voice inside me echo
Oh, ya gotta go easy, oh, ya gotta go slow
AC or DC you gotta ride the current's flow
In the Great Dismal part of the nation
I stopped on the lawn of an old plantation
Saw the wedding there of a couple of descendants of its slaves
They jumped the broom, they dressed in white
They sang and danced for half the night
Small children played among their ancestors' graves
I slept alone under the stars
Just me and my old rusty car
By morning I was different than I was the night before
Blinked against the morning mist
Brushed away a dew drop's kiss
Headed south toward Alabama's shore
Oh, ya gotta go easy, oh, ya gotta go slow
I heard that voice inside me echo
Oh, ya gotta go easy, oh ya gotta go slow
Cause you never know just
Where you might wash up tomorrow
Somehow smashed the window on my pa**enger side
After I was joined, in Mississippi, by a good old friend of mine
My friend said, “Why replace it?” “Rain,” I dryly replied
“Dave,” she said, “I think the sun is gonna shine”
Course, she'd just flown in from southern California
And if that is where you're born ya
Think that everything will turn out dry and warm
We swam in the Gulf of Mexico
Pushed west, and hey, wouldn't ya know?
We got to New Orleans in a great big thunderstorm
Oh, ya gotta go easy, oh, ya gotta go slow
She didn't hear that voice inside me echo
Oh, ya gotta go easy, oh ya gotta go slow
Cause sometimes it really rains round the Gulf of Mexico
We laughed and brushed away the rain
Where it came in through the broken pane
I wanted to but didn't tell her "I might have told you so"
We sang up folk songs as we sped
Along a dry Texas highway bed
We took it easy but we didn't take it slow
And when we got to San Antonio
Tried our best but couldn't remember the Alamo
Bought some boots instead and we headed for El Paso
Took some silly pictures
We laughed until we cried
She whispered she would take me to the Colorado
Saw my reflection there
Oh, lost myself in the canyon there
Found my tongue went dry at the river Colorado
I dropped her off in Atascadero
Made my way to San Francisco
Took a little room in the YMCA
Showered there with all the boys
Drank in their most subtle joys
Snatched back my soul and I got my self away
I headed for the Redwood trees
Where I fell down on my knees
I cried and I felt very small indeed
Dove into a telephone
Said, “I'm here and all alone”
Voice said, "Babe come home, I got what you need"
No, I didn't go easy
No, I didn't go slow
The voice inside me sang, I heard it grow
No, I didn't go easy
No, I didn't go slow
Didn't stop my driving or my weeping
‘til I saw New York City, sparkling like a rainbow (3x)