I left my home in Norfolk, Virginia, California on my mind I straddled that Greyhound and rode him into Raleigh and on across Caroline We stopped in Charlotte, we bypa**ed Rock Hill, we never was a minute late We was ninety miles out of Atlanta by sundown rollin' out of Georgia State We had motor trouble that turn into a struggle, halfway across Alabam And that 'hound broke down and left us all stranded in downtown Birmingham Right away, I bought me a through train ticket, got across Mississippi clean And I was on that midnight flyer out of Birmingham, smokin' into New Orleans Somebody help me get out of Louisiana, just help me get to Houston town There are people there who care a little 'bout me and won't let the poor boy down Sure as you're born, they bought me a silk suit, put luggage in my hand And I woke up high over Albuquerque on a jet to the promised land Workin' on a t-bone steak à la carte, flyin' over to the Golden State When the pilot told us in thirteen minutes he would set us at the terminal gate Swing low, sweet chariot, come down easy, taxi to the terminal zone Cut your engines and cool your wings and let me make it to the telephone Los Angeles, give me Norfolk, Virginia, Tidewater four-ten-o-nine Tell the folks back home this is the promised land callin' and the poor boy's on the line