He was standing by the highway With a sign that just read Mother When he heard a driver coming About a half a mile away So he held the sign up higher So no decent soul could miss it It was ten degrees or colder Down by Boulder Dam that day He was raised up in Milwaukee Though he never was that famous He was just a road musician To the taverns he did go Singing songs about the rambling The loving girls and gambling How the world fell on his shoulder Back in Boulder, I don't know It was out in Arizona And he heard the lady listening To each song that he was singing To each line that he would write So he sat down by her table And they talked about the weather 98.6 and rising down By Boulder Dam that day And she told him she would take him For a ride in the morning sun Back in Boulder he had told her I don't know when I've had a better friend Now he's traded off his Martin But his troubles are not over His feet are nearly frozen And the sun is sinking low Won't you listen to me brother If you ever loved your mother Just pull off on the shoulder If you're going Milwaukee way It's ten degrees and getting colder Down by Boulder Dam today