End Of The Road

Lyrics: Robert Hunter
Music: Robert Hunter

Recorded on Hunter's 'Rock Columbia' album. To me, it has a lot in common with the later Down The Road.

The highway wrapped around me like a python in the night
The moon howled at the ocean like some spirit lost in flight
Bruised and battered stars denounced the gallows of the sky
Like a pack of bandit angels strung up helplessly to die

My head was full of nothing but the pounding of the surf
And whirling kind of slowly like the spinning of the earth
Everything I lived for seemed played out like a joke
The all-night revelations and the poetry we spoke

Chorus
This is the end of the road
Got no further passions to unload
Nothing left to do except explode
Here at the end of the road

Hitched a ride upon a cloud of sky-blue silver tin
Driven by an angel who had never tasted sin (note 1)
God knows for one time in my life, I acted with reserve
When she asked Where I was going I said "Wherever I deserve"

She turned on the radio to 1948
Where Charlie Parker preached upon the saxophone of fate
I told my whole life story - she didn't bat an eye
Or shed one single tear; just looked ahead and sighed

[chorus]

Drove deep into the desert till the moon and stars were gone
The radio said adios as she dropped me off at dawn
I pulled out my last cigarette, she lit it with her eyes
Then sped off toward Sonora without even a good-bye

The kisses of the sun were sweet, I didn't even blink
Just let it pour into my eyes like some exotic drink
Cutting through the sand I saw the railing of a track
Leading on into forever with no hope of turning back

[chorus]

I left the years behind along with fear of growing old
As the trestles of the track turned to diamonds and to gold
I saw the sky-blue car returning like a melody
The lovely lady at the wheel said: Hop in, Cassady

The radio was playing music like I never heard
I didn't have a thing to say, no, not another word
The wheels of the sky-blue car flew down the golden track
The rearview mirror showed nothing that would ever call me back

[chorus]