Well I left my home out on the great High Plains
Nah, aku meninggalkan rumahku di dataran tinggi yang luas
Headed for some new terrain
Menuju ke tempat baru
Standin' on the highway with my coffee cup
Berdiri di pinggir jalan dengan secangkir kopi
A' Wonderin' who was gonna pick me up
Bertanya-tanya siapa yang akan menjemputku
I had my hopes up high--I never thought that I
Harapanku tinggi—aku tak pernah berpikir bahwa aku
Would ever wonder why I ever said good-by
Akan bertanya-tanya mengapa aku pernah mengucapkan selamat tinggal
I had my hopes up high
Harapanku tinggi

Well, the first ride I got was in a dynamite truck
Nah, tumpangan pertamaku adalah di truk dinamit
The driver kept a' tellin' me his bad luck
Sopirnya terus bercerita tentang nasib buruknya
As we swerved around the curves I began to shout
Saat kami berbelok, aku mulai berteriak
Hey-ey mister would you let me out
Hei, Pak, bisakah kau mengizinkanku keluar?
I had my hopes up high--I never thought that I
Harapanku tinggi—aku tak pernah berpikir bahwa aku
Would ever wonder why I ever said good-by
Akan bertanya-tanya mengapa aku pernah mengucapkan selamat tinggal
I had my hopes up high
Harapanku tinggi

And the next ride I got was with a man in trouble
Dan tumpangan berikutnya adalah dengan seorang pria yang bermasalah
The beard on his face was all in a stubble
Janggutnya berantakan
Runnin' from the law he was goin' ninety-nine,
Melarikan diri dari hukum, dia melaju kencang
I said hey-ey mister you're out of your mind
Aku bilang, hei, Pak, kamu sudah gila
I had my hopes up high--I never thought that I
Harapanku tinggi—aku tak pernah berpikir bahwa aku
Would ever wonder why I ever said good-by
Akan bertanya-tanya mengapa aku pernah mengucapkan selamat tinggal
I had my hopes up high
Harapanku tinggi

Oh, the next ride I got was with a preacher man
Oh, tumpangan berikutnya adalah dengan seorang pendeta
Told me that the wicked would be buried in sand
Dia bilang orang jahat akan dikubur dalam pasir
Don't know why I did it but I lost control
Entah kenapa aku melakukannya, tapi aku kehilangan kendali
Hey-ey Papa would you save my soul
Hei, Ayah, maukah kau menyelamatkan jiwaku?
I had my hopes up high--I never thought that I
Harapanku tinggi—aku tak pernah berpikir bahwa aku
Would ever wonder why I ever said good-by
Akan bertanya-tanya mengapa aku pernah mengucapkan selamat tinggal
I had my hopes up high
Harapanku tinggi

And I finally got a ride on a carnival train
Dan akhirnya aku dapat tumpangan di kereta karnaval
Nearly blew away in a hurricane
Hampir terbang terbawa angin topan
I got to thinkin' bout that preacher down in Louisianne
Aku mulai memikirkan pendeta itu di Louisiana
Sittin' on the Delta Siftin' sand
Duduk di Delta, menyaring pasir
I had my hopes up high--I never thought that I
Harapanku tinggi—aku tak pernah berpikir bahwa aku
Would ever wonder why I ever said good-by
Akan bertanya-tanya mengapa aku pernah mengucapkan selamat tinggal
I had my hopes up high
Harapanku tinggi