[Verse 1]
Men walkin' along the railroad tracks
Goin' some place, there's no goin' back
Highway patrol choppers comin' up over the ridge
Hot soup on a campfire under the bridge
Shelter line stretching around the corner
Welcome to the new world order
Families sleepin' in their cars in the southwest
No home, no job, no peace, no rest

[Chorus]
Well, the highway is alive tonight
But nobody's kiddin' nobody about where it goes
I'm sittin' down here in the campfire light
Searchin' for the ghost of Tom Joad

[Verse 2]
He pulls a prayer book out of his sleepin' bag
Preacher lights up a butt and takes a drag
Waitin' for when the last shall be first and the first shall be last
In a cardboard box 'neath the underpass
You got a one way ticket to the promised land
You got a hole in your belly and a gun in your hand
Sleepin' on a pillow of solid rock
Bathin' in the city aqueduct
[Chorus]
Well, the highway is alive tonight
Where it's headed, everybody knows
I'm sitting down here in the campfire light
Waitin' on the ghost of Tom Joad

[Verse 3]
Now Tom said, "Mom, wherever there's a cop beatin' a guy
Wherever a hungry newborn baby cries
Where there's a fight against the blood and hatred in the air
Look for me, Mom, I'll be there
Wherever somebody's fightin' for a place to stand
Or a decent job or a helpin' hand
Wherever somebody's strugglin' to be free
Look in their eyes, Mom, you'll see me"

[Chorus]
Well, the highway is alive tonight
Where it's headed, everybody knows
I'm sittin' down here in the campfire light
With the ghost of old Tom Joad