Musicians find inspiration in ... freight

Generally speaking, freight transportation isn't something that inspires artistic expression. That's why we nearly drove off the road when a local radio station recently played not one but two songs with freight-related themes: "White Freightliner Blues" by the late Texas icon Townes Van Zandt and "Texas Eagle" by Steve Earle. The former is about a traveler who seeks solace in the whine of big rigs speeding down the highway; the latter describes a young boy's trip with his grandfather on a now-defunct freight line.

That inspired us to start digging through our collection of vinyl records and CDs for other mode-specific songs. Our search turned up the following trucking-related selections:

• "Wild, Wild Heart" by Bill Staines ("Give me a good heavy load and a clear stretch of road, and I'll let that old bulldog whine.")
• "Kenworth of My Dreams" by Richard Shindell ("I'll go anywhere for anything in the Kenworth of my dreams.")
• "Willin'" by Lowell George of Little Feat ("I've been from Tucson to Tucumcari, Tehachapi to Tomapah, driven every kind of rig that's ever been made.") This classic has also been covered by Shindell and, most famously, by Linda Ronstadt.

And let's not forget the band Drive-by Truckers or singer Derek Trucks ...

Next month we'll round up a few freight railroad songs. Happy listening!