Lyrics:

Well, I don't look all that ragged
For all the time it's been
But I'm weakened underneath me
Where my frame has rusted thin
And this year's state inspection I just barely passed
Won't you drive me cross the country, boy?
This year could be my last

I'm a tailfin road locomotive
From the days of cheap gasoline
And I'm for sale by the side of the road, goin' nowhere
A rusty old American dream

I rolled off the line in Detroit back in 1958
Spent three days in the showroom, that's all I had to wait
I've been good to all who owned me, so have no fear
Come on, boy, put your money down, and get me outta here

I'm a tailfin road locomotive
From the days of cheap gasoline
And I'm for sale by the side of the road, goin' nowhere
A rusty old American dream

Now this car needs a young man to own him
One who will polish the chrome
I will give you the rest of my lifetime
But don't let me die here alone

You just jump me some juice to my batt'ry
Give that old starter a spin
Hear me whirr, sputter, backfire through the carburetor
And roar into life once again

I am a tailfin road locomotive
You can polish my chrome so clean
We can fly off into the sunset together
A rusty old American dream, still runnin'
A rusty old American dream