"Oh the motor’s purrin’ I’m makin’ time Takin’ me back to that baby of mine She’ll be purrin’ like a kitten When I walk in the door The truck driver blues I won’t sing anymore"

David Lynn Jones – Bonnie Jean (Little Sister)

A country ballad about a woman left by her husband with 3 young children to look after who takes up long distance lorry work to make ends meet. It’s a sad tale, but some of the details will sound familiar to all truckers:

"She’s a runnin’ down the road from coast to coast, It’s the little things she misses the most She’s a mother all day and a trucker all night Livin’ on coffee and mini-whites"

Weird Al Yankovic – Truck Drivin’ Song

Comedy songwriter Weird Al Yankovic’s Truck Driving Song starts off in much the same style as the other truck songs: "I’m driving a truck Drivin’ a big ol’ truck Pedal to the metal, hope I don’t run out of luck"

But quickly goes a little strange:

"Rollin’ down the highway until the break of dawn Drivin’ a truck with my high heels on"

The song continues this theme to reverse the macho stereotype of the industry, probably angering a few truckers in the process:

"Oh, I don’t mind when my crotchless panties creep right up on me And my nipple rings don’t bother me too much But when I hit those big speed bumps My darling little rhinestone pumps Keep slippin’ off the mother-lovin’ clutch"

Of course, lorries aren’t the only bigger industrial vehicles that have inspired songwriters – here’s two more which move slightly further away from the trucking remit.

The Wurzels – Combine Harvester

The number one single – a reworking of "Brand New Key" by Melanie was a change of direction for the band, after the death of songwriter Adge Cutler – at this point, the band moved away from original composition and in to altering other people’s work. The West Country band moved away from farms and cider to pen another trucking themed song "I Want to be an Eddie Stobart Driver"

Nizlopi – JCB Song

Alt-folk act Nizlopi made it big by having the Christmas number one in 2005 – a song about a boy escaping into a fantasy world on his Dad’s JCB away from the bullies at school. Aside from having a delightful video, the song is notable for its sudden change of fortune – the Christmas single was a re-release of a song which had made #160 in the charts on its first go 6 months earlier.

So if you spot a lorry heading past you on the motorway, or take on an owner operator job, perhaps its time to pull out the guitar and start strumming!

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