George wrote the song while he was a member of
the Mothers of Invention. When George sang an early version of the song for bandleader
Frank Zappa, Zappa suggested that the guitarist form his own band rather than continue under Zappa's tutelage. He did just that, and the song was subsequently recorded by Lowell's band
Little Feat. The song was included on Little Feat's 1971
self-titled debut album. The band re-recorded the song at a slower tempo to much greater success on their 1972 ''
Sailin' Shoes album. A live version recorded in 1977 appears on their 1978 album Waiting for Columbus''. The lyrics are from the point of view of a
truck driver who has driven "from
Tucson to
Tucumcari,
Tehachapi to
Tonopah" and "smuggled some smokes and folks from Mexico"; the song has become a trucker anthem. The lyrics, particularly the line "...if you give me
weed,
whites, and
wine", prevented it from being broadcast on radio. == Personnel ==