Story Behind The Song

Growing up in my hometown, there was a character, Walkin' Joe, who left a lasting impression on me. His appearance and the way he carried himself left me with a feeling of loneliness.

Song Description

Childhood impressions of characters from hometown.

Lyrics

Walkin' Joe

Copyright © 1982
Words/music by Bruce Edwin

Not so long ago in a place I call my home,
Lived a man named Walkin' Joe who had no place to go.
He'd walk the streets continuously; he'd walk the streets alone;
No one really knew for sure where that man would go.
Walkin' Joe...Hey, Joe! Keep on walking Joe.

Dressed in old bibbed overalls and covered with a hat.
Walkin' Joe would wander while never looking back.
He became a fixture in the town I call my home;
People knew for certain that he was Walkin' Joe.
Walkin' Joe...Hey, Joe! Keep on walking Joe. >Instrumental<

I remember to this day riding around the town.
My father would be driving and I'd be looking out.
Before too long we'd come upon walking down the street,
A sight so familiar we knew him by his feet.
Walkin' Joe...Hey, Joe! Keep on walking Joe.

We'd see him in the winter; he'd be walking in the snow,
We'd watch him in the summer while the sun was hanging low.
For every season he must've had his reasons,
For always walking by himself it always seemed so sad.
Walkin' Joe...Hey, Joe! Keep on walking Joe. >Instrumental<

Then one night it happened and it took me by surprise,
The room where he was sleeping was taken by a fire.
The hotel burned to the ground and not a soul survived,
And Walkin' Joe I was told had walked his last mile.
Walkin' Joe...Hey, Joe! Keep on walking Joe.

And I remember to this day riding around the town.
My father would be driving and I'd be looking out;
Before too long we'd come upon walking down the street,
A sight so familiar we knew him by his feet.
Walkin' Joe...Hey, Joe! Keep on walking Joe. >Instrumental<