Heading down south to the land of the pines
I'm thumbing my way into North Caroline
Staring up the road and pray to God, I see headlights
I made it down the coast in seventeen hours
Picking me a bouquet of dogwood flowers
And I'm a-hopin' for raleigh, I can see my baby tonight

So rock me, momma, like a wagon wheel
Rock me, momma, any way you feel
Hey, momma, rock me
Rock me, momma, like the wind and the rain
Rock me, momma, like a south bound train
Hey, momma, rock me

Running from the cold up in New England
I was born to be a fiddler in an old time string band
My baby plays a guitar, I pick a banjo now
Oh, north country winters keep a-getting me down
Lost my money playing poker so I had to leave town
But I ain't turning back to living that old life no more

So rock me, momma, like a wagon wheel
Rock me, momma, any way you feel
Hey, momma, rock me
Rock me, momma, like the wind and the rain
Rock me, momma, like a south bound train
Hey, momma, rock me

Walkin' to the south out of Roanoke
I caught a trucker out of philly, had a nice long toke
But he's a heading west from the cumberland gap
To johnson city, tennessee
And I gotta get a move on before the sun
I hear my baby calling my name and I know that she's the only one
And if I died in raleigh at least I will die free

So rock me, momma, like a wagon wheel
Rock me, momma, any way you feel
Hey, momma, rock me
Rock me, momma, like the wind and the rain
Rock me, momma, like a south bound train
Hey, momma, rock me