Songs of Will T. Massey — “Highway Hearse”

Released on Slow Study (1989), this song has always remained in Will’s repertoire, unlike some other early tunes. Solo or with a band, this one’s a real rocker — a reality-inspired rocker, according to Will.

“It’s not Mark Luke’s fault but…we were at the Hole in the Wall watching Monte Warden and the Wagoneers and I was too young to drink, so back then, people would buy me drinks. And I think it was a thing — I was like, 17, you know, in these bars. And I think it was a thing to give me whiskey instead of beer because it was like, ‘Aw, let’s see what we can do to the kid.’

So, I drank all this whiskey and drove home and passed out on Loop 1 coming home and I rolled my Blazer, it just flipped and rolled and crashed upside down. I heard this “sssss” and I got out just in time to see the whole thing blow up.

And at the time, I was reading a book on Robert Johnson, and Robert thought that hellhounds were always on his tail. Hellhounds were following him. And so, I thought, well, maybe there’s some hellhounds on my tail and they happened to be on the freeway and  following me. So I wrote this song about a hellhound of my own, call it a highway hearse.”

I got her in first,
I gun her to two,
There’s a highway hearse
In my rear view.
I’m safe into town,
It never fails —
I gain new ground,
She’s on my tail.

There’s a coffin curse assailing me —
A highway hearse tailing me…
A highway hearse tailing me.

My radiator’s raining,
My tires are slick,
The tailgater’s gaining,
I hit the stick.
I hold it steady,
I shift to show,
Three to get ready,
Four to go…

There’s a coffin curse assailing me —
A highway hearse tailing me…
A highway hearse tailing me.

My Chevy is knockin’ on the Promised Land
The hearse is honkin’ by the Devil’s Hand
A deadly race to the Holy Grail,
His license plate says,
“Go to Hell!”

Now, he hits his brights,
He starts to pass,
I feel the fight,
I gun the gas.
I’m on Deadman’s Curve,
I’m still alive,
Sweat and swerve,
I shift to five.
If I start to stalling,
All you’ll see
A highway hearse a-hauling me…
A highway hearse a-hauling me.

There’s a coffin curse assailing me —
A highway hearse tailing me
A highway hearse tailing me

Ooh, here she comes…