# C.W. McCall's Convoy - what's going on in this song? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 18, 2003, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/c-w-mccalls-convoy-whats-going-on-in-this-song/196033 "2003-08-18T20:17:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Baker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bb73d2/32.png) [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2003, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/c-w-mccalls-convoy-whats-going-on-in-this-song/196033/21 "2003-08-19T02:06:27Z")
McCall did a sequel song to Convoy. The convoy had been headed east and when they hit the coast, with nowhere to go, the Rubber Duck called up the microbus to lead the way across the Atlantic. Those that didn’t make it “just didn’t have enough faith.” They cruised on through Europe, heading east. Truckers just loved the German autobahn too. ---
**Author:** ![Baggins111](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/9fc29f/32.png) [@Baggins111](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baggins111)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2003, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/c-w-mccalls-convoy-whats-going-on-in-this-song/196033/22 "2003-08-19T02:15:35Z")
**Baker** , I have that burned on CD in my bus as well. Has a piratey chorus to it with a few Yo Ho Ho’s and such. Been a while since I’ve listened to it. ---
**Author:** ![Hometownboy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/5e9695/32.png) [@Hometownboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hometownboy)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2003, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/c-w-mccalls-convoy-whats-going-on-in-this-song/196033/23 "2003-08-19T02:20:23Z")
As long as we’re celebrating “C.W.,” I have to mention one of my favorites http://www.narrowgauge.org/4x4/cw\_pages/lyrics/spirit/wcp.html]Wolf Creek Pass if only for > [@](#): > > And we was sittin’ there suckin’ toothpicks > And drinkin’ Nehis an’ onion soup mix > And I says “Earl, let’s mail a card to mother > And then send them chickens on down t’other side” > Yeah, lets give them hens a ride That’s a scene painted with an economy and poignancy that cries out for greater recognition. Where are those Pulitzer folks when it comes to recognizing quality writing? ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Rieux](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@Dr.Rieux](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Rieux)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2003, 3:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/c-w-mccalls-convoy-whats-going-on-in-this-song/196033/24 "2003-08-19T03:02:46Z")
Strange, I was just talking about C.W. McCall with a friend the other day. I liked the song, “Lewis and Clark,” about two Iowa sherrif’s deputies: “I’m Fairweather Lewis, and this here’s Willard Clark And we’re the Potowatamie County weed patrol.” ---
**Author:** ![Infovore](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/infovore/32/420_2.png) [@Infovore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Infovore)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2003, 4:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/c-w-mccalls-convoy-whats-going-on-in-this-song/196033/25 "2003-08-19T04:45:59Z")
> [@](#): > > What’s the title of the song he does where the hippies invade a town? So damn funny… That’s “Crispy Critters.” Based on a true story. One of my favorite McCall songs is a bit more recent (around 1990)–“Comin’ Back For More,” the ballad of Alferd Packer of cannibal fame. Great chorus: “It was a gen-u-wine original Highly path-o-logical Finger lickin’ digital cafe. It was Al Packer’s legendary Culinary Fast food Cannibal Bar and Buffet.” BTW, Bill Fries is in his 70s now, lives in Ouray, Colorado (where he was once the mayor.) ---
**Author:** ![Satisfying\_Andy\_Licious](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/50afbb/32.png) [@Satisfying\_Andy\_Licious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Satisfying_Andy_Licious)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2003, 6:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/c-w-mccalls-convoy-whats-going-on-in-this-song/196033/26 "2003-08-19T06:03:54Z")
“Hunting bear” – could this refer to trying to find police with radar detectors, etc.? One of the big draws of CB radio was that it let drivers warn each other about police ahead. I’m suprised no one has mentioned this: “We just ain’t a-gonna pay no toll.” So we crashed the gate Doing ninety-eight And just let them truckers roll, 10-4. Now _that_ might be another reason they’d get in trouble with the law. (Every now and then, I still hear the phrase “crash the gate doing ninety-eight.”) ---
**Author:** ![Dunderman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ecb155/32.png) [@Dunderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dunderman)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2003, 7:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/c-w-mccalls-convoy-whats-going-on-in-this-song/196033/27 "2003-08-19T07:04:38Z")
Thanks for all the help, guys. As for the “swindle sheets”, I forgot to ask but thanks for clearing that up anyway. > [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Satisfying Andy Licious \* > **"Hunting bear" – could this refer to trying to find police with radar detectors, etc.? One of the big draws of CB radio was that it let drivers warn each other about police ahead.** OK, I have to ask. Do truckers routinely break laws? Are they continuously in trouble with the police? This is the image you get from trucker movies, this song et al. If it’s real, why do they need to speed so much? Are they really in that much of a hurry? > [@](#): > > \*\*I’m suprised no one has mentioned this: > “We just ain’t a-gonna pay no toll.” > So we crashed the gate > Doing ninety-eight > And just let them truckers roll, 10-4. > > Now _that_ might be another reason they’d get in trouble with the law. \*\* I did mention that part in the original post. It’s one of the last lines of the song, long after they get in trouble with the law. ---
**Author:** ![Drastic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Drastic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drastic)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2003, 7:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/c-w-mccalls-convoy-whats-going-on-in-this-song/196033/28 "2003-08-19T07:09:40Z")
Keep in mind the suicide jockey was hauling dynamite–and that mighty convoy was indeed traveling nearly at a hundred miles per hour. It’s no wonder they called out the National Guard–this was a terrorist emergency; with those eleven long-haired friends of Jesus in the chartreuse microbus involved, you can’t fault the law enforcement community for ocncluding that it was clearly a fanatic religious cult hellbent on some suicide mission. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2003, 7:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/c-w-mccalls-convoy-whats-going-on-in-this-song/196033/29 "2003-08-19T07:14:51Z")
> [@](#): > > OK, I have to ask. Do truckers routinely break laws? Are they continuously in trouble with the police? This is the image you get from trucker movies, this song et al. If it’s real, why do they need to speed so much? Are they really in that much of a hurry? The faster they drive the more loads they can deliver in a given time. They also can deliver more by working more hours (regulations restrict the number of hours truckers can drive). More work = more money. So there is a financial incentive to skirt the laws. ---
**Author:** ![Linus\_Van\_Pelt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ebca7d/32.png) [@Linus\_Van\_Pelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Linus_Van_Pelt)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2003, 7:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/c-w-mccalls-convoy-whats-going-on-in-this-song/196033/30 "2003-08-19T07:51:44Z")
A few months back, my wife and I were talking about some of the records that her parents had when she was a kid and the subject of C.W. McCall and _Convoy_ came up. Not having heard the song for about 25 years, I was surprised how much if it I remembered. Then, as I was looking at the lyrics (I had to look them up, of course), I had an “ah-ha!” moment. When I was a kid and had heard the song, I only paid attention to the conflicts between the truckers and “smokey”. When I saw the line about being on “I one oh”, it suddenly occured to me that he also described a specific trip with a specific route. Funny the things we miss when we’re kids. I didn’t drive and I wasn’t familiar with the interstate highway system, so that part didn’t mean much. I think about it years later and suddenly see what I didn’t many years ago. ---
**Author:** ![Krisfer\_the\_Cat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Krisfer\_the\_Cat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Krisfer_the_Cat)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2003, 12:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/c-w-mccalls-convoy-whats-going-on-in-this-song/196033/31 "2003-08-19T12:49:32Z")
Damn I feel old! I remember when C.W.McCall’s stuff was all the rage! I loved “Wolf Creek Pass” the very most. I still think of it when I go under overpasses. “Took that top layer of chickens off slicker 'n scum off a Loosianna swamp” yeah thats a visual! Damn I am gonna have to find them again! ---
**Author:** ![Satisfying\_Andy\_Licious](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/50afbb/32.png) [@Satisfying\_Andy\_Licious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Satisfying_Andy_Licious)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2003, 5:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/c-w-mccalls-convoy-whats-going-on-in-this-song/196033/32 "2003-08-20T05:21:28Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Priceguy \* > \*\*I did mention that part in the original post. It’s one of the last lines of the song, long after they get in trouble with the law. \*\* Sorry 'bout that, good buddy. I must have read the post too fast. > [@](#): > > OK, I have to ask. Do truckers routinely break laws? Are they continuously in trouble with the police? This is the image you get from trucker movies, this song et al. If it’s real, why do they need to speed so much? Are they really in that much of a hurry? What **Little Nemo** said. I’ve seen trucks going at insane speeds in the worst kind of weather. Obviously, the faster they can haul freight, the more hauls they can do, the more money they can make. And if they can get away with carrying more weight than the law allows, it’s a bonus. I look at “Convoy” as a rebellion fantasy about breaking all the rules. ---
**Author:** ![Max\_Torque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Max\_Torque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_Torque)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2003, 1:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/c-w-mccalls-convoy-whats-going-on-in-this-song/196033/33 "2003-08-20T13:45:58Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Krisfer the Cat \* > **Damn I feel old! I remember when C.W.McCall’s stuff was all the rage! I loved “Wolf Creek Pass” the very most. I still think of it when I go under overpasses. “Took that top layer of chickens off slicker 'n scum off a Loosianna swamp” yeah thats a visual!** I’ve driven through the real Wolf Creek Pass. In a blizzard. I’m lucky to be alive. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2003, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/c-w-mccalls-convoy-whats-going-on-in-this-song/196033/34 "2003-08-20T18:32:04Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by CharlesW \* > **Always wanted a chartreuse microbus just because of this song.** Will [this](http://adcache.collectorcartraderonline.com/10/0/8/52493808.htm) do? 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Swede\_Hollow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3bc359/32.png) [@Swede\_Hollow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Swede_Hollow)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2003, 12:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/c-w-mccalls-convoy-whats-going-on-in-this-song/196033/35 "2003-08-21T00:01:10Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by winterhawk11 \* > **One of the authors was Chip Davis. The other was Bill Fries, aka C. W. McCall. The origin of the McCall character was a series of TV ads for Old Home bread, which featured the characters of McCall (not played by Fries at that time) and Mavis the truck-stop waitress. The commercials became so popular that after they ended, Fries assumed the character of McCall and began recording music.** Just to narrow it down a little bit… The “C” in C.W. McCall is **C** hip Davis, the “W” is Bill “ **W** illiam” Fries. Chip wrote the music, Bill was the singer. Chip Davis and the musicians for C.W. McCall ARE Manheim Steamroller. When the the McCall songs ran their course they switched over to the new synthesizer/electronic/new age music. Chip talks about it in “The Real McCall” album where he and Bill got back together to re-record all the old songs in stereo for a new release 20 or so years after the original Convoy came out. ---
**Author:** ![Dunderman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ecb155/32.png) [@Dunderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dunderman)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2003, 7:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/c-w-mccalls-convoy-whats-going-on-in-this-song/196033/36 "2003-08-21T07:48:48Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Baker \* > \*\*McCall did a sequel song to Convoy. The convoy had been headed east and when they hit the coast, with nowhere to go, the Rubber Duck called up the microbus to lead the way across the Atlantic. Those that didn’t make it “just didn’t have enough faith.” They cruised on through Europe, heading east. Truckers just loved the German autobahn too. \*\* I’ve listened to this now. It’s freaking hilarious. Unfortunately Pricegal doesn’t agree, so I’m experiencing domestic disturbances right now. ---
**Author:** ![Bearnaby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/53a042/32.png) [@Bearnaby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bearnaby)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2011, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/c-w-mccalls-convoy-whats-going-on-in-this-song/196033/37 "2011-05-01T21:13:50Z")
How have I managed to not find this discussion in all these years? Especially since I’m the number two resource for C.W. McCall (Bill Fries would be number one). There is much truth in this discussion, but some errors. For better information, please consult [cw-mccall.com](http://cw-mccall.com). Thank you. Ed. the Space Cadet, Leader of the Crispy Critters ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2011, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/c-w-mccalls-convoy-whats-going-on-in-this-song/196033/38 "2011-05-01T22:14:09Z")
You know, I was reading this thread and wondering why no-one was linking to the song… until I looked at the dates and reaized that it was _pre-Youtube_. That makes it almost as archaic as, well, CB. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2011, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/c-w-mccalls-convoy-whats-going-on-in-this-song/196033/39 "2011-05-01T22:22:00Z")
Ahhh! Zombie truckers! ---
**Author:** ![TBG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@TBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TBG)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2011, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/c-w-mccalls-convoy-whats-going-on-in-this-song/196033/40 "2011-05-01T22:37:16Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > Ahhh! Zombie truckers! Hauling a load of brains, do doubt. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/c-w-mccalls-convoy-whats-going-on-in-this-song/196033.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/c-w-mccalls-convoy-whats-going-on-in-this-song/196033.md?page=3)