People always tell me their life story Love they've lost, their taste of glory He sat next to me at the counter in the diner Said I used to be Wall Street but this is much finer Oh yeah He had a leather look on a steel horse Harley And a dark-eyed girlfriend he called Charlie He looked a little lost walkin' out the door But I think I knew what he was lookin' for Freedom, sweet freedom I gassed 'er up, climbed back in my cab To my wife I'm a husband, to my kids I'm a dad To the credit card companies I'm just another sucker To the IRS, a long-haul trucker Mmmm yeah Some say that freedom's the power to do what one pleases You can live like the devil or hold on to Jesus I found the one thing I was born to do And girl that's why I'm runnin' back to you Freedom, sweet freedom He climbed up in my truck with his green duffel bag I knew he was a soldier 'cause I saw his dog tags We talked about it, we cried about it Then a steel horse Harley came roarin' on past I knew it was Charlie hangin' on real fast We talked about it, we laughed about it Through the joy and pain that living brings Don't we all want the same thing Freedom, sweet freedom It's what the junkie needs that the needle can't give The oppressed and forgotten are praying for it It's what the brave and courageous are fightin' for An open sail on a distant shore Freedom