On the Charts 60 Years Ago, Roger Miller Ruled With This Highly-Covered Tale of a Traveling Hobo

Often pigeonholed as a novelty artist, Roger Miller’s songwriting had some heft to it. The Fort Worth, Texas-born country artist infused swinging honky-tonk numbers like “Dang Me” with a healthy dose of dark humor. On this day (March 27) in 1965—less than one year after achieving his first No. 1 hit with the aforementioned “Dang Me”—Miller again found himself atop the U.S. country charts with “King of the Road”.

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Recorded in November 1964, the song has had a long afterlife in country music, with everyone from The Proclaimers to Randy Travis putting their own spin on it.

What Inspired Roger Miller to Write ‘King of the Road’?

An ode to the open road, Roger Miller’s titular “King of the Road” is a traveling hobo with a (somewhat twisted) sense of humor about his living situation. I don’t pay no union dues / I smoke old stogies I have found / Short, but not too big around / I’m a man of means by no means / King of the road.

Our not-so-royal narrator has no problem doing what he has to do to keep ahold of the little he does have. I know… Every lock that ain’t locked, when no one’s around. It’s classic Miller, his trademark wit dripping from every line.

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“King of the Road” is a song written by country singer Roger Miller, who first recorded it in November 1964. The lyrics tell of the day-to-day life of a hobo who, despite having little money (a “man of means by no means”), revels in his freedom, describing himself humorously and cynically as the “king of the road”. It was Miller’s fifth single for Smash Records.

♬ King Of The Road – Roger Miller

According to Miller’s official website, inspiration for “King of the Road” struck when he spotted a sign outside Chicago that read ‘Trailers for Sale or Rent’. He started writing, but got no further than the first verse until he bought a hobo statue in a Boise, Idaho airport gift shop in hopes of using it as inspiration for the rest of the lyrics.

All told, “King of the Road” took six weeks to complete—in sharp contrast to the four minutes that Miller spent on “Dang Me”.

[RELATED: 4 Songs to Celebrate the Immortal Legacy of Roger Miller on What Would Have Been His 89th Birthday]

Other Versions of “King of the Road”

“King of the Road” gave Roger Miller his second No. 1 hit on the U.S. country charts. It also enjoyed crossover success, climbing to No. 4 on the Hot 100. In 1966, the song also won Miller five Grammy Awards, including Best Country and Western Song.

Other artists who have covered the song include George Jones, Dean Martin, Rufus Wainwright, and Jerry Lee Lewis. Perhaps the most perplexing version came from post-punk band R.E.M., who included a cover of “King of the Road” on their 1987 B-sides collection Dead Letter Office.

“If there was any justice in the world, Roger Miller should be able to sue for what we did to this song,” guitarist Peter Buck wrote in the liner notes.

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