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Written by Robert William Troup
If you ever plan to motor west
Travel my way, take the highway that’s the best
Get your kicks on Route 66
Now it winds from Chicago to LA
More than two thousand miles all the way
Get your kicks on Route 66
Now it goes through St. Louis, Joplin Missouri
Oklahoma City looks mighty pretty
I’ve seen Amarillo, Gallup New Mexico,
Flagstaff Arizona, don’t forget Winona
Kingman, Barstow, San Bernardino
Won’t you get hip to this timely tip
When you make that California trip
Get your kicks on Route 66
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After
World War II, Americans were more mobile than ever before.
Thousands of soldiers, sailors, and airmen who received military
training in California, Arizona, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and
Texas abandoned the harsh winters of Chicago, New York City,
and Boston for the “barbecue culture” of the Southwest
and the West. For many, Route 66 facilitated their relocation.
One such emigrant was Robert William Troup, Jr., of Harrisburg,
Pennsylvania. Bobby Troup, former pianist with the Tommy Dorsey
band and ex-Marine captain, penned the lyrical road map of
the now famous cross-country road.
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