“Bye, Bye, Bye”

I had twenty-one miles of road to go
And fifty-four miles of dirt
There was a cold steel gleam in the night
I was truckin’ along down interstate five
Lookin’ for the turn
When somethin’ snapped, and I suddenly changed my mind

I said bye, bye, bye
Oh, I finally took a stand
Then for the very first time
I felt like a man

So I headed on down to Mexico
I was never goin’ back to work
Yes, I had enough cash to last me there for years
And then I cabled my folks, I said, “Call my boss
And you can tell him where I left the truck”
And then I went out and stocked up on enchiladas and beer

I said bye, bye, bye
Oh, I finally took a stand
Then for the very first time in my life
I felt like a man
Like a man, man, man, man
Oh!

[break]

Well, now, that all happened back in 1961
And I never went back to work
And then in 1964 I started livin’ off the land
And the people back home still talk about me
Just runnin’ off without a word
But me and the pier and the Mexican sunshine, we don’t give a damn
Whoa, no, no, no

I said bye, bye, bye
Oh, I finally took a stand
Now for the very first time
I feel like a man
A free man


  1. The Monkees: The Day-by-Day Story of the ’60s TV Pop Sensation (2005), Andrew Sandoval, p. 287.
  2. Loose Salute (1970) (Record).