Not every state has them and not everyone has seen them in person, but for those who have, they surely marveled at the nerves of steel that are required to pilot them down the interstate. I’m talking about the triple trailered rigs that are common in a few states out west, such as Oregon and Utah. In the trucking industry, they are affectionately nicknamed “wiggle wagons” which are most often pulled by single drive axle daycabs owned by large fleets. It takes a lot of skill to maneuver such a rig, and they are quite intimidating to the average unsuspecting motorist to pass. If you’ve been reading this “Poetry in Motion” article for any great length of time, you’ll know that, at times, I enjoy writing parodies to fun songs. While I do keep my poems original, my parodies often follow a rhythm or inspiration of a song that I may have stuck in my head – in this case, I was singing “The Flying Purple People Eater” by Sheb Wooley. You know the one… it was very popular in the 60’s and 70’s. Anyway, I rewrote the words of that song to pay homage to the men and women who drive the triple trailered wiggle wagons that often have other motorists gripping the wheel in fear of the natural swaying effect common with such road trains. So, to get in the right spirit of the parody, called “The Flyin’ Triple Wiggle Wagon,” I would encourage you to look-up and listen to the Sheb Wooley original version of the song that inspired this poem/parody, and then follow along with the words I’ve written. I hope you enjoy it.
THE FLYIN’ TRIPLE WIGGLE WAGON
By Trevor Hardwick
Well, I saw this rig, and it started to fly,
It had one big horn, and just one drive.
I commenced to shakin’ when he came around me,
Looks like a flyin’ wiggle wagon to me!
It was a one-drive, one-horn, triple trailer wiggle wagon.
Plain-jane, road-train, triple trailer wiggle wagon.
Left-lane, short-framed, rockin’ rollin’ wiggle wagon…
Sure looked strange to me!
Well he merged to the left, and he started to flee,
I said “Mr. Triple Wiggle Wagon, don’t hit me!”
I heard him say, among other stuff,
“I wouldn’t worry ‘bout your frikkin’ chicken truck!”
It was a one-drive, one-horn, triple trailer wiggle wagon.
Plain-jane, road-train, triple trailer wiggle wagon.
Left-lane, short-framed, rockin’ rollin’ wiggle wagon…
Sure looked strange to me!
I said, “Mr. Triple Wiggle Wagon, watch your line,”
He said, “Draggin’ triple wiggle wagons sure is fine.
But it’s not my goal, just to roll this land,
I wanna drive an Aussie road train, if I can!”
Well, bless my soul, let ‘er roll, triple trailer wiggle wagon.
Super-bold, under-sold, triple trailer wiggle wagon.
They like short frames, rockin’ rollin’ wiggle wagons…
What a sight to see!
And then he swung from the left, and he laid her on down,
And he started to rock, really rockin’ around.
He entered the city, and then he ran out of room,
It’s a white-knuckled pitty, in the mid-day noon!
Well hit the snow, slow your roll, in a triple wiggle wagon.
Under-paid, under-weighed, triple trailer wiggle wagon.
They like short trips, rockin’ rollin’ wiggle wagons…
What a sight to see!
Well he went on his way, to deliver a load,
And I saw him last night, on the side of the road.
He had a blown-out tire, and his face was red,
Yelling, “I could use a nap, but I’ve got no bed!”
