written by Warren Zevon 1989 Zevon Music Inc./BMI It's 5:00 P.M. on a weekday, friend There's one of me and two million of them The whistle blows and the factories close There's a million more commuters on the access roads The brake lights flash--there's an RV crashed I'm in the passing lane going nowhere fast The traffic crawls and the engine stalls I'm stuck on the edge of the urban sprawl Gridlock Up ahead There's a line of cars as far as I can see Gridlock Goin' nowhere Roll down the window, let me scream Oh yeah, ain't it a shame We're all jammed up at the interchange The paramedics and the CHP Wait impatiently for catastrophes I'm spending half my days like this I might as well be working on the midnight shift The radio's tuned to the traffic news And everybody's choking on monoxide fumes Gridlock Up ahead There's a line of cars as far as I can see Gridlock Goin' nowhere Roll down the window, let me scream I can close my eyes and dream I can close my eyes and dream I can close my eyes and dream It's 5:00PM on a weekday, friend I'm going home but I don't know when I hate this traffic and I hate this town Gotta honk my horn, try to get around I feel like going on a killing spree Tomorrow I'm going on the RTD The traffic crawls and the engine stalls I'm stuck on the edge of the urban sprawl Gridlock Up ahead There's a line of cars as far as I can see Gridlock Goin' nowhere Roll down the window, let me scream I can close my eyes and dream