The Day the Freeway Froze

'Twas at eight-o-five a.m. on a hot old July day
When a hiker got up on the Garfield ramp where he wasn't supposed to be
He was hit by a Fairlane Riviera with automatic drive
And a Chevrolet Bel Aire coupe, and he didn't stay long alive

On the day the freeway froze in Los Angeles U.S.A
What an affair!
I wish I'd been there
On the day the freeway froze

Well, the cars began to stop, but the ramps kept feeding slow
And a little VW superbug was winged by a Dynaflow
And some of them could havе made it, going out on a ramp marked "in,"
But nobody does thе like of that, because that is a cardinal sin

Meantime down in town, at the Spring Street underpass
A couple of trucks collided, and one had a load of gas
It could have been a holocaust cause no one could turn about
But the engines got up on the cloverleaf and they put that fire out

On the day the freeway froze in Los Angeles U.S.A
What an affair!
I wish I'd been there
On the day the freeway froze

Mr. Gorbach sat at his wheel, a hungry man was he
And up ahead was an unmanned truck from Momma's Bakery
He opened the drawer marked "D" and found doughnuts glazed and plain
And he pulled real hard and drawer flew out, and the doughnuts fell like rain

On the day the freeway froze in Los Angeles U.S.A
What an affair!
I wish I'd been there
On the day the freeway froze

Well, the people jumped around, and the doughnuts soon were gone
And Stanley Hackett he had ten, but coffee he had none
Then somebody found a truck that was full of cows and steers
And he opened the doors, and the cattle strolled among the lanes and piers

On the day the freeway froze in Los Angeles U.S.A
What an affair!
I wish I'd been there
On the day the freeway froze

A Bekins van was stalled, and some ladies worked amain
And they set themselves up in housekeeping in the Harbor outbound lane
And a truckload of brassieres was very quickly gone
When they all cried "Viva Havana!" and tied the arm bands on

On the day the freeway froze in Los Angeles U.S.A
What an affair!
I wish I'd been there
On the day the freeway froze

The greatest find of all was a wagonload of rum
It was all dealt out with a generous hand to whoever wanted some
And a couple of guys they ran along with car tops for their track
Wearing "Save the Bay" sandwich boards which they carried front and back

On the day the freeway froze in Los Angeles U.S.A
What an affair!
I wish I'd been there
On the day the freeway froze

It was seven hours, they say, till the jam began to go
The last lost car was towed away after eighty hours or so
Three thousand ice cream bars were sold to the sound of the auto horn
Twenty three people died that day, and three little babes were born

On the day the freeway froze in Los Angeles U.S.A
What an affair!
I wish I'd been there
On the day the freeway froze

These details can be found in City police reports
In interviews in the Daily News and TV newsreel shorts
And all I do is tell to you the facts as they arose
In the city of Los Angeles the day the freeway froze