The song is performed at a medium tempo with the opening lyrics: People, I don't have to work and I ain't gonna rob and steal (2×) My baby gives me everything I need, she is my driving wheel Sykes' recorded the song on February 18, 1936, for Decca Records.

[1] It was released before 'Billboard magazine or a similar service began tracking such singles, but "Driving Wheel" is identified as influential early blues composition.

[3] A version from the late 1940s[4] includes the opening verse with the genders reversed: My baby don't have to work, she don't have to rob and steal (2×) I give her everything she needs, I am her driving wheel Junior Parker, as "Little Junior Parker", recorded "Driving Wheel" for Duke Records in 1960 or 1961.

Musician and music writer Billy Vera notes: "Fronting a horn section was really how Junior heard himself.

"[5] Most subsequent versions of "Driving Wheel" show Parker's influence,[5] including the distinctive bass line.