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US Highways (fed and state) and songs about them
Related threads:
Lyr Add: Get Your Kicks on Route 66 (Bobby Troup) (29)
Saving The Sacred Blues Of Highway 61 (9)
Looking for Route 66 Songs (9)
Lyr Req: ROUTE 66 (8) (closed)
Route 66 (11)
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Subject: Songs about US Highways From: Joe Offer Date: 27 May 21 - 09:41 PM I love driving US Highways, and Bobby Troup's "Route 66" is the ultimate US Highway song. But I've also driven US 1 on the Atlantic Coast, US 101 on the Pacific Coast, and the US 90 Gulf Coast Highway. The Lincoln Highway is on parts of Routes 30, 40, and 50, and I've driven them all, plus US 20. And I've driven the Dixie Highway, US 41, and US 89, which follows the Continental Divide fairly closely - not to mention the nearby Highways 91, 93, 95, and 395. Oh, yes, I've been to the Crossroads on Highway 61, in the Land Where the Blues Began in Mississippi. My stepson, an instructor pilot, is flying a student to Kingman, Arizona, tomorrow. I took Route 66 from Kingman to Flagstaff a few years ago, and it was a wonderful drive - lots of restored cars and gas stations and drive-in restaurants — and Burma-Shave signs. I drove much of the rest of Route 66 from Chicago on my cross-country drive in 2016, but I strayed from the road at times to see other attractions. The most interesting sections of 66 were in Illinois, Oklahoma, Arizona, and California. I'm advising my stepson to follow 66 on his way back to the Sacramento area tomorrow - 66 to Barstow, and then up across Tehachapi Pass to California Highway 99 (formerly US 99). Small planes often follow highways on long trips - there's lots to see and plenty of airports for food and fuel along the way, and navigation is simple. But I started thinking - are there other songs that mention Kingman, Arizona? "Take It Easy" mentions a corner in Winslow, Arizona, on Route 66 on the east side of the state. But how about Kingman? So, what songs can we find about US Highways? I have been intentionally following US Highways for about thirty years, and they have taken me to some wonderful places. -Joe-
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Subject: ADD: Gulf Coast Highway (Griffith/Hooker) From: Joe Offer Date: 27 May 21 - 09:49 PM The Gulf Coast Highway is US 90. It runs from Texas to Jacksonville, Florida. I had a wonderful drive on 90 from New Orleans to Pensacola, within sight of the Gulf of Mexico for much of the way. Gulf Coast Highway (James Hooker/Nanci Griffith/Danny Flowers) Gulf Coast Highway (James Hooker/Nanci Griffith/Danny Flowers) Gulf Coast Highway He worked the rails He worked the rice fields With their cool dark wells He worked the oil rigs in the Gulf of Mexico The only thing we've ever owned Is this old house here by the road And when he dies he says he'll catch some blackbird's wing He will fly away to Heaven come some sweet blue bonnet spring She walked through springtime When I was home The days were sweet, The nights were warm The seasons change, the jobs would come... the flowers fade This old house felt so alone When the work took me away And when she dies she says, she'll catch some blackbird's wing Then she will fly away to Heaven come some sweet blue bonnet spring Highway 90, The jobs are gone We tend our garden, We set the sun This is the only place on earth blue bonnets grow Once a year they come and go At this old house here by the road And when we die we say, we'll catch some blackbird's wing Then we will fly away to Heaven come some sweet blue bonnet spring And when we die we say, we'll catch some blackbird's wing We will fly away together come some sweet blue bonnet spring https://geocities.restorativland.org/Nashville/1752/album6.htm#gulfcoast (corrected) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DUqLleoZxtM |
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Subject: RE: US Highways and Songs About them From: GUEST,# Date: 27 May 21 - 10:20 PM Hey, Joe, you know that life is a highway, huh? Good song from the Zac Brown Band "Highway 20 Ride." They sure connected with the audience. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gZMCkufE0X0 |
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Subject: RE: US Highways and Songs About them From: Joe Offer Date: 27 May 21 - 10:50 PM In 2019, I stuck pretty close to US 20 from Oregon to Detroit. It passes through Idaho, just a bit of Montana, Wyoming, Nebraska, Iowa, Illinois, and Indiana. I turned north at Notre Dame and headed for Detroit, but US 20 goes on through Ohio, Pennsylvania, and New York and into Massachusetts. The song # posted is about Georgia State Route 20, a highways shaped like the letter "J." I've been to lots of places in Georgia, but not much along Route 20. I suppose Augusta, Savannah, Macon, and Athens are my favorite cities in Georgia - and I love the Okefenokee Swamp. |
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Subject: RE: US Highways and Songs About them From: GUEST,.gargoyle Date: 27 May 21 - 11:09 PM There are multiple versions of: I've Been Everywhere Sincerely, Gargoyle |
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Subject: RE: US Highways and Songs About them From: GUEST,# Date: 27 May 21 - 11:16 PM "U.S. Route 9 (US 9) is a north–south United States highway in the states of Delaware, New Jersey, and New York in the Northeastern United States" (from Wikipedia) Bruce Springsteen -- Born to Run |
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Subject: RE: US Highways and Songs About them From: cnd Date: 27 May 21 - 11:49 PM Do we want to expand this to include state highways? The Krueger Brothers have an excellent song titled "Up 18 North" (well, actually, a whole album, but also a song) named after NC 18, which goes through Shelby, Morganton, Lenoir, and their main stomping ground, North Wilkesboro (home of Merlefest). Similarly, Ricky Skaggs has "Highway 40 Blues" [lyrics] which is named for KY 40 rather than I-40, which runs through Nashville. Ernest Martin has a song titled "Heaven's Highway 66" which is named for US 66 (I assume) but is one of your standard songs about how there's a highway to Heaven and how sin can lead you astray, etc. John Denver's famous Take Me Home, Country Roads is named for Maryland 117. Tom T. Hall's famous "A Week In Country Jail" is a (semi) true story about being arrested for speeding through a small town. He doesn't mention a US route or specify a road at all, but he does say it was "a small town in Kentucky." If we can find which, that could help. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Now, for songs which are more in the vein of what you're asking for: The famous and oft-played fiddle instrumental Lee Highway Blues is named for the US Lee Highway system. Though first recorded by Grayson and Whittier as "Going Down That Lee Highway" most people use the shorter name. The present route covers over a dozen current US Highways (link) Charley Cline has a song titled "Highway Headed North" about an unnamed highway from Dixie to Cincinnati, but he doesn't say which one. More than likely it's current I-75, but he doesn't say which -- but it is comprised of several former US Highways. Wynn Osborne has an instrumental song titled "Highway 31" which is probably named for US 31, which runs through Nashville, Wynn's birthplace, and a place he likely visited often, being the son of mandolin prodigy Bobby Osborne. Robin and Linda Williams have a whole album titled Dixie Highway Sign; here is as the titular song. The whole thing is a great album, and that song in particular is a gem. It is, of course, named after the Dixie Highway (see that link for more songs about the Dixie Highway). A second Ricky Skaggs song is "Crossville", which is an instrumental he came up with while his bus was passing through Crossville, TN on his way home to Nashville. Sadly, he doesn't say which highway. It was probably I-40, but US 70 isn't out of the question. Millions of corny trucker songs name-drop dozens of highways along the way. The only one which I can think of off the top of my head which refers to a specific road is Dick Curless's classic Tombstone Every Mile, which refers to the often icy and dangerous stretch of US 2A I can provide lyrics to any of the songs I've listed above if you'd like. I'll also keep an ear out for other road songs, these are just the ones that came to mind. |
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Subject: RE: US Highways and Songs About them From: pattyClink Date: 28 May 21 - 11:03 AM Yes to all this good stuff! Often the routes designated "US" are good roads that take you to more interesting places than the I-whatever interstates. I drive so many I'd be hard pressed to pick out the favorites. This week US 93 was a lightly traveled very scenic way to get from Phoenix to Kingman. One great song is "Highway 49", which runs through the Mississippi Delta. Best known as sung by Howlin' Wolf, but I'm not sure who wrote it. Had NO idea Bobby Troup was a jazz singer or wrote Route 66!!! I thought he was Dr. Joe Early on TV's "Emergency!" What a scream. Though I still prefer Asleep At The Wheel's version of the song. |
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Subject: RE: US Highways and Songs About them From: Bonzo3legs Date: 28 May 21 - 11:10 AM Best version I ever heard was by the Downliner Sect live in 1964! |
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Subject: RE: US Highways and Songs About them From: GUEST,# Date: 28 May 21 - 12:47 PM pattyClink, Big Joe Williams wrote "49 Highway Blues" and it was first released in 1935. The title was rearranged for most (if not all) subsequent recordings. The song's recording history--which probably isn't complete--can be seen at https://secondhandsongs.com/work/10050/all Bonzo3legs, the group Downliners Sect has lots on YouTube, but I was unable to locate that song. You have one heck of a memory to recall hearing that back in 1964. Dollars to donuts they picked-up on the Howlin' Wolf version, ya figure? |
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Subject: RE: US Highways and Songs About them From: Geoff Wallis Date: 28 May 21 - 12:59 PM The wonderful Terry Allen - Amarillo Highway. |
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Subject: RE: US Highways and Songs About them From: GUEST,# Date: 28 May 21 - 01:03 PM Well, I think I'd have lost either the dollars or the donuts. I can't find any 'record' of Howlin' Wolf doing the song before the 1970s, which would leave BJW's recording as the source for the Downliners Sect. |
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Subject: RE: US Highways and Songs About them From: BTMP Date: 28 May 21 - 01:26 PM Reno & Smiley recorded ‘Highway 52’ in West Virginia. |
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Subject: RE: US Highways and Songs About them From: GUEST,# Date: 28 May 21 - 01:45 PM Highway 52 - Don Reno & Red Smiley (with thanks to BTMP) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=22bcMn5YJzg Lyrics at http://www.traditionalmusic.co.uk/bluegrass-lyrics/Highway_52.html |
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Subject: RE: US Highways and Songs About them From: Joe_F Date: 28 May 21 - 09:14 PM Highway 101 is featured in Black Leather Trousers. |
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Subject: ADD: Free Fallin' (Tom Petty) From: Joe Offer Date: 29 May 21 - 12:02 AM Hey, this is fun. Sure, go ahead and add to the fun with state highways. But maybe it's best to keep this about highways in the US. My favorite US 101 song is "Free Fallin', recorded by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. The vampires are on Ventura Boulevard, which was US 101 at one time, and it's a boulevard that tells the story of Los Angeles better than any other. I'm 72 years old, and I still love to cruise Ventura Boulevard, not that I'm a vampire or anything like that. I did it first in 1974. FREE FALLIN' (Jeff Lynne / Thomas Earl Petty) She's a good girl, loves her mama Loves Jesus and America, too She's a good girl, crazy 'bout Elvis Loves horses and her boyfriend, too And it's a long day livin' in Reseda There's a freeway runnin' through the yard And I'm a bad boy, 'cause I don't even miss her I'm a bad boy for breakin' her heart And I'm free, free fallin' Yeah I'm free, free fallin' All the vampires walkin' through the valley Move west down Ventura Boulevard And all the bad boys are standing in the shadows And the good girls are home with broken hearts And I'm free, free fallin' Yeah I'm free, free fallin' Free fallin', now I'm free fallin' Now I'm Free fallin', now I'm free fallin' I wanna glide down over Mulholland I wanna write her name in the sky I'm gonna free fall out into nothin' Gonna leave this world for a while And I'm free (free fallin', now I'm free fallin') Free fallin' (free fallin', now I'm free fallin') Yeah I'm free (free fallin', now I'm free fallin') Free fallin' (free fallin', now I'm free fallin') (Now I'm) Yeah, I'm free, free fallin' Oh! Free fallin' Now I'm free fallin' Free fallin' (Free fallin', now I'm free fallin') And I'm free (Free fallin', now I'm free fallin') Oh, free fallin' (Free fallin', now I'm free fallin') Source: LyricFind Songwriters: Jeff Lynne / Thomas Earl Petty Free Fallin' lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Gone Gator Music, DistroKid https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1lWJXDG2i0A |
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Subject: RE: US Highways (fed and state) and Songs About them From: pattyClink Date: 29 May 21 - 12:04 PM Some great links in this thread. Whatever your situation or mood, I think one of cnd's above ("The Krueger Brothers have an excellent song titled "Up 18 North"") will make you feel good or better. My young relatives can't grasp how I can have music on the road without some canned homogenized streaming service, or how can I find new music without the guiding hand of Pandora. FFS. If I should ever get bored with my own library of songs, or the quirky stuff that can come up on local radio, some kind Mudcatter will point me to some good stuff soon enough. |
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Subject: RE: US Highways (fed and state) and Songs About them From: GUEST,# Date: 29 May 21 - 01:19 PM "Highway 101" by Social Distortion https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cog1eSmGvfk Sorry. But I love the band's name. |
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Subject: RE: US Highways (fed and state) and Songs About them From: GUEST,# Date: 29 May 21 - 01:27 PM Bob Dylan - Highway 51 Blues Hwy 51 is about 11 miles long. It's in Minnesota. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rtPafq5nsJA |
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Subject: RE: US Highways (fed and state) and Songs About them From: GUEST,mg Date: 29 May 21 - 03:27 PM jonathan lay of kboo in portland did this week a show about roads..not highways.. https://spinitron.com/KBOO/dj/39281/Jonathan-Lay |
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Subject: RE: US Highways (fed and state) and Songs About them From: GUEST,Phil d'Conch Date: 29 May 21 - 03:48 PM There's a trail that's winding through the Everglades... Tamiami Trail [YouTube] (Gene Austin, 1926) Tamiami Trail [Wikipedia] Tamiami Trail [lyrics at Mudcat] |
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Subject: RE: US Highways (fed and state) and Songs About them From: pattyClink Date: 29 May 21 - 04:34 PM Highway 51 has apparently gotten lopped into pieces over the years, because it runs through a big chunk of Mississippi and some other states. https://everybobdylansong.blogspot.com/2008/06/bob-dylan-song-7-highway-51-blues.html |
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Subject: ADD: Highway 51 Blues (Dylan) From: Joe Offer Date: 29 May 21 - 09:10 PM Thank you, PattyClink. Yes, U.S. Highway 51 runs 1,277 miles, from New Orleans through Memphis to the Wisconsin-Michigan border near Ironwood (MI). I've driven a lot of Highway 51 in Wisconsin, but it looks like a highway I need to explore more deeply. I've done part of the Great River Road along the Mississippi, but I need to do more and include Highway 51 in my exploration. As far as I can see, "Highway 51 Blues" was written by Curtis Jones and recorded by him in 1938. It was covered (and no doubt rewritten) by Bob Dylan. Here are the Dylan lyrics, which are infinitely easier to understand and certainly have a better tune. HIGHWAY 51 BLUES (Bob Dylan) [CHORUS] Highway 51 runs right by my baby's door Highway 51 runs right by my baby's door If I don't get the girl I'm loving Won't go down to Highway 51 no more [Verse] Well, I know that highway like I know my hand Yes, I know that highway like I know the back of my hand Running from up Wisconsin way down to no man's land Well, if I should die before my time should come And if I should die before my time should come Won't you bury my body out on the Highway 51 [CHORUS] Here is the Curtis Jones recording: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=loZmJGFZNNM Dylan recording: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rtPafq5nsJA |
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Subject: ADD: Tamiami Trail (Gene Austin) From: Joe Offer Date: 29 May 21 - 09:16 PM Thanks for that lead, Phil. The Tamiami Trail runs from Tampa to Miami (duh). It's the southern portion of the Dixie Highway, U.S. 41 From Tampa to Naples, it's the worst example of what has happened to the US Highways since the advent of the Interstates - cheap motels and chain restaurants along the whole distance. But in places, I can imagine the splendor of this highway in the 1920s. The last portion is known as Alligator Alley, which is mostly part of Interstate 75. I stayed away from Alligator Alley for decades because the Floridians in my family said it was so boring. But finally, I drove it, and I loved it. The highway crosses the northern portion of the Everglades in an unbelievably straight line. In recent years, there has been good engineering to allow water to flow under the highway unrestricted. There are lots of places to pull off to view the Everglades, and it is an amazing place to see. I suppose the turnoffs draw lots of people who are tempted to feed the alligators, which may not be an ecologically correct thing to do, but it makes for very active and very friendly alligators. It was fun to pull off the highway and watch the alligators who act very much like puppy dogs. You wouldn't believe that alligators can be cute, but it's true. TAMIAMI TRAIL AS PERFORMED BY GENE AUSTIN There’s a trail that’s winding through the Everglades Land where skies are always blue above Where each flower in its bower never fades There I left the one I love Soon I’m gonna leave all my cares behind For I’ve made, yes, I’ve made up my mind Soon I’ll wander down the Tamiami Trail, Tamiami Trail Where it leads down to the sea There is where the sun is shining daily Every little feet sitting on the beach Strumming on a ukulele I’ll build a two by four Just for my baby and me I mean a brand new bamboo Bungalow without fail And they wonder why I wanna settle down, I'm gonna settle down I’m gonna settle down on the Tamiami Trail Land of romance where you see the pale blue moon Shining every night from up above Where each day is sunny and it’s always June There I left the one I love And I’m glad to let everybody know There yes there is where I’m gonna go Soon I’ll wander down that Taniami Trail, Tamiami Trail Where it leads down to the sea.... (repeat the whole song) |
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Subject: RE: US Highways (fed and state) and Songs About them From: GUEST,# Date: 30 May 21 - 01:17 AM Drive-By Truckers - 72 (This Highway's Mean) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IXbx6wZvIh8 The song pertains to Hwy 72, the stretch that runs east/west through some of Northern Mississippi. |
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Subject: RE: US Highways (fed and state) and Songs About them From: GUEST,# Date: 30 May 21 - 02:33 PM "Hillbilly Highway" by Steve Earle. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dT-yIYR7vV8 (Well, he does mention blacktop going to Detroit.) |
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Subject: Lyr Add: SWEET BABY JAMES (James Taylor) From: GUEST,henryp Date: 30 May 21 - 05:08 PM SWEET BABY JAMES (James Taylor) The first of December was covered with snow And so was the turnpike from Stockbridge to Boston Though the Berkshires seemed dreamlike on account of that frostin' With ten miles behind me and ten thousand more to go There's a song that they sing when they take to the highway A song that they sing when they take to the sea A song that they sing of their home in the sky Maybe you can believe it if it helps you to sleep But singing works just fine for me So goodnight, you moonlight ladies Rockabye, sweet baby James Deep greens and blues are the colors I choose Won't you let me go down in my dreams And rockabye, sweet baby James https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sweet_Baby_James_(song)
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Subject: Lyr Add: AMERICA (Paul Simon) From: GUEST,henryp Date: 30 May 21 - 05:15 PM AMERICA (Paul Simon) "Let us be lovers, we'll marry our fortunes together I've got some real estate here in my bag" So we bought a pack of cigarettes and Mrs Wagner pies And walked off to look for America "Kathy", I said as we boarded a Greyhound in Pittsburgh "Michigan seems like a dream to me now" It took me four days to hitchhike from Saginaw I've gone to look for America Laughing on the bus Playing games with the faces She said the man in the gabardine suit was a spy I said "Be careful, his bowtie is really a camera" "Toss me a cigarette, I think there's one in my raincoat" "We smoked the last one an hour ago" So I looked at the scenery, she read her magazine And the moon rose over an open field "Kathy, I'm lost", I said, though I knew she was sleeping I'm empty and aching and I don't know why Counting the cars on the New Jersey Turnpike They've all come to look for America
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/America_(Simon_%26_Garfunkel_song) |
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Subject: RE: US Highways (fed and state) and Songs About them From: cnd Date: 31 May 21 - 01:37 AM Thanks for the praise, Patty. I'm a big fan of the Kruegers, and them being somewhat local to me makes it pretty easy to hear their work about once a year -- under normal circumstances, I should say. I'll add the lyrics to the more obscure songs I referenced above in a few subsequent posts. |
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Subject: Lyr Add: HIGHWAY 40 BLUES (Ricky Skaggs) From: cnd Date: 31 May 21 - 01:42 AM Ricky Skaggs: Highway 40 Blues (listen) (Larry Cordle) Well, these Highway 40 blues I've walked holes in both my shoes Counted the days since I've been gone And I'd love to see the lights of home Wasted time and money too Squandered youth in search of truth But in the end I had to lose Lord above, I've paid my dues Got the Highway 40 blues The highway called when I was young Told me lies of things to come Fame and fortune lies ahead That's what the billboard lights had said Shattered dreams -- my mind is numb My money's gone, stick out my thumb My eyes are filled with bitter tears Lord, I ain't been home in years Got the Highway 40 blues You know I've rambled all around Like a rolling stone from town to town I met pretty girls, I have to say But none of them could make me stay I've played the music halls and bars Had fancy clothes and big fine cars Things a country boy can't use Dixieland, I sure miss you Got the Highway 40 blues |
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Subject: Lyr Add: HEAVEN'S HIGHWAY 66 (Ernest Martin) From: cnd Date: 31 May 21 - 02:48 AM Unfortunately, I'm not sure who the credits for this song belong to. I'd assume Ernest Martin. I downloaded it years ago from the internet. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to re-find where I downloaded it from. These are the lyrics as I've transcribed them. Note that though Martin has an album released in 1962 with this song as the title song, I believe this is from his 1955 recording with the Norvell Brothers -- it's a little less bluegrassy than the songs I've been able to scrounge up from that album while searching. Ernest Martin: Heaven's Highway 66 While traveling so many great highways We're bothered with traffic so thick Up there's one road that's not crowded It's the Heaven's Highway 66 CHORUS I'm traveling the highway to heaven I've left the old broad way of sin When the last words are spoken And the Pearly Gates open I'll lay down my cross and go in Each highway on earth has a number As the prophets have spoken before That 66 books of the Bible Is the number to Heaven's bright shore CHORUS There's a mansion that's built up in Heaven John saw it descending one day Prepared and adorned for the people That have traveled this Heaven's highway CHORUS God's word is the map to that city The road is prepared and all fixed Do not turn left as you travel This Heaven's Highway 66 CHORUS |
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Subject: Lyr Add: HIGHWAY HEADED NORTH (Charlie Cline) From: cnd Date: 31 May 21 - 02:54 AM As transcribed by me from Charlie Cline and the Lonesome Pine Fiddlers, Lonesome Pines, Old Homestead Records OHS 90088 (1978). The liner notes do not provide any further details on the song. Charlie Cline: Highway Headed North (Chuck Carpenter - Jaymore Music - BMI) I have often gone back in my memory To the place where I was born so long ago Where the silver maples grace the far horizon In the rich, green valley called the Ohio CHORUS On a highway headed north away from Dixie The lights of Cincinnati I can see Just a few more miles and I'll see my friends and loved ones Then I'll wonder why I ever had to leave But I've got a little girl way down in Dixie And I know that she is waiting patiently So I'll turn around back to the sunny southland Ohio, I know you'll wait for me CHORUS (x2) |
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Subject: Lyr Add: WILLIN' (The Byrds) From: GUEST,henryp Date: 31 May 21 - 03:41 AM I've been warped by the rain, driven by the snow I'm drunk and dirty, don't you know And I'm still, willin' Out on the road late last night I'd see my pretty Alice in every headlight Alice, Dallas Alice And I've been from Tucson to Tucumcari Tehachapi to Tonopah Driven every kind of rig that's ever been made Driven the back roads so I wouldn't get weighed And if you give me weed, whites, and wine And you show me a sign I'll be willin', to be movin' Tucumcari (New Mexico) and Tehapachi (California) both lie on the former classic Route 66. Tucson (Arizona) lies on I-19 going south to the Mexican border. It has kilometer posts and speed limits in kph and mph. Tonopah (Nevada), midway between Las Vegas and Reno, stands at the junction of R6 and R95. |
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Subject: Lyr Add: HOMESTATE (Allan Taylor) From: GUEST,henryp Date: 31 May 21 - 04:37 AM Homestate by Allan Taylor Sometimes when I'm driving late in the night When there's that special kind of early morning light When the evergreen stands out in the dark I'm thinking about that northern state of New York - New York New York state was good to me, cos I found a wife and made a a family If anyone asks what it means to me, well, it's the nearest to home I'll ever be - New York, New York New York City's just a part of the state Some people hate it, I think it's great It's an honest city, won't tell you a lie It'll take your money, look you straight in the eye, New York When the city got too much to take When the pressure built up, and we thought we'd break When everyone else was heading south We went our own way, we headed north of New York I wish I could take that trip again Five hundred miles up the Lake Champlain Fishing for supper in a home made boat The love we made and the songs I wrote of New York Then we rented a house on the Long Island sand Work in the city was close at hand In the summer we swam in Montauk Bay And England felt so far away from New York It may sound strange that an Englishman Should lose his heart to a foreign land Maybe it's because I've been away Too long from her, it's hard to say - New York |
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Subject: RE: US Highways (fed and state) and Songs About them From: gillymor Date: 31 May 21 - 06:13 AM Junior Brown Highway Patrol cover-Highway Patrol Woody mentioned the Lincoln Highway and Rte. 66 in Hard Traveling- I've been walking that Lincoln highway I thought you knew And I've been hittin' that sixty six Way down the road |
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Subject: Lyr Add: NOTHING BUT TIME (Jackson Brown) From: GUEST,henryp Date: 31 May 21 - 07:49 AM Nothing But Time by Jackson Brown Rolling down two ninety five out of Portland, Maine Still high from the people up there and feeling no pain Gonna make it to New Jersey, gonna set it up and do it again I got a bottle of wine (pass it over) I got a broken white line (I'm still sober) There ain't nothin' but time between this Silver Eagle And that New Jersey line Well it's a rock and roll band or a movie you can take your pick And it ain't bad work if you can get it But you gotta make it stick But getting any kind of sleep on this rolling motel, that's the trick It's just a bottle of wine (pass it over) It's just a broken white line (I'm still sober) It's just a whole lot of time in the twilight zone Between me and these friends of mine The Portland show, at the Cumberland County Civic Center, was on Sept. 3, 1977, and the Garden State Arts Center shows in Holmdel were on Sept. 6-7. “Nothing but Time” was recorded on Sept. 8. So while “Nothing but Time” was presumably written during the trip from Maine to New Jersey, the version on the album was — assuming the liner notes are correct — recorded after the second Holmdel show. “Nothing but Time” was recorded on a Continental Silver Eagle tour bus “somewhere in New Jersey” with drummer Russell Kunkel playing “a snare, hi-hat and cardboard box with a foot pedal.” HJ Arts |
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Subject: Lyr Add: GRACELAND (Paul Simon) From: GUEST,henryp Date: 31 May 21 - 02:33 PM Graceland by Paul Simon The Mississippi Delta Was shining like a national guitar I am following the river Down the highway Through the cradle of the Civil War I'm going to Graceland, Graceland Memphis, Tennessee I'm going to Graceland Poor boys and pilgrims with families And we are going to Graceland My traveling companion is nine years old He is the child of my first marriage But I've reason to believe We both will be received In Graceland She comes back to tell me she's gone As if I didn't know that As if I didn't know my own bed As if I'd never noticed The way she brushed her hair from her forehead And she said, "losing love Is like a window in your heart Everybody sees you're blown apart Everybody sees the wind blow" I'm going to Graceland Memphis, Tennessee I'm going to Graceland Poor boys and pilgrims with families And we are going to Graceland |
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Subject: RE: US Highways (fed and state) and Songs About them From: GUEST,.gargoyle Date: 31 May 21 - 02:35 PM BALLAD OF THUNDER ROAD in the DT https://mudcat.org/@displaysong.cfm?SongID=460 Way Back Machine has a nice article on the galaxy's possible background. https://web.archive.org/web/20140826115646/http://www.metropulse.com/stories/features/moonshine-myths-so-who-was-mountain-boy-thunder-ro Sincerely, Gargoyle In the article Mitchum states the melody is based on a Norwegian lullaby his mother would sing. |
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Subject: Lyr Add: PROMISED LAND (Chuck Berry) From: GUEST,henryp Date: 31 May 21 - 02:37 PM Promised Land by Chuck Berry I left my home in Norfolk Virginia California on my mind Straddled that greyhound, rode him past Raleigh On across Caroline Stopped in Charlotte and bypassed Rock Hill And we never was a minute late We was ninety miles out of Atlanta by sundown Rollin' 'cross the Georgia state We had motor trouble it turned into a struggle Half way 'cross Alabam And that 'hound broke down and left us all stranded In downtown Birmingham |
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Subject: RE: US Highways (fed and state) and Songs About them From: GUEST,henryp Date: 01 Jun 21 - 02:02 AM Now, the roving gambler he was very bored Trying to create a next world war He found a promoter who nearly fell off the floor He said, "I never engaged in this kind of thing before But yes, I think it can be very easily done We'll just put some bleachers out in the sun And have it on Highway 61" Highway 61 Revisited by Bob Dylan From Wikipedia; Highway 61 runs from Duluth, Minnesota, where Bob Dylan grew up in the 1940s and 1950s down to New Orleans, Louisiana. It was a major transit route out of the Deep South particularly for African Americans traveling north to Chicago, St Louis and Memphis, following the Mississippi River valley for most of its 1,400 miles (2,300 km). The junction of highway 61 and highway 49 in Mississippi is said to be the infamous "crossroads" where bluesman Robert Johnson allegedly sold his soul to the devil in exchange for talent and fame. |
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Subject: RE: US Highways (fed and state) and Songs About them From: GUEST,henryp Date: 01 Jun 21 - 04:53 AM https://thebluegrasssituation.com/read/listen-shay-martin-lovette-parkway-bound/ Artist: Shay Martin Lovette Hometown: Boone, North Carolina Song: “Parkway Bound” Album: Scatter & Gather Release Date: May 14, 2021 “This song is a tip of the hat to the Blue Ridge Parkway that runs from Great Smoky Mountains National Park on the western edge of North Carolina near Cherokee, to Shenandoah National Park at Rockfish Gap. I consider myself lucky to live near the Blue Ridge Parkway in Boone, North Carolina, and find myself in constant awe of the landscape that this region offers. In ‘Parkway Bound,’ I wanted to capture the natural beauty of the Blue Ridge Mountains in the dead of winter. The music could be said to be influenced more by great narrative writers like Norman Blake and Slaid Cleaves than your standard folkies, but there’s a little Townes Van Zandt and Gram Parsons in there.” — Shay Martin Lovette |
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Subject: RE: US Highways (fed and state) and songs about them From: cnd Date: 09 Aug 21 - 07:58 PM The James McMurtry song "Choctaw Bingo" describes one of the family members getting off of the Will Rogers Turnpike at the Big Cabin exit, which would place him on US 69. |
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Subject: Lyr Add: HIGHWAY 54 (Wayne Hancock) From: pattyClink Date: 09 Aug 21 - 08:32 PM Put a few miles on US 54 through the TX panhandle, OK panhandle, and apparently, it goes from Tucumcari NM to Mullinville KS. There is a song called Highway 54, but I would love to hear a version that is not so dang twangy. Maybe there is an Americana recording out there.? Highway 54 Wayne Hancock Sittin' in the kitchen with my back against the wall I was waitin' for my baby but my baby didn't call Suddenly there came a stranger knockin' on my door He told me there had been a wreck out on highway 54. She was with another man was what the stranger said I asked if she'd survived it but he slowly shook his head They were on their way to the other side of town They tried to beat a freight train, and the freight train ran 'em down [Chorus] Highway 54 took my love away from me I knew she didn't want me, but I could not set her free She was with another like so many times before She paid the price of runnin' round out on highway 54. (Yeah, run her down, brother) Many sleepless nights have passed my broken heart since then The man that she was runnin' with once was my best friend All the dreams that I had they fill my mind no more 'Cause they died with her that tragic night out on Highway 54. [Chorus] Yeah, she paid the price of cheatin' me out on highway 54. Edit Lyrics Lyrics submitted by AirCav1stOfThe9th Highway 54 Lyrics as written by Wayne Hancock Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd. Lyrics powered by LyricFind |
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Subject: Lyr Add: VENTURA HIGHWAY (America) From: robomatic Date: 09 Aug 21 - 11:42 PM Ventura Highway by America Chewing on a piece of grass Walking down the road Tell me, how long you gonna stay here Joe? Some people say this town don't look good in snow You don't care, I know Ventura Highway in the sunshine Where the days are longer The nights are stronger Than moonshine You're gonna go I know 'Cause the free wind is blowin' through your hair And the days surround your daylight there Seasons crying, no despair Alligator lizards in the air In the air Do, do-do, do, do-do Do, do-do, do, do-do Do, do-do, do, do-do Do, do-do, do, do-do Do, do-do, do, do-do Do, do-do, do, do-do, do Wishin' on a falling star Waitin' for the early train Sorry boy, but I've been hit by purple rain Aw, come on Joe, you can always change your name Thanks a lot, son, just the same Ventura Highway in the sunshine Where the days are longer The nights are stronger Than moonshine You're gonna go I know 'Cause the free wind is blowin' through your hair And the days surround your daylight there Seasons crying, no despair Alligator lizards in the air In the air Do, do-do, do, do-do Do, do-do, do, do-do Do, do-do, do, do-do Do, do-do, do, do-do Do, do-do, do, do-do Do, do-do, do, do-do Do, do-do, do, do-do Do, do-do, do, do-do Do, do-do, do, do-do Do, do-do, do, do-do Do, do-do, do, do-do Do, do-do, do, do-do Do, do-do, do, do-do Do, do-do, do, do-do Do, do-do, do, do-do Do, do-do, do, do-do Do, do-do, do, do-do |
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Subject: Lyr Add: CANOL ROAD (Stan Rogers) From: robomatic Date: 09 Aug 21 - 11:49 PM I just posted a song about an American road. But I can't resist this magnificent Canadian lyric by the immortal Stan Rogers. If you haven't heard it, Canol Road Well, you could see it in his eyes as they strained against the night And the bone-white-knuckled grip upon the road Sixty-five miles into town, and a winter's thirst to drown A winter still with two months left to go His eyes are too far open, his grin too hard and sore His shoulders too far high to bring relief But the Kopper King is hot, even if the band is not And it sure beats shooting whiskey jacks and trees Then he laughs and says "It didn't get me this time, not tonight I wasn't screaming when I hit the door" But his hands on the tabletop, will their shaking never stop Those hands sweep the bottles to the floor Now he's a bear in a blood-red mackinaw with hungry dogs at bay And springtime thunder in his sudden roar With one wrong word, he burns, and the table's overturned When he's finished there's a dead man on the floor Well, they watched for him in Carmacks, Haines, and Carcross With Teslin blocked, there's nowhere else to go But he hit the four-wheel drive in Johnson's Crossing Now he's thirty-eight miles up the Canol road He's thirty-eight miles up the Canol road In the Salmon Range at forty-eight below Well, it's God's own neon green above the mountains here tonight Throwing brittle coloured shadows on the snow It's four more hours till dawn, and the gas is almost gone And that bitter Yukon wind begins to blow Now you can see it in his eyes as they glitter in the light And the bone-white rime of frost around his brow Too late the dawn has come, that Yukon winter has won And he's got his cure for cabin fever now Well, they watched for him in Carmacks, Haines, and Carcross With Teslin blocked, there's nowhere else to go But they hit the four-wheel drive in Johnson's Crossing Found him thirty-eight miles up the Canol road They found him thirty-eight miles up the Canol road In the Salmon Range at forty-eight below They found him thirty-eight miles up the Canol road |
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Subject: RE: US Highways (fed and state) and songs about them From: GUEST,cetmst Date: 10 Aug 21 - 11:28 AM I spent a fair portion of my life from homes and schools i western Pennsylvania, Philadelphie area, Maryland and New Hampshire on the Pennsylvania Turnpike icluding the Northeast Extension, also on US 80 across northern Pennsylvania. Have found songs "Pennsylvania Turnpike, I Love You' by Vaughan Horton ending with the line "I'm in Somerset and thr snowplow hasn't come yet, Pennsylvana Turnpike, I'm son you'. Also Pennsylvania Turnpike Blues by Alex Shoumanoff and Pennsylvania Turnpike by Al Sorcha |
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Subject: RE: US Highways (fed and state) and songs about them From: robomatic Date: 10 Aug 21 - 08:19 PM Not naming the road, but following in the tradition of Casey Jones there are songs of truckers losing their breaks on steep roads: Harry Chapin: "30,000 pounds of bananas" C.W. McCall "Wolf Creek Pass" |
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Subject: RE: US Highways (fed and state) and songs about them From: GUEST Date: 11 Aug 21 - 07:07 AM That line was Pennsylvania Turnpike, I'm stuck on you. |
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Subject: RE: US Highways (fed and state) and songs about them From: GUEST Date: 11 Aug 21 - 08:46 AM Not US but as roadsongs go, this is Ireland's ultimate one: N 17 - 1980's Ireland N17 - 2020's Ireland |
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Subject: RE: US Highways (fed and state) and songs about them From: Newport Boy Date: 11 Aug 21 - 10:33 AM Not a specific highway but Johhny Cash's "Cisco Clifton" is a good one. |
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Subject: RE: US Highways (fed and state) and songs about them From: pattyClink Date: 12 Aug 21 - 10:45 PM Guest, thanks for the N17 links, that was new to me. Listened to the first, liked it, then all geared up for a loud thrashy 2020s version, but it went all smooth and smarmy on us! Maybe if I'd heard it first I would have liked it.... |
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Subject: RE: US Highways (fed and state) and songs about them From: GUEST Date: 13 Aug 21 - 04:23 AM You're welcome. It's still loud and thrashy, big audience shout along N17 as well. It's basically a song of 1980s emigration but the contrast between the two clips above tells a story in itself, of a country changed in many ways (and many for the better too). |
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Subject: RE: US Highways (fed and state) and songs about them From: GUEST Date: 13 Aug 21 - 04:27 AM And the old N17 has been turned into a motorway too, the M17. Although the last stretch to Tuam is perhaps the most underutilised motorway in Europe. |
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Subject: RE: US Highways (fed and state) and songs about them From: cetmst Date: 14 Aug 21 - 10:44 AM Another cross-Pennsyvania route was US322, the Lakes to the Sea highway and we'd stop off in Downingtown at a place called The Mudcat Cafe where there was good food and good music. I have loggged in to Mudcat almost daily sincee 1997 |
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Subject: Lyr Add: Gators For Sale From: cnd Date: 05 Dec 21 - 11:05 AM Here's a zany one I found recently on a CD at a thrift store. Performed by Sound Traveler, a husband and wife band (Bob Tatum and Patty Kunze Tatum) based out of Florida and Western North Carolina. Here's the description printed with their eponymous CD which the song comes from: This is a true story -- more or less. Some details have been "enhanced" for the sake of the story, but many are right on the money. When I was a kid, we did buy a baby alligator from a side-of-the-road establishment on US Highway 17. Lord Chesterfield most certainly lived in our unfinished bomb shelter, and the little beast has been the subject of legend ever since. As I've said before about this little song, "If it didn't happen this way, it should have!"GATORS FOR SALE We were headed south on U.S. 17 The sky was blue, the trees were green Muggiest day I think I've ever seen Well the sun shone hot on our sedan* roof Sweat rolled off my daddy, he began to droop Up ahead, like a mirage, we saw a sign: REFRAIN "Come see our gorilla," the billboard screamed "And snakes by the dozen like an African scene And gators, genuine gators, for sale" We were six packed in a car built for four The excitement grew til we could take no more Mama threatened murder if we didn't hush But in a moment of weakness my daddy pulled over At a shabby little shack called the Jungle Marauder And a like a herd of jackals we bolted right out of the car Well it wasn't quite Disney's Animal Kingdom And Busch Gardens had nothing to fear But back in '63 it was the finest thing we'd seen When we all burst in that man had our number Showed a tiny little gator from this land down under "Florida's finest," he said with a wicked grin REFRAIN Well, mama said "No!", daddy said "So, I wonder how big that little critter will grow!" "Please daddy! Tell him that we'll take him!" When we were back on the road again We named him after the Lord Chesterfield Inn Chester for short--and he was, for a while Then he outgrew his box in a few So we moved him into our unfinished bomb shelter To be ready, it seemed, for whatever might commence REFRAIN You see, we thought Chester might feel at ease In that block-lined hole with the water of green Showing his chompers pretty as you please Besides the Cold War didn't seem so hot In light of this growing reptile we'd got I guess the Russians would just have to wait Well, it's many years later, and I say with a tear We released that gator not far from here In a swamp just perfect for his sun lazin' style And as far as I know, he's probably content With a Mrs. Chesterfield, and they're making gators Genuine gators, for sale REFRAIN (x2) We talkin' gators Lord Chesterfield gators For sale * Pronounced see-dan |
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Subject: RE: US Highways (fed and state) and songs about them From: GerryM Date: 05 Dec 21 - 05:31 PM The War Between the States, by Hank Card & Conrad Deisler of the Austin Lounge Lizards, has this stanza: We invaded Pennsylvania The turnpike, it was long We all marched into Stuckey's One hundred thousand strong (hut-two-three-four!) The pecan logs were delicious They were a tasty treat How could we know that later We would taste a great defeat |
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Subject: RE: US Highways (fed and state) and songs about them From: GerryM Date: 06 Dec 21 - 12:56 AM The Golden Triangle by the Austin Lounge Lizards starts, Oh, the Gulf breeze was blowing those sweet petrochemical fumes I was hauling a truckload of cattle through Texas in June The cattle were lowing and calling for brew Abnormally sober, I wanted one, too I left I-10 at Beaumont, to look for an open saloon. https://youtu.be/CIVdMHoFTfk |
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Subject: RE: US Highways (fed and state) and songs about them From: PHJim Date: 06 Dec 21 - 01:26 AM Ones in my repertoire are:
Wayne Hancock's Highway 54, Wayne Hancock's Route 23 |
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Subject: ADD: New Lee Highway Blues (David Bromberg) From: Joe Offer Date: 06 Dec 21 - 01:41 AM Cool stuff, Jim. Where are Highway 53 and Route 23? From https://genius.com/David-bromberg-the-new-lee-highway-blues-lyrics: “The New Lee Highway Blues” by David Bromberg appears on his album, Wanted: Dead or Alive (1974). It’s an adaptation of “Lee Highway Blues”, a traditional southern string band song. Named after Gen. Robert E. Lee, the Lee Highway was an Auto Trail that connected New York City and San Francisco via the south and southwest. It was named after Robert E. Lee. Auto Trails were an informal network of highway routes in the U.S. and Canada in the early 20th century. Marked with colored bands on telephone poles along the road, they helped travelers find their way through a patchwork of different highway numbers on cross country road trips. The trails were marked by civic and fraternal organizations. The Lincoln Trail is probably the best known of these, and people used them extensively because many states and counties gave road improvements for the trails high priority to increase traffic and promote tourism. NEW LEE HIGHWAY BLUES (David Bromberg) All through Northern Oregon Always at my side Sleeping in those narrow beds And then we'd ride Drinking in those dirty bars Keeping out of sight Sleeping in that cold back seat And then we'd ride You know that God-damned road seemed like it went forever Exhaust fumes made our eyes turn red and swell With our clothes stuck to the seat and to our bodies It was a stinkin' summer trip to southern hell Eating carbonated crap Churning up inside Gas-soaked service station johns And then we'd ride Silence in the front seat Trying not to start to fight Quiet, half-hid cryin' And then we'd ride You know you can grow to hate these crummy little one horse towns With their seamy movie houses long closed down No where to go from here but up and down the road And nothing over there but the same goddamned town Another sour coffee cup One more piece of cardboard pie Buy a tooth brush and a change of clothes And then we'll ride https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CMuGy4HMPms |
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Subject: Lyr Add: DIXIE HIGHWAY (Gus Kahn, Walter Donaldson From: Jim Dixon Date: 20 Feb 22 - 10:52 PM From the sheet music at York University. Other copies are held by Mississippi State University and Indiana University. DIXIE HIGHWAY Words by Gus Kahn, music by Walter Donaldson, ©1922. 1. I’ve been working all day long fixing up my car, Making sure that nothing’s wrong. I’m traveling far, Way down south where I belong. How surprised they’ll be! ‘Cause I came away by freight, but I’m going home in state. CHORUS: Down the Dixie Highway I’ll be wending my way. I’m just goin’ to fly ‘way home To my little nest in Dixie. How I’ll count the hours Till I see the flowers: Roses red, violets blue. Down there they grow forget-me-nots for you. I’ll bless each rattle in my flivver, Each little knock. When I ride beside that Swanee River, I reckon All my cares will fly ‘way When I’m wending my way Down the Dixie Highway. I’m going home. PATTER: My little flivver is a real good friend. All you have to give her is a twist and a bend. She isn’t worth a nickel but I bet, by gee, She’ll bring a million dollars worth of smiles to me. Needs new tires, front and rear, The horn won’t speak to the steering gear. A little lopsided, lamps don’t light, But outside of that, ev’rything’s all right. [To CHORUS.] 2. Folks all said: “He won’t make good” when I started out. I determined that I would; now there’ll be no doubt. When they see that Ford sedan, they’ll know that means wealth. And I have done mighty fine. Ten more payments and it’s mine! - - - The Internet Archive has a vocal recording by Aileen Stanley, on Victor 18935-A (1922) – plus several instrumental arrangements. The Dixie Highway ran from Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan to Miami, Florida—see Wikipedia. |
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Subject: RE: US Highways (fed and state) and songs about them From: David C. Carter Date: 21 Feb 22 - 04:08 AM Lucinda Williams mentions Louisiana Highway,in her song"Lake Charles". Steve Young recorded "Alabama Highway". There's a video on Y.Tube. |
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Subject: RE: US Highways (fed and state) and songs about them From: GUEST Date: 21 Feb 22 - 10:45 AM Oh God said to Abraham, "Kill me a son" Abe says, "Man, you must be putting me on" God say, "No". Abe say, "What?" God say, "You can do what you want Abe, but The next time you see me comin' you better run" Well Abe says, "Where do you want this killing done?" Highway 61 (Dylan & Susan Tedeschi 1999) Highway 61 - the Blues Highway voyager |
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Subject: RE: US Highways (fed and state) and songs about them From: GUEST,pattyClink Date: 22 Feb 22 - 10:34 PM Cool! We took the Dixie Highway across the South to near Savannah long ago, great trip. This week I got to experience some great US Highways. US 90 through West Texas is always a thrill, the wide open and dramatic landscape. Okay so we didn't actually see the mysterious Marfa lights, but it was still cool to camp by the side of 90, train rumbling nearby. Detouring into the Davis Mtns for the observatory. And the newish visitor center/museum Texas has built off 90 at Langtry in honor of Judge Roy Bean etc. was fantastic, shows up before you cross the Pecos, tailgated by Border Patrol. Spent a lot of that drive singing "You Ask Me What I Like About Texas". Which does not mention US highways, but might as well. Later I cut north on US 83 from Uvalde, where the west begins if you ask me. On the east side of the road, more green fields and cedar, on the west, more mesquite scrub. This road skirts the west side of the Hill Country and so has not been ruined yet, unless you count the aggressive drivers. But close enough to Austin for a truckload of radio stations to suddenly appear, 90% various varieties of country but a sprinkling of Hispanic-Christian and whatnot. Where else can you hear "Delta Dawn" twice in one hour? Nowhere, methinks. Then it was time to fire up "East Bound and Down" by the mighty Jerry Reed, get on US 190, blast through goat, pecan, and sheep country through San Saba etc. Regrettably, like many places, 190 disappears, and you get forced onto a horrible interstate loaded with horrible new buildings, through the concrete sprawl and construction mess around Ford Hood and Killeen. But, at trail's end near Temple, a delightful campground overlooking limestone bluffs and a lake, little deer herds, live oaks, and swooping birds, not to mention warm temperatures and a homey southern host lady. Ahh. Where was I? Oh, sorry. My point was, along US 190 I heard Charley Pride singing "Is Anybody Going to San Antone" wherein he mentions "walking down 66". A damn good song which deserves to be sung more. |
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Subject: RE: US Highways (fed and state) and songs about them From: Joe Offer Date: 23 Feb 22 - 03:14 AM I've always known US 41 as the Dixie Highway. It runs up the eastern third of Wisconsin to "Up North." During deer hunting season, it was (in 1965) and probably still is bumper-to-bumper crowded with traffic going north on Friday nights, with cars full of men with guns and brandy. And on Sunday night, it was bumper-to-bumper going south, with some cars with deer carcasses on top (and a lot less brandy). I lived in Racine in Southeast Wisconsin and went to school in Milwaukee. We had wooded areas nearby and we loved them, but mostly they were areas where hunting was not allowed. So people went "up North" on the Dixie Highway to get their deer. And the venison was delicious. I apologize to my wife and all you other vegivores. I finally drove the Dixie Highway "Down South" in the 1990s after I got divorced, and I've done it a few times since. It's a wonderful trip. -Joe- |
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Subject: RE: US Highways (fed and state) and songs about them From: Stilly River Sage Date: 23 Feb 22 - 02:29 PM A bit of a segue (pardon the pun!) It seems like Under the X in Texas (by Johnny Gimble) has been around forever, but I see in his partial discography on Wikipedia that he first published it in 1992. It talks about maps and travel, not a specific road, but it always struck me as a highway type of song. It's also a popular Cowboy song (Red Steagall, who caught polio at age 15 and took up guitar for PT—he apparently got a lot of mileage out of the song.) The usual proviso: there are a lot of lyric sites that repeat the same mistakes from wherever the first one was. I poked around and found a closer-to-accurate transcription (from CowboyLyrics.com) that I corrected. The Cowboy Lyrics song may be based on Steagall's performance. I transcribed the corrected lyrics from Gimbel's performance. Under the X in Texas by Johnny Gimbel I'm sittin' here looking at a map, I got laid out on my lap There's not too many places I ain't been But the one place I love best, why it's spread all over the west And I'm tryin' to figure how to get back home again [chorus] I wish I was sittin' right under the X in Texas Right in the heart of where my heart must be No matter where I roam I never feel at home, ‘cept in Texas Right under the “X” in Texas, is where I'd like to be [solo, various: piano - guitar - steel - fiddle] I don't know what I miss the most Those mountains out west or the southern coast Or just bein’ where a fella can see for miles and miles The East Texas hills and the tall pine trees The level land with the prairie breeze Maybe I'm lonesome to see a Texas smile [chorus] Right now I wish I was sittin' right under the X in Texas Right at* the heart of where my heart must be No matter where I roam I never feel at home, ‘cept in Texas Right under the “X” in Texas, is where I'd like to be No I aint got nothin’ against the rest But why settle for better when you know what’s best And under the “X” in Texas is where it's best for me *(In the second chorus he changes the "in" the heart to "at" the heart) |
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Subject: Lyr Add: 80 HIGHWAY BLUES (Son Bond[s]) From: Jim Dixon Date: 24 Feb 22 - 11:14 AM My transcription from the recording at the Internet Archive. There are several phrases that don’t make sense and are probably wrong: 80 HIGHWAY BLUES As recorded by Son Bond* on Bluebird B-8927-A (1941) Sittin’ down here thinkin’; yes, babe, I believe I’d better go. (2x) You know I believe I’ll go down that long, long ol’ dusty road. Now that Eighty Highway is the longest highway that I know, (2x) Runnin’ all the way from Frisco, Texas, way ‘cross the Atlantic on that other wider coast [or “watercourse”?]. The church bell begin to tone; yes, some other good gambler’s gone. (2x) You know I wouldn’t hate it so bad, but that Eighty Highway is so long. You women fuss an’ argue with your good man, when you know you don’t do right yourself. (2x) You know when I look for you at night, way down on Eighty Highway with someone else. Yes, and you get in trouble, callin’ on a plowed-out forty-five. (2x) Baby and now I just open up my chifforobe, and you’ll see why my darlin’ loves to die. - - - * “Son Bond” as printed on the record label, but see Wikipedia: Son Bonds. See Wikipedia for a description of U.S. Route 80. |
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Subject: RE: US Highways (fed and state) and songs about them From: GUEST Date: 24 Feb 22 - 11:16 AM Jim Dixon.....Just by chance you last post was Post No. 66...very apt Tim |
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Subject: Lyr Add: HIGHWAY 101 (Jimmy McCracklin) From: Jim Dixon Date: 24 Feb 22 - 12:12 PM My transcription from the recording on the Internet Archive. There are some doubtful phrases: HIGHWAY 101 As recorded by Jimmy McCracklin (with Jimmy Nichols on piano) on Globe 104 (1945) Have you ever been to Memphis? Leave those greenhouse bosses run, (2x) And leave out o’ New York City, right down Highway One-Oh-One. One-Oh-One Highway, the longest highway in the world, (2x) Runs all the way to New York City, and it ain’t got a girl. I’m gon’ make some money, up on Highway One-Oh-One. (yes, yes) (2x) When I find a new still, Lord, we gon’ have some. - - - I don’t know which highway this song refers to. U.S. Route 101 is on the west coast. Several states on the east coast have state and county highways numbered 101, but I don’t see how they could link up to be “the longest highway in the world.” If anyone wants to investigate further, see Wikipedia’s List of highways numbered 101. |
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Subject: RE: US Highways (fed and state) and songs about them From: Stilly River Sage Date: 24 Feb 22 - 12:40 PM The only highway still labeled 101 is along the edge of the Pacific Coast, but obviously Memphis and New York City are in the east. It could be that a highway was renamed when it was turned into an Interstate route. I seem to remember a description of the highway out of New York City toward the lower Midwest in Kerouac's On The Road. I'll have to look into that (lit, not song, but it is a clue.) The state highways are the ones he would have taken, or federal ones that weren't freeways yet. |
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Subject: Lyr Add: HIGHWAY 59 (Roy Hawkins) From: Jim Dixon Date: 24 Feb 22 - 01:05 PM My transcription from the Internet Archive. Again, there are several doubtful phrases. HIGHWAY 59 (Hawkins) As recorded by Roy Hawkins and His Orchestra on Modern Hollywood 859 (1952) Yeah, I woke up this mornin’ with just one thing on my mind: (2x) To get me a bus down Highway Fifty-Nine. My baby have left me, but she’s still on my mind. (2x) She’s somewhere travelin’ on Highway Fifty-Nine. I’ve got spendin’ money; don’t have many friends. I’ll just keep on ridin’ and say, God, I’ll be in. Roll me outside, yes, keep on singin’ mine. Yes, singin’ my blues out on Highway Fifty-Nine. - - - U.S. Route 59 runs from the Canadian border near Lancaster, Minnesota, to the Mexican border near Laredo, Texas—but I don’t know if this is the highway Hawkins had in mind. Hawkins was born in Texas but his professional life took place mainly in California. There is a California State Route 59 but it seems relatively unimportant. |
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Subject: RE: US Highways (fed and state) and songs about them From: reggie miles Date: 24 Feb 22 - 02:13 PM I've always associated the version of 51 Highway Blues that I play with Big Joe Williams. Here's his version called New Highway 51 But my bottleneck slide version is a direct interpretation of my friend Robert One-Man Johnson's bottleneck slide version. I first heard him playing this one bottleneck slide style about 50 years ago and his playing approach heavily influenced my interest in music and early acoustic Blues by artists like Big Joe Williams. |
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Subject: RE: US Highways (fed and state) and songs about them From: reggie miles Date: 24 Feb 22 - 04:51 PM Here's a recent partial capture of my bottleneck slide version of this one, played with my self-made junk/art Nobro resophonic guitar, with harmonica lines and spoken word/storytelling parts. I wish that the whole thing would have been captured but this gives an idea about where I've taken it. 51 Highway Blues |
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Subject: Lyr Add: HIGHWAY 61 BLUES (Gatemouth Moore) From: Jim Dixon Date: 24 Feb 22 - 06:55 PM My transcription from the recording at the Internet Archive. This one was clearer than the last 2 I posted: HIGHWAY 61 BLUES (Moore) As recorded by Gatemouth Moore and the Monty Morrison Trio on King 4178-B (1947) Highway 61 is the longest highway that I know. (2x) Runs past my gal’s house to the Gulf of Mexico. Yes, I love you, baby, better than I do myself. (2x) Yes, when I leave this city, it’s where I go an’ take nobody else. When you see me passin’, hang your head an’ cry. When you see me leavin’, baby, please wave bye an’ bye. Lord knows you a beautiful woman, but still you gotta cry. Yes, baby, bye you bye. Baby, bye you bye. Baby, baby, baby, bye you bye. When you see me leavin’, hang your head and cry. I’m goin' way back home. Goin’ way back home. Goin’ way back home. Goin’ way back home. Highway 61 is the place where I must go. |
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Subject: RE: US Highways (fed and state) and songs about them From: GUEST,pattyClink Date: 24 Feb 22 - 08:29 PM Reggie, both those links lead to Joe Williams himself. Jim, second to last line concerns her 'out at a club on 45' (another M'sippi highway). But the last few words in the song still mysterious, sounds like "see why my doll's alive" but not quite right either.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U.S._Route_45_in_Wisconsin -Joe Offer- |
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Subject: RE: US Highways (fed and state) and songs about them From: reggie miles Date: 24 Feb 22 - 10:09 PM Oops! My bad! Let's try that again. 51 Highway Blues by Reggie miles |
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Subject: RE: US Highways (fed and state) and songs about them From: cnd Date: 24 Feb 22 - 11:02 PM Jim, here are a few spots I feel I can help. Feedback is welcome. HIGHWAY 101 Have you ever been to Memphis? Seen those Greyhound buses run, (2x) HIGHWAY 59 I’ll just keep on ridin’ until that highway ends |
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Subject: Lyr Add: HIGHWAY 99 (Lowel Fulson) From: Jim Dixon Date: 25 Feb 22 - 11:28 AM My transcription from the recording at the Internet Archive: HIGHWAY 99 As recorded by Lowel Fulson and Trio, Down Beat 116-A (1948). Now, there was no fare; I’m broke an’ ain’t got a dime. (2x) My time is up in California; gonna hit Highway Ninety-Nine. When I had plenty money, friends all around my do’. When I had plenty money, nothin’ but friends all ‘round my do’. Now all my money’s gone; I ain’t got no friend no mo’. I’m gonna hit that ol’ highway, and try to catch myself a ride. (2x) Because that’s a long old lonesome road and a man is bound to get very tired. - - - U.S. Route 99 runs from the Canadian border in Blaine, Washington to the Mexican border in Calexico, California. |
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Subject: Lyr Add: NEW HIGHWAY NO. 51 (Tommy McClennan) From: Jim Dixon Date: 25 Feb 22 - 01:05 PM My transcription from the recording at the Internet Archive: NEW HIGHWAY No. 51 (Tommy McClennan) As recorded by Tommy McClennan on RCA Victor 20-2931-A, 1941.
Highway 51 run right by my baby's do'.
Now, if I should die before my time shall come—
Now, yon' come that Greyhound with his tongue stickin' out on the side. (Yes, yes.)
My baby didn't have one five dollars; now she spent on that V8 Fo'd. (Yes, yes.)
Now, any time you get lonesome an' you wants to have some fun, (Yes, yes.) |
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Subject: ADD: 95 South (recorded by Joe Ely) From: GUEST,Guest Date: 25 Feb 22 - 06:18 PM Not seen it mentioned; Joe Ely has '95 South' from his 2003 album 'Streets of Sin' 95 SOUTH 95 South 95 South 95 South from Portland Maine When am I ever gonna see you again 95 South 95 South 95 South tryin to whistle a tune Potholes deeper that the craters on the moon 95 South Well, the longest train that I ever saw Had the front in the summer and the back in the fall I wish I was on that train tonight Rollin in the pale moonlight 95 South 95 South 95 South to Boston town Honey this tunnel is getting me down 95 South 95 South 95 South to the big city lights There's a big empty hole in my heart tonight 95 South Well, the longest train that I ever saw Had the front in the summer and the back in the fall I wish I was on that train tonight Rollin in the pale moonlight 95 South 95 South 95 South off the Jersey Pike Coffee colored Cadillac rollin through the night 95 South 95 South through the Carolina Pines My head is swimming in the honeysuckle vines Well, the longest train that I ever saw Had the front in the summer and the back in the fall I wish I was on that train tonight Rollin in the pale moonlight https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b92821GwTOQ |
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Subject: Lyr Add: 13 HIGHWAY (Walter Davis) + THIRTEEN ... From: Jim Dixon Date: 02 Mar 22 - 12:18 PM 13 HIGHWAY (W. Davis) As recorded by Walter Davis on “Walter Davis Vol. 3 1937-1938,” Document Records, 1994. (Originally on Bluebird B-7693-B and Montgomery Ward 7762, both 1938) Lord, I went down Thirteen Highway; I went down in my V8 Fo’d. (2x) It was rainin’ an’ stormin’; Lord, I just couldn't see the road. It was rainin’ an’ stormin’ and the cloud was dark as night. It was rainin’ an’ stormin’, mama, the cloud was dark as night. But if my V8 is gon’ fail me, I swear I’ll make everything all right. I was goin’ sixty miles an hour, all up an’ down those hills. I was goin’ sixty miles an hour, mama, all up an’ down those hills. Sometime I was goin’ so fast, I just could[n’t] control my wheels. Don’t the highway look lonesome, mama, after the sun goes down? (2x) Lord, when you all alone by yourself an’ there ain’t nobody ‘round. THIRTEEN HIGHWAY As recorded by Muddy Waters on “One More Mile: Chess Collectibles, Vol. 1” (1994) I went down Thirteen Highway, drivin' a brand new V8 Ford. (2x) Oh, you know, I was drivin' so fast, baby, I couldn't hardly see the road. Oh, I was drivin' sixty miles an hour, all up and down the hill. Oh, you know, I was drivin' sixty miles an hour, all up and down the hill. Oh, you know, I was speedin' so fast, I couldn't hardly control my wheel. Don't the highway look lonesome, after the sun done gone down? Oh, don't the highway look so lonesome, after the sun done gone down? Oh, you know, you all alone by yourself; there ain't nobody else around. |
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Subject: RE: US Highways (fed and state) and songs about them From: GUEST,paperback Date: 22 Aug 23 - 11:56 PM Ellis Dolan - I-10 Highway Ellis Dolan - Rock Springs - by Dean Cook, Lon Austin, and Tony Norris - about Arizona State Route 69 |
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Subject: RE: US Highways (fed and state) and songs about them From: Hagman Date: 23 Aug 23 - 04:32 AM [Verse 1] Lord, that 61 Highway, it the longest road I know Lord, that 61 Highway, it the longest road I know She run from New York City, run right by my baby's do' [Verse 2] Well, there some folks said them Greyhound buses don't run Lordy, some folks said them Greyhound buses don't run Lord, just go to West Memphis, baby, look down Highway 61 [Verse 3] I said, please, please see somebody for me I said please, please see somebody for me If you see my baby tell her she's alright with me [Verse 4] Lord, if I should happen a-die, baby before you think my time have come Lord, if I should happen a-die, baby 'fore you think my time have come I want you bury my body down on Highway 61 Mississippi Fred McDowell. "Perfect," wrote Alan Lomax, on first hearing. |
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Subject: RE: US Highways (fed and state) and songs about them From: cnd Date: 24 Aug 23 - 12:51 PM Tyler Childer's song Country Squire makes a reference to US 23, eastern KY's self-appointed "Country Music Highway" (listen) Well tonight, I'm up in Chillicothe Down-wind from the paper mill I’m out here spittin' on the sidewalk Taking in the factory smells Head and nose, she tends to smokin' out the window In the air, that gas pipe leak I wonder if she’s cringing at the same time Thinking pretty thoughts of me I was up for hours this morning Pulling traps before I said goodbye I plan to tan myself a fox hide And hang it on my darling bride 'Cause they tell me that it's gonna be a big one And the snow is settin' in And I don't want her cold while I ain't at home The way that I have been CHORUS Spending my nights in a bar room, Lord Turnin' them songs into two-by-fours Dreaming 'bout the day that I’m sitting by the fire Huddled with my honey in the Country Squire Well tomorrow, we hit the country music highway On our way to Circleville We’re off to do some weekend warring While we sing and drink our fill And when I ain't out playing on my six-string With the nickels I acquire I’m trying to fix her up a castle It's called the Country Squire It's a 24-foot-long vessel That measures eight feet wide It's a 53-year-old camper It’s made to pull behind And I've gutted to the studs and the rafters And I'm building back piece by piece I'm trying to fix her up a temple My Lady of the Estill Springs CHORUS One day, I aim to have myself a family And a cabin on the hill And I might have to come off of the highway To help with the family bills But when the kids have got a little older On the day that I retire I'll take her somewhere warm for the winter Pulling our Country Squire CHORUS |
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Subject: RE: US Highways (fed and state) and songs about them From: GUEST,Phil d'Conch Date: 24 Aug 23 - 01:47 PM Rereading the thread. Some old, old Tamiami Trail bidness. Joe: The last portion is known as Alligator Alley, which is mostly part of Interstate 75…. Miccosukee Indian Village: 25.7612101, -80.7795198. The East-West leg of the old Tamiami Trail of song and post card was Florida State Highway 41 several miles to the south. It's still there. Alligator Alley, The Big Cypress & Reservation &c &c were all bound up in the usual grand old Florida real estate and eminent domain politics. The tribe retained exclusive concession rights (the tourist traps, gas stations, fast food &c) for the whole stretch of both highways. The eastern portion of the levee on the “Old Trail” is now considered sacred tribal ground by the local folk. |
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Subject: RE: US Highways (fed and state) and songs about them From: GUEST,Cnd Date: 29 Sep 23 - 05:34 PM Heard Jason Carter play Highway 52 tonight, the Mike Evans song. I'll add lyrics / post a link later |
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Subject: RE: US Highways (fed and state) and songs about them From: Donuel Date: 02 Oct 23 - 03:10 PM On the Blue Ridge Parkway |
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Subject: RE: US Highways (fed and state) and songs about them From: GUEST,paperback Date: 03 Oct 23 - 12:28 AM "Pasadena" Writer(s): Johannes Vandenberg, George Young, David Hemmings Ooh it's such a long, long way to Pasadena Ooh it's such a long, long way to Pasadena Where the dirt track meets the highway And there ain't no time at all Just a world movin' forward On a big black motored crawl And the drivers in their Chevrolet's Ain't got no time at all To find no lonely hikers way It's when I wanna say Ooh it's such a long, long way to Pasadena Ooh just to find some air that's kind of cleaner Pasadena town is where I'm goin' Why did they cut Beales Rise To stage coach through Newhall For a Mustang pony car To muss up City Hall Now there's a long freeway Where the desert used to be And there's no way that you can hike it Ooh you'll see Ooh it's such a long, long way to Pasadena Ooh just to find some air that's kind of cleaner Pasadena town is where I'm goin' Do, do, do, do, do, do do... Do, do, do, do, do, do do... Pasadena town is where I'm goin' There ain't no other town that I call home Ooh it's such a long, long way to Pasadena Ooh yeah yeah Ooh it's such a long, long way to Pasadena Oh no my car wont start Ooh it's such a long, long way to Pasadena _____ 1939 Arroyo Seco |
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Subject: RE: US Highways (fed and state) and songs about them From: oldhippie Date: 08 Oct 23 - 10:09 AM Route 666 - Robert Hazard You take route fifty off of route forty-nine Hang a left at the head of the river You tunnel through the woods where they turn pitch black Let the fog roll over your windows Now the eyes in your headlights They might be a deer Or some howling thing running the road You know, somebody could die out here And nobody would ever know C'mon baby, don't let me down Way out here in the sticks There ain't another soul around On Route Six Sixty Six They tell stories about demons that fly through the night On black wings just like eagles They say there's men that do things down here That ain't exactly legal Now I had a buddy and he drove off the road Into a ditch and his truck went down They searched the swamp and towed out his truck But my good buddy was never found C'mon baby, don't let me down Way out here in the sticks Get me over to that interstate Off of Route Six Sixty Six Took a ride in the old Camaro Bald tire on the right front side Should have stuck to the straight and narrow Instead of going on this hell-bent ride There's a house on the lake way back in the woods Where they're practicing some kind of voodoo The kids run around with no clothes on And their little eyes look right through you Now my foot's to the metal But I see the big E shining red on the dashboard light I ain't talked to God for a hundred years But I'm sayin' this prayer tonight C'mon baby, don't let me down Way out here in the sticks I thank heaven for a Seven-Eleven On Route Six Sixty Six C'mon baby, don't let me down Way out here in the sticks Not another livin' soul around On Route Six Sixty Six |
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Subject: RE: US Highways (fed and state) and songs about them From: crism Date: 12 Oct 23 - 01:53 AM “Drivin’ on 9” by Ed’s Redeeming Qualities is, despite the Carson City reference, about NH-9 as I understand it (ERQ was formed at UNH.) “There Is a Road (Route 50)” by the great Cincinnati band The Tillers is about US-50 (of course). |
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Subject: RE: US Highways (fed and state) and songs about them From: crism Date: 12 Oct 23 - 01:55 AM Oh, and Jim Malcolm’s “Road to New York” is about the Massachusetts Turnpike (I-90). |
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Subject: RE: US Highways (fed and state) and songs about them From: cnd Date: 12 Oct 23 - 09:49 AM Gordon Lightfoot's song "Carefree Highway" was written about Arizona State Route 74 (link) |
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Subject: RE: US Highways (fed and state) and songs about them From: GUEST,Cnd Date: 29 Sep 23 - 05:34 PM Heard Jason Carter play Highway 52 tonight, the Mike Evans song. I'll add lyrics / post a link later |
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Subject: RE: US Highways (fed and state) and songs about them From: GUEST,paperback Date: 03 Oct 23 - 12:28 AM "Pasadena" Writer(s): Johannes Vandenberg, George Young, David Hemmings Ooh it's such a long, long way to Pasadena Ooh it's such a long, long way to Pasadena Where the dirt track meets the highway And there ain't no time at all Just a world movin' forward On a big black motored crawl And the drivers in their Chevrolet's Ain't got no time at all To find no lonely hikers way It's when I wanna say Ooh it's such a long, long way to Pasadena Ooh just to find some air that's kind of cleaner Pasadena town is where I'm goin' Why did they cut Beales Rise To stage coach through Newhall For a Mustang pony car To muss up City Hall Now there's a long freeway Where the desert used to be And there's no way that you can hike it Ooh you'll see Ooh it's such a long, long way to Pasadena Ooh just to find some air that's kind of cleaner Pasadena town is where I'm goin' Do, do, do, do, do, do do... Do, do, do, do, do, do do... Pasadena town is where I'm goin' There ain't no other town that I call home Ooh it's such a long, long way to Pasadena Ooh yeah yeah Ooh it's such a long, long way to Pasadena Oh no my car wont start Ooh it's such a long, long way to Pasadena _____ 1939 Arroyo Seco |
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Subject: RE: US Highways (fed and state) and songs about them From: Donuel Date: 02 Oct 23 - 03:10 PM On the Blue Ridge Parkway |
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Subject: RE: US Highways (fed and state) and songs about them From: oldhippie Date: 08 Oct 23 - 10:09 AM Route 666 - Robert Hazard You take route fifty off of route forty-nine Hang a left at the head of the river You tunnel through the woods where they turn pitch black Let the fog roll over your windows Now the eyes in your headlights They might be a deer Or some howling thing running the road You know, somebody could die out here And nobody would ever know C'mon baby, don't let me down Way out here in the sticks There ain't another soul around On Route Six Sixty Six They tell stories about demons that fly through the night On black wings just like eagles They say there's men that do things down here That ain't exactly legal Now I had a buddy and he drove off the road Into a ditch and his truck went down They searched the swamp and towed out his truck But my good buddy was never found C'mon baby, don't let me down Way out here in the sticks Get me over to that interstate Off of Route Six Sixty Six Took a ride in the old Camaro Bald tire on the right front side Should have stuck to the straight and narrow Instead of going on this hell-bent ride There's a house on the lake way back in the woods Where they're practicing some kind of voodoo The kids run around with no clothes on And their little eyes look right through you Now my foot's to the metal But I see the big E shining red on the dashboard light I ain't talked to God for a hundred years But I'm sayin' this prayer tonight C'mon baby, don't let me down Way out here in the sticks I thank heaven for a Seven-Eleven On Route Six Sixty Six C'mon baby, don't let me down Way out here in the sticks Not another livin' soul around On Route Six Sixty Six |
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Subject: RE: US Highways (fed and state) and songs about them From: crism Date: 12 Oct 23 - 01:53 AM “Drivin’ on 9” by Ed’s Redeeming Qualities is, despite the Carson City reference, about NH-9 as I understand it (ERQ was formed at UNH.) “There Is a Road (Route 50)” by the great Cincinnati band The Tillers is about US-50 (of course). |
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Subject: RE: US Highways (fed and state) and songs about them From: crism Date: 12 Oct 23 - 01:55 AM Oh, and Jim Malcolm’s “Road to New York” is about the Massachusetts Turnpike (I-90). |
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Subject: RE: US Highways (fed and state) and songs about them From: cnd Date: 12 Oct 23 - 09:49 AM Gordon Lightfoot's song "Carefree Highway" was written about Arizona State Route 74 (link) |
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Subject: Lyr Add: Asheville City Skyline From: cnd Date: 27 Nov 23 - 12:13 PM Listen to the song (click). Lyrics copied and modified from AZlyrics. Route 74 is of course US 74 which runs mostly through North Carolina and a little bit of Tennessee, starting in Wilmington and heading west through Charlotte, and Asheville before ultimately wending in to Chattanooga. I have driven all of the portion of US 74 in NC (not continuously) but none of the section in Tennessee. I'm hoping to eventually make a trip out of just going from one end to the other. ASHEVILLE CITY SKYLINE Guitar cases, long faces A warm embrace and Sarah's tears Freeway hums and sadness comes And LAX just disappears Airplane jails, and ginger ale A magazine or two Landing gear, an airport beer And I'm on my way to you CHORUS Rolling up route 74 Through the French Broad River corridor I see old Black Mountain holding court And I know the trip is getting short And then there you are so divine The crown on Queen Caroline The Asheville city skyline Old buds, bear hugs Settle in to pick some strings Blue Ridge trees, a Pisgah breeze Ian's hungry and Jacob sings Microphones, a banjo drones A banner head across my knee Makers Mark, gettin' dark Feels mighty fine to finally be CHORUS Then it's said and done with a warm chuckle The sound of a mando case buckle Morning chill, a coffee bill Take to the skies and realize I sure wish that I was still CHORUS |
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Subject: Lyr Add: NEW HAMPSHIRE HIGHWAY (Willard Robison) From: Jim Dixon Date: 22 Jan 24 - 11:16 AM I don’t even know if this is meant to refer to a specific highway: My transcription from the recording at the Internet Archive: NEW HAMPSHIRE HIGHWAY (Robison) As recorded by Willard Robison and his Piano on Perfect 12384 B, 1927. VERSE: I’m home again from such a grand vacation. My trip has not been all in vain. Amid the views of old New Hampshire I found the real lover’s lane. CHORUS: New Hampshire highway, I have this much to say: It broke my heart to leave you. Contentment everywhere amid your scenes so rare, They thrilled me through and through. I found someone to love me In that good old-fashioned way. New Hampshire highway, I have this much to say: I’ll come again someday. |
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Subject: Lyr Add: POMPTON TURNPIKE (W Osborne, D Rogers) From: Jim Dixon Date: 22 Jan 24 - 06:39 PM My transcription from the recording at the Internet Archive. I have used dashes to indicate pauses in the rhythm. POMPTON TURNPIKE (Will Osborne, Dick Rogers) As recorded by Louis Jordan and His Tympany Five (vocal by Louis Jordan) on Decca 8500 A, 1940. Pompton—Turnpike: That’s a very famous Jersey roadway Full of—country—charm. Pompton—Turnpike Leads you to a place not far from Broadway. Still it’s—on a—farm. You dine with life subdued. The music interlude Puts you right in the mood To dance and find yourself romance. Pompton—Turnpike: Ride your bike, or if you like, just hitchhike. Come to—Pompton—Turnpike. You can ride your bike, if you like, But if you can’t ride a bike, you better hitchhike To Pompton, To Pompton, Better come to—Pompton—Turnpike. [From the Wikipedia article, Newark-Pompton Turnpike: Charlie Barnet recorded the song Pompton Turnpike, which was written by Will Osborne and Dick Rogers, about the Meadowbrook, a swing era performance venue on Pompton Avenue in Cedar Grove, NJ. It is now a Macedonian Orthodox Church. The song was covered as a jazz/blues vocal version by Louis Jordan, the "King of the Jukebox" in the 1940s.You can also hear Barnet’s recording at the Internet Archive, but it is an instrumental. [A catalog entry at the University of Alberta library indicates that there is a missing verse that begins: “Stranger, can you tell me where I'll find a certain highway leading to a very famous rendez-vous?”] |
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Subject: RE: US Highways and songs about them From: cnd Date: 26 Mar 24 - 08:51 AM Grapes On the Vine mentions Route 22, which I believe is US Route 22 as it passes through Pittsburgh (FYI -- not sure if this is a recent change, but my attempts to post were met with an error informing me the Subject title was 52 characters, two over a 50-character limit.) |
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Subject: RE: US Highways (fed and state) and songs about them From: David C. Carter Date: 27 Mar 24 - 09:59 AM Hank Williams:Lost Highway Arlo Guthrie:Highway in the Wind |
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Subject: RE: US Highways (fed and state) and songs about them From: GUEST,paperback Date: 14 Jun 24 - 07:46 PM The Devil Wears a Suit and Tie Colter Wall Well Reverend Reverend please come quick 'Cause I got something to admit I met a man out in the sticks A good old miss He drove a series 10 cadillac And wore cigar on his lip Don't you know the Devil wears a suit and tie I saw him driving down the sixty one in early July White as a cotton field And sharp as a knife I heard him howlin' as he passed me by And he said I know you I know you, young man I know you by the state of your hands You're a six string picker Just as I... I am Let me learn ya some I know a few turns to make all the girls dance Don't you know the Devil wears a suit and tie I saw him driving down the sixty one in early July White as a cotton field And sharp as a knife I heard him howlin' as he passed me by Foolish foolish was I Damn my foolish eyes Cause that man's lessons had a price Oh sweet price My sweet soul Everlasting My very own Eternal light Don't you know the Devil wears a suit and tie I saw him driving down the sixty one in early July White as a cotton field And sharp as a knife I heard him howlin' as he passed me by Well the Devil wears a suit and tie I saw him driving down the sixty one in early July White as a cotton field And sharp as a knife I heard him howlin' As he passed me By |
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Subject: RE: US Highways (fed and state) and songs about them From: Neil D Date: 15 Jun 24 - 03:13 AM Woody Guthrie's "the Asch Recordings" 1944 and 1945 included his song "Hard Traveling" with the line "I've been walking that Lincoln Highway / I thought you knowed". The Lincoln Highway being US 30, the first coast to coast road. It ran from Time Square to San Fransisco. Other than the brief mention by Guthrie there have been many songs written about the Lincoln Highway including 3 marches and a symphony. |
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Subject: RE: US Highways (fed and state) and songs about them From: GUEST,henryp Date: 16 Jun 24 - 07:05 AM Long Long Time To Get Old (Ian Tyson) from Great Speckled Bird (1969) - and a great album too! The eagle’s flying tomorrow, mosquito biting me today I ride the bus to Toronto,. Highway 2 all the way I take a walk along Yonge Street, where good times are bought and sold Remember this, children, if the good Lord’s willing, live a long long time to get old Yonge Street, Toronto, is a major arterial route in the Canadian province of Ontario connecting the shores of Lake Ontario in Toronto to Lake Simcoe, a gateway to the Upper Great Lakes. Ontario's first colonial administrator, John Graves Simcoe, named the street for his friend Sir George Yonge, an expert on ancient Roman roads. |
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Subject: RE: US Highways (fed and state) and songs about them From: cnd Date: 10 Jul 24 - 08:45 AM Can't believe I forgot about this song for so long... Pure Prairie League's famous roast of Merle Haggard (and country singers in general) pretending to be country, but not actually *being* country.... It's already on Mudcat (click) so I won't repeat the lyrics. |
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Subject: Highway 1 and Highway 101 From: GUEST Date: 13 Jul 24 - 12:08 PM I made this up when I was living on Comptche-Ukiah Road, three miles east of the town (not village) of Mendococino. Despite what Siri says, it's pronounced com-chee. I recommend mudcatters heading south from Mendo take 101, as the southbound lane of Coast Highway 1 has fallen into the ocean. To the tune of Country Roads: Almost normal, Mendocino Sprouts at Corners, coffee at the Good Life. Life is weird here, weirder than you think Raccoons in the garbage, spiders in the sink Comptche Road, take me home Where it ain’t so darn quaint Where there’s no one taking photos Take me home, Comptche Road. I see them out on the headlands, staring at their phones “Is that a dolphin or a whale?” is what they say. “Give us all your money,” say the shopkeepers, “And then go back to San Jose…” Highway One Take them home To the place they belong San Francisco, Palo Alto Take them home, 101. I hear their voices as I drive in to get my mail “Is there a bathroom in this town?” is what they say. Looking for a parking space, I’m wishing That they all had gone home yesterday Yesterday |
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Subject: Highway 1 and Highway 101 - oops From: GUEST,Ancient Matriarch Date: 13 Jul 24 - 01:02 PM Yup, this was me. |
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