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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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