Lyr ADD: On the Road to Anywhere (various)

Subject: RE: Lyr ADD: On the Road to Anywhere (various)
From: GUEST,Diolch yn fair iawn
Date: 25 Feb 24 - 02:40 PM

THANK YOU VERY MUCH! For years, I've wondered about the origin of this song. On road trips in the 60's we used to sing only the
chorus. I never asked my mom where the song came from..
Our Taid (grandfather in Welsh) was born in Northern
Wales,and we think he came into the US from Canada.
Mom was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin in 1914.
So, this info reinforces the British Isles connection.

Our words were a little different:

We're on the road to anywhere
Never a heartache and never a care
Got no home, got no friends
Thankful for everything the good Lord sends
We're on the road to anywhere
Every milestone seems to say
That through all the wear and tear
The road to anywhere
Will lead to somewhere someday

Subject: RE: Lyr ADD: On the Road to Anywhere (various)
From: GUEST,Niney
Date: 03 Jun 23 - 02:09 PM

Strange thing! on a rainy day road trip I asked where we were heading and the driver said, "Anywhere". Immediate earworm created because we used to sing The Road to Anywhere as a campfire song many years ago in the Scouts back in Belfast. I managed to work out the chorus but couldn't get the verses so thank you so much for the words. Can't remember what I done yesterday but can get a song we sung in the sixties.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: On the Road to Anywhere (Scott Sanders)
From: GUEST,singdown
Date: 18 Feb 22 - 01:45 AM

I learned it as a camp song (Camp Tamarack, in Brighton, Michigan) in 1966. We only did the chorus, with slightly modified lyrics.

On the road, on the road to anywhere.
With never a heartache. With never a care.
We got no home, HEY! We got no friends, HEY!
We’re thankful for anything the good lord sends,
On the road, on the road to anywhere.
Each milestone seems to say, OUCH MY TOE!
The road to anywhere, the road to anywhere
Will lead to Tamarack, somedayyyyy. HEY!

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: On the Road to Anywhere (Scott Sanders)
From: GUEST
Date: 16 Feb 19 - 04:54 PM

Thank you all so much for this post. My Geordie Grandmother used to sing this to my children whenever we started a road trip, but she could never remember more than a few lines of the chorus. It was good enough to make us smile and we still sing those same few lines on occasion in her memory. The family will go wild when I can add a few more to the next road trip.

Subject: Lyr Add: ON THE ROAD TO ANYWHERE (Scott Sanders)
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 14 Dec 18 - 11:59 AM

The sheet music is now viewable on Google Drive (put there, apparently, by The University of Alberta, because it is indexed by them). I have boldfaced the words that are different from those posted by Bainbo above.


ON THE ROAD TO ANYWHERE
Words and music by Scott Sanders, ©1922.

1. There's a long white road leading through the countryside,
I roam along each day,
Far away from trouble, care, and strife,
Miles and miles away from all the noise of city life.
See me roaming in the gloaming,
Leading a life of bliss.
Under a sunny sky,
Never a care have I,
And the reason why is this:

CHORUS: I'm on the road, on the road to anywhere,
With never a heartache and never a care.
Got no home; got no friends,
Grateful for ev’rything the good Lord sends,
On the road, on the road to anywhere,
Where every milestone seems to say
That through all the wear and tear,
The road to anywhere
May lead to somewhere some day.

2. When the shades of night are falling over hill and dale,
I snuggle down to sleep.
Through the land of golden dreams I stray,
Till the skylark's song awakes me to another day.
Then the highway again is my way
Over the moor and glen,
Trudging along alone,
Only a rolling stone,
But I'm in my glory when: CHORUS

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Road to Anywhere
From: GUEST,Steve McIntosh
Date: 09 Jan 18 - 03:49 PM

I know the tune of the chorus from my mother.......she'll be 101 yo in June '18. Her words were a little different.......got no money, got no friends, bound for to anywhere the long road ends, we're on the road, we're on the road to anywhere....etc. She still plays the piano too.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Road to Anywhere
From: GUEST,A.B.Kundargi
Date: 21 Oct 16 - 05:57 PM

We are on the road to anywhere. Cadets on training ship Dufferin in India used to sing this song from 40s till late 70s.But I didn't know its history.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Road to Anywhere
From: GUEST,Robyn
Date: 07 Jul 16 - 08:17 AM

My Grandad used to sing the version of "On the Road to Anywhere" posted by Bainbo. He was from Lancashire and migrated to Australia in the 1920s. He had a great repertoire of similar songs and they were passed down to my mother, and to us. I have taught them to my sons. "On the Road to Anywhere" was a particular favourite, especially when you added to the end of the chorus "have a banana, got some". Fantastic to find out that it lives on well beyond our family! I was also amazed to hear a rendition in the 1995 UK TV series "Our Friends in the North", which linked the song to the Jarrow March.

Subject: Lyr Add: ROAD TO ANYWHERE (Smoky Dawson)
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 19 May 16 - 01:50 AM

This sounds like an Australian country song:

ROAD TO ANYWHERE
As recorded by Smoky Dawson on "Homestead of My Dreams" (2005)

I'm riding along a-singin' a song on the road to anywhere,
Driftin' around from town to town, on the road that never ends.
Too late to settle down, for there's a country road to share.
Wherever I go, there's a fellow I know on the road to anywhere.

Down in … Valley there's a lady I left behind.
In dreams I hear her callin' me from the crossroads of my mind.
Too late for me to change, 'cause there's a part of my heart back there,
Though I'm travelin' on where I belong: on the road to anywhere.

I've had my shares of ups and downs in searching out my dreams.
I paid my debts with no regrets for what I might have been.
I left behind a smile for some lonely heart to share.
I'm happy and free as any man can be on the road to anywhere.

The world is full of dreamers; some rise where others fall.
I'm satisfied; at least I tried than(?) never have been tried at all.
Somewhere along the way I'll find someone who'll care.
If you want to be free, take a ride out with me on the road to anywhere.

Too late to settle down, for there's a country road to share.
I'm happy and free as any man can be on the road to anywhere.
If you want to be free, take a ride out with me on the road to anywhere.

Subject: Lyr Add: A ROAD TO ANYWHERE (Linville Ridge Band)
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 19 May 16 - 01:48 AM

This one is bluegrass:

A ROAD TO ANYWHERE
As recorded by The Linville Ridge Band on "A Road to Anywhere" (2004)

Seeing the life drain from his old man
As the sun sets beyond the canyon rim,
Knowing there's another life somewhere,
And a future that doesn't look so dim.

CHORUS: And he'll ride out o' town on a song and a prayer,
The song that he sings about a road to anywhere.
He was born to escape the coal mine's black lung
To avoid a life that's over before it has begun.

How can he cut the ties that bind
His very soul to this poor rocky ground,
And leave his home for a faraway life
With promised hope but no fam'ly around? CHORUS

He's dreading the day should he ever leave.
He fears he won't come home again,
But he knows his future if he does stay
Is in a graveyard with fam'ly and friends. CHORUS

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Road to Anywhere
From: GUEST,Ron Gunness Mallabula NSW
Date: 17 May 16 - 11:52 PM

We used to play this song on a pianola roll that also included 'Gundagi' and 'Yarrawonga' etc. I will never forget the words as Pop bellowed them out every singalong which was quite often.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Road to Anywhere
From: Joe Offer
Date: 26 May 10 - 02:52 AM

Bainbo sent me an MP3 of the tune for "Road to Anywhere." If anybody can transcribe it to a MIDI and send it to me as a replacement, that would be very nice, since MIDI files take up far less room. In the meantime, here's the tune. Thanks, Bainbo.

---

Click to play (MP3)

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Road to Anywhere
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 24 May 10 - 12:04 AM

The National Library of Australia lists this song in its catalogue, although the sheet music is not viewable online:

ON THE ROAD TO ANYWHERE
Words and music by Scott Sanders
Sydney : J. Albert & Son, c1922.
"Sung by Vera Murray"
Another copy says " "Sung by Colin Crane with 'Midnight Frolics'"


The British Library also lists this song:

THE ROAD TO ANYWHERE
Words by B. Sayers. Music by Denis Ashleigh.
London: Collard Moutrie, 1917.

Subject: Lyr Add: THE ROAD TO ANYWHERE (Reg Stoneham)
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 23 May 10 - 11:48 PM

Not the same song, I know, but possibly worth having.

From the State Library of Victoria (Click for a PDF file of the sheet music.)


"The Advertiser Hiking Song"
THE ROAD TO ANYWHERE
By Reg Stoneham
Adelaide: Advertiser Office, [19--?]

1. When you're feeling sad and blue,
And you don't know what to do
Ev'ry one should be like me
Strap a pack uon your back,
Then get out up on the track,
Where the road is wide and free
Take a crack at the track with a sack and a pack on your back.

CHORUS: Go rolling along the road that leads to anywhere,
Yes, anywhere will do
There something forever calling me 'way over there
To where the skies are blue
I rest 'neath a shady tree, by a waterfall
A pack on my back, an open track and then just like a ball,
Go rolling along the road that leads to anywhere,
The road to anywhere at all.

2. You are happy all the while,
There's a smile in ev'ry mile
And you never count the hours
When the sun is in the west,
Then you settle down to rest
With the birds and trees and flow'rs
Take a crack at the track with a sack and a pack on your back.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Road to Anywhere
From: GUEST
Date: 20 May 10 - 01:20 AM

maybe if you posted your email address we could email you for a copy of the AIFF tune; I only know how the chorus goes and would love to know the rest of the song. thank you.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Road to Anywhere
From: Bainbo
Date: 10 Dec 08 - 05:18 AM

In my own ham-fisted, unmusical, untechnological way, I've managed to use the Garage Band program to do the equivalent of picking out the tune with one finger, almost in tempo, and save it as an AIFF audio file. But I don't know how or where to post it. I'd love to think I could help other people to know this song, besides me, though.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Road to Anywhere
From: GUEST,rhiw 311
Date: 07 Dec 08 - 02:18 PM

does anyone have the music?

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Road to Anywhere
From: Bainbo
Date: 12 Oct 08 - 04:54 PM

THE ROAD TO ANYWHERE
Songwriter: ??

There's a long wide road, leading through the countryside, I roam along each day.
Far away from trouble, care and strife
Miles and miles away from all the noise of city life,
See me roaming through the gloaming
Leading a life of bliss.
Under a sunny sky,
Never a care have I
And the reason why is this ...

CHORUS
I'm on the road, on the road to anywhere
With never a heartache and never a care
Got no home, got no friends
Grateful for everything the Good Lord sends,
On the road, on the road to anywhere
Where every milestone seems to say
That through all the wear and tear,
The road to anywhere
May lead to somewhere someday.

When the shades of night come creeping over hill and dale, I snuggle down to sleep.
Through the land of broken dreams I stray,
Till the skylark's song awakes me to another day.
And then the highway, and shaded byway
Over the moor and glen
Trudging along alone,
Only a rolling stone,
But I'm in my glory when ...

CHORUS



There. And only took four years! I wish I'd seen this when it was first posted - the song's been rattling around in my head for the best part of 30 years. I had it on an old shellac 78rpm record that my grandad bought, probably sometime in the 1920s. There was some rubbish (IMHO) in the collection I took over, but a lot of good music hall stuff too. I played it on a wind-up gramophone and learnt it, but - unforgivably - threw all the records out when they started taking up too much room.

The song obviously comes from a more innocent time, when not having a roof over your head was seen as being charming and romantic.

Now I don't even remember who recorded it or wrote it. The name Jack Charman comes to mind, but I think I might just be remembering him from the labels on some of the other records in the collection instead.

Anyway, I hope this is still some help

---

Click to play (MP3)

Subject: Lyr Req: Road to Anywhere
From: GUEST,Graham Pirt
Date: 15 Nov 04 - 05:18 PM

Trying to find the lyrics for a song from the 1920's / 30's which had the following words:

We're on the road to anywhere,
With never a heartache and never a care,
Got no home got no cares,
I'm thankful for everything the good Lord sends.

I did once come across someone who had the sheet music but they wouldn't part with it and they've now lost it!