“Take Me Home, Country Roads”

Released in 1971 – John Denver first released this song written by  Bill Danoff, Taffy Nivert, and John Denver

What the song is about: No hidden meaning here…it’s about the country roads of West Virginia and the joy of traveling home.

My favorite lines:

“Country roads, take me home
To the place I belong
West Virginia, mountain momma
Take me home, country roads”

What the words mean to me: I wanted to belong somewhere and I longed for a country road to take me home.  My home was not in West Virginia, or in the mountains, but I guarantee my home had my momma.  I longed for her when I was a child.  We were sent to my grandmother’s home in Florida every summer due to the need for child care.  My dad had John Denver on an 8-track tape and I remember listening to it in the car – both directions.  On the way to Florida it made me very sad.  All I could think about was how much I was going to miss my mom and dad.  On the way back to Ohio at the end of the summer I felt lost because abandoning my grandmother did not seem like the right thing to do, but I so did not like being there.  I wanted to be with my mother and father – always.

There was one road in particular that I will always remember on the journey home that this song brings to mind.  It is barren and straight and goes on forever.  It felt symbolic of how far away and empty I always felt as a child – no matter where I was.

Take Me Home, Country Roads – full lyrics