About the song
John Denver’s Take Me Home, Country Roads (Revisited). A song that transcends geography and burrows itself deep into the soul. Denver, a folksinger with a voice as comforting as a crackling fireplace, became synonymous with this sentimental ballad that has echoed through mountain passes and city streets for over five decades.
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But Take Me Home, Country Roads wasn’t born from Denver’s own experiences. It was written by a young couple, Bill and Taffy Danoff, in their Maryland home in 1970. Inspired by a magazine photograph of West Virginia, they dreamt up a song that captured the essence of rural America, a place steeped in history yet brimming with a youthful spirit. The lyrics paint a vivid picture: the Blue Ridge Mountains, majestic and ancient, contrasting with the youthful energy of a life lived close to the land. The Shenandoah River, a ribbon of life snaking through the valleys, becomes a metaphor for the passage of time.
Denver, on a road trip, stumbled upon the Danoffs’ creation at a folk music publishing house. The song resonated with him immediately. Though not from West Virginia himself, Denver, with his Colorado roots and love for the outdoors, understood the yearning for a place to call home. His rendition, released in 1971 on his album “Poems, Prayers & Promises,” transformed the song. Denver’s warm baritone and the gentle strum of his acoustic guitar imbued the song with a profound sense of longing and belonging.
Take Me Home, Country Roads became an instant hit, reaching number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. But its impact transcended the charts. It became an anthem for West Virginia, unofficially adopted by the state legislature in 2014. Interestingly, the song itself doesn’t mention West Virginia by name in the first verse. However, subsequent references to “mountain mama” and the sheer power of the imagery leave little doubt about the intended location.
The song’s enduring appeal lies in its universality. While it evokes a specific place, the sentiment of yearning for home resonates with anyone who has ever felt a pang of displacement. The country roads become a metaphor for the journey of life, leading us back to the place where we feel most grounded, where our memories reside.
Take Me Home, Country Roads (Revisited), whether the original or any of the numerous covers, continues to hold a special place in our hearts. It’s a reminder of the simple things, the beauty of nature, and the enduring power of home.
Video
Lyrics
“John Denver – Country Roads (Revisited)”
Almost heaven, west virginia
Blue ridge mountains, shenandoah river
Life is old there, older than the trees
Younger than the mountains, blowing like a breezeCountry roads, take me home
To the place, i be-long
West virginia, mountain momma
Take me home, country roadsAll my mem’ries, gather ’round her
Miner’s lady, stranger to blue water
Dark and dusty, painted on the sky
Misty taste of moonshine, teardrop in my eyeCountry roads, take me home
To the place, i be-long
West virginia, mountain momma
Take me home, country roadsI hear her voice, in the mornin’ hours she calls to me
The radio reminds me of my home far a-way
And drivin’ down the road i get a feeling’
That i should have been home yesterday, yesterdayCountry roads, take me home
To the place, i be-long
West virginia, mountain momma
Take me home, country roads