When I was a kid, there was a restaurant on the outskirts of town called El Rancho. Everyone went for the barbecue, but I wanted to go for a couple of other things. I loved their french fries and was fascinated by the little jukeboxes on the tables. Flipping the silver tags to scan the pages of the songs, I pleaded with my parents to let me drop in a nickel.
They always relented, and I always played “Take Me Home, Country Roads” by John Denver.
I am not sure if I sang, but I knew all of the words.
Almost heaven, West Virginia
Blue Ridge Mountains
Shenandoah River –
Life is old there
Older than the trees
Younger than the mountains
Growin’ like a breeze
Country Roads, take me home
To the place I belong
West Virginia, mountain momma
Take me home, country roads
All my memories gathered ’round her
Miner’s lady, stranger to blue water
Dark and dusty, painted on the sky
Misty taste of moonshine
Teardrops in my eye
Country Roads, take me home
To the place I belong
West Virginia, mountain momma
Take me home, country roads
I hear her voice
In the mornin’ hour she calls me
The radio reminds me of my home far away
And drivin’ down the road I get a feelin’
That I should have been home yesterday, yesterday
Country Roads, take me home
To the place I belong
West Virginia, mountain momma
Take me home, country roads
Country Roads, take me home
To the place I belong
West Virginia, mountain momma
Take me home, country roads
Take me home, now country roads
Take me home, now country roads
There were a bunch of things about the song that I liked. The guitar part was cool. The words made me visualize going down a country road, and country roads were a big part of my life. My dad’s family lived in the country, and we had to go down small, winding roads to get to them.
When we were not going to see my dad’s family, we were taking my mom’s parents on Sunday drives through the country. The highlight was always stopping at an old store to get a Coke and a snack. I remember people sitting on their front porches and my dad waving at all of them as we went by.
John Denver’s song hit home for me. It wasn’t until later that I realized that the song was wrong. While there are plenty of country roads in West Virginia, the Blue Ridge Mountains and the Shenandoah River don’t go into it all that much. It seems that a guy that took his name from a city would know something about geography.
SBI: A Thinning Crowd 
I had no idea the facts of the song were wrong. Howdya like that.
Of course, he could be referencing pre-Civil War Virginia, which included both states. However, I doubt that.
I love the song, though possibly not the original! it’s fun to play on the guitar too. Did you see my blog that covered this song as well as others? Became a euro-disco tune.
http://tfw5.com/2012/09/15/have-you-heard-20-if-not-for-you-by-bob-dylan-olivia-newton-john-and-what-they-spawned/
I didn’t see it, but I will check it out now.