Country Road
Carole King Lyrics


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Take to the highway won't you lend me your name
Your way and my way seem to be one and the same

Mama don't understand it
She wants to know where I've been
I'd have to be some kind of natural born fool
To want to pass that way again
But you know I could feel it
On a country road

Sail on home to Jesus won't you good girls and boys
I'm all in pieces, you can have your own choice
But I can hear a heavenly band full of angels
And they're coming to set me free
I don't know nothing 'bout the why or when
But I can tell that it's bound to be
Because I could feel it, child, yeah
On a country road

I guess my feet know where they want me to go
Walking on a country road

Take to the highway won't you lend me your name
Your way and my way seem to be one and the same, child
Mama don't understand it
She wants to know where I've been
I'd have to be some kind of natural born fool
I wanna pass that way again
But I could feel it, oh
On a country road

Walk on down, walk on down, walk on down
Walk on down, walk on down a country road
La la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la
Country road, oh, yeah
Walking on a country road





Country road, uh
Country road

Overall Meaning

The opening lines in Carole King's song "Country Road" implore the listener to take a journey with her down the road less traveled. She asks for their name, as it symbolizes not just their identity, but their connection to the path they will take together. King sings that their reasons for taking this path may be different, but ultimately, they are united on this journey. However, her mother does not understand why she is taking this road, and wonders where she has been. King admits that she would have to be a "natural born fool" to want to go down that path again, yet she can feel its allure.


In the second verse, King sings about being broken and at a loss, and calling out to good boys and girls to sail back home to Jesus. However, she can hear a "heavenly band full of angels" coming to set her free. She doesn't know why or when they will arrive, but she knows that they will. King's feet seem to know where they want to go, and she is content to walk down that country road. The song ends with an almost ecstatic repetition of the chorus, inviting listeners to walk down a country road with her.


Line by Line Meaning

Take to the highway won't you lend me your name
Join me on a journey and share your identity, let's travel together


Your way and my way seem to be one and the same
Our paths are similar, maybe we can help each other along the way


Mama don't understand it
My mother doesn't comprehend my actions


She wants to know where I've been
She is curious about my whereabouts


I'd have to be some kind of natural born fool
I must be foolish to repeat a negative experience


To want to pass that way again
Why would I want to go through that again?


But you know I could feel it
But I sensed something different


On a country road
While traveling down a rural path


Sail on home to Jesus won't you good girls and boys
Those who follow the right path will eventually reach Heaven


I'm all in pieces, you can have your own choice
I'm struggling and you can make your own decisions


But I can hear a heavenly band full of angels
But I hear a joyful yet ethereal ensemble of heavenly beings


And they're coming to set me free
They are coming to liberate me from my struggles


I don't know nothing 'bout the why or when
I don't understand why or when this will happen


But I can tell that it's bound to be
But I'm certain that it will happen


Because I could feel it, child, yeah
Because I felt something unique and significant


I guess my feet know where they want me to go
My intuition guides me where to go


Walking on a country road
Strolling through a peaceful countryside path


Walk on down, walk on down, walk on down
Keep moving forward


Walk on down, walk on down a country road
Continue your journey down a serene rural path


La la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la
N/A


Country road, oh, yeah
This is a country road, indeed


Country road
A rural path through nature




Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: JAMES TAYLOR, JAMES V TAYLOR

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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