The band was formed in the fall of 2000 by Michael Arlen Bont (banjo), Dave Bruzza (guitar), and Paul Hoffman (mandolin), who initially played together at an open mic night. As newcomers to the bluegrass scene, the three drew upon an array of influences and varied musical backgrounds, reflected in their May 2004 release of Less than Supper.
In the summer of 2006 the band were winners of the Telluride Bluegrass Festival Band Competition, earning them a spot on the main stage of the 2007 festival. Soon thereafter they released their second studio album, Tuesday Letter.
In September 2016, Greensky Bluegrass released their album Shouted, Written Down & Quoted. All For Money was released in 2019.
200 Miles From Montana
Greensky Bluegrass Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Where we drank at cowboy bars
And there's smoke in your eyes
You told me you once loved me
And how you set me free
I never came back to you
You came back to me
And dusted off your memories
I heard how happy they were
But I'm sad they are for me
200 miles from Montana
The sun is beating down
On Wyoming
Homeward bound
Broke down
In South Dakota
The tread is gone
The motors blown with no place else to go
We checked into a cheap
Motel on the corner
I looked at you tired and through with traveling this way
You told me you couldn't have done this all alone
So take my hand and stand beside me on our way back home
200 miles from Montana
The sun is beating down
On Wyoming
Homeward bound
If we could just make it
To Blue Earth, Minnesota
Just west of the Freeborn county line
We could see the sun rise
Out on the horizon
With all the miles we survived
On our way back home
200 miles from Montana
The sun is beating down
On Wyoming
Homeward bound
The song "200 Miles from Montana" by Greensky Bluegrass is a ballad that tells the story of a couple reminiscing about their past relationships while driving through the western United States. The lyrics describe the memories of the singer and his partner as they traveled to Sheridian, Wyoming and drank at cowboy bars. The singer's partner then confesses her love for him before he left her, and how she's happy they decided to be together again. The narrative then moves to the present day, where the couple's car has broken down in South Dakota, the motor blown with no other options available. They check into a cheap motel and look back on their journey.
As they look back on all the adventures they have had, they realize they have made it so far from Montana, but they still have a long way to go. They reflect on their journey and on each other, pondering how lucky they are to have made it this far. The singer then makes a promise to his partner and holds her hand, knowing that they will make it home together no matter what.
Line by Line Meaning
It's a hundred miles to Sheridan, Wyoming
We were a hundred miles away from Sheridan, Wyoming, where we had gone to cowboy bars and shared some memories. But now, there's a sense of remorse and something that never really worked out between us.
Where we drank at cowboy bars
Sheridan, Wyoming was a place where we went to cowboy bars and drank some beers.
And there's smoke in your eyes
There's a sense of sadness in you as you look back at our memories, and it shows through the smoke in your eyes.
You told me you once loved me
You confessed to me that you had loved me, which left me wondering what went wrong between us.
And how you set me free
You also mentioned about letting me free and moving on, but that didn't really end well for either of us.
I never came back to you
I never really came back to you after we parted ways, but here we are together again.
You came back to me
You're the one who came back to me, probably hoping that things could work out again between us.
And dusted off your memories
You had to dust off your memories of me and us to recall what had happened and to see if it's still worth giving another chance.
Which all included me
Those memories included me, which means I still mattered to you till now.
I heard how happy they were
I heard about how happy you were with someone else after we parted ways, and that made me sad for myself.
But I'm sad they are for me
I'm sad because it makes me realize that I could have been the one giving you all the happiness that someone else gave you.
200 miles from Montana
We're 200 miles away from Montana, probably driving to our destination, where we could finally be together again.
The sun is beating down on Wyoming
It's sunny outside, and we're probably driving through Wyoming, where it's really hot.
Homeward bound
We're heading home, probably back to where we started everything.
Broke down in South Dakota
We had a breakdown in South Dakota, and we have no idea where to go now.
The tread is gone
Our tires are worn out, and we need to fix them before we can continue our journey.
The motors blown with no place else to go
The car's engine broke down, and we're stuck here with nowhere else to go.
We checked into a cheap motel on the corner
We sought refuge in a cheap motel on the corner, hoping to get some rest and fix our car in the morning.
I looked at you tired and through with traveling this way
You looked exhausted and probably fed up with all the traveling we've been doing to get back to where we belong.
You told me you couldn't have done this all alone
You expressed how much you needed my help and support in making this journey back home, and that you couldn't have done it without me.
So take my hand and stand beside me on our way back home
You reached out to me and asked me to stand beside you and helped complete the journey back home together, as we did before.
If we could just make it to Blue Earth, Minnesota
We're nearing Blue Earth, Minnesota, and we hope that we could make it there without any further breakdowns and complications.
Just west of the Freeborn county line
Blue Earth, Minnesota, is located just west of the Freeborn County line, and we've already made it so far.
We could see the sun rise out on the horizon
If we get there in time, we could see the sun rising out on the horizon, as a symbol of a new beginning for us.
With all the miles we survived on our way back home
We've been on this journey towards getting back together and going back to where we belong, and we've already covered so many miles in doing so.
Contributed by Riley W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
David LeTourneau
on Forget Everything
"Shuffle in the room with some friends"