In 1990 the album Kevin Welch was recorded and 2 years later Western Beat. Both albums received rave reviews, but did not sell very well. Warner Brothers discharged Welch from the contract.
In 1994 he founded with his partner Kieran Kane and Tammy Rogers, Mike Henderson and Harry Stinson the record label Dead Reckoning Records. The following year Life Down Here on Earth was published and in 1999 Beneath My Wheels. The majority of songs are Welch's originals. In 2002 the album Millionaire was recorded with several Danish musicians.
In Europe he is known mainly for his hit "Something About You" (contained in Western Beat) which was used as background music in Tuborg's commercials.
In 2004 Welch teamed up with fellow Dead Reckoning artists Kieran Kane and Fats Kaplin to produce You Can't Save Everybody. The trio followed this up with Lost John Dean in 2006, to general acclaim. Lost John Dean reached number one on the Americana charts, and resulted in nominations for several awards including Duo/Group of the year at the 2006 Americana Honors and Awards.
Throughout the 2000s, Welch has teamed up with Australian band The Flood. They have recorded albums and DVDs together, as well as performing. Like much of Welch's work, this has been met with rave reviews, but minimal sales.
The Mother Road
Kevin Welch Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And that good ol' road would take you all the way
From clark and ogden street up in chicago
I was praised up somewhere in the middle
Me and my daddy watch 'em roll through town
I saw license plates from states I'd only dreamed of
They just wave goodbye and put that hammer down
[Chorus]
Well the restless and the desperate
The young ones and the old
All together like a river flowed
Lord I hope they got where they were going
All the children the mother road
The dust bowl okied stoppen in arizona
To trade their family things on gasoline
Just to find themselves outnumbered by the thousands
Who'd already traveled down that road of dreams
When the war was over all the baby booms
Loaded up there cars and they grabbed their kids
Just to count the miles and cuss those big freight liners
Across twenty two hundred miles of route 66
[Chorus]
Now the hot top is just ranch roads and runways
And a way of life for some folks is all but gone
You can almost see the ghost towns from the fast lane
Of this super highway we're rolling on
[Chorus]
In Kevin Welch's song, The Mother Road, he tells an emotional narrative tale about the famous Route 66 that stretched across the United States country. The song starts by accentuating the importance of the infamous street that would lead all the way from Clark and Ogden Street in Chicago. He explains how he and his dad used to watch the large trucks roll through their town, even from states they hadn't dreamt of, they would all move like the river, all more or less headed towards their destination. The chorus, in this case, emphasizes the diversity of people that used to travel on Route 66. He sings about the restless and the desperate, the young and the old, all together like a river flowed.
The song progresses, and he now highlights how during the Dust Bowl era, the Oklahomans stopping in Arizona to trade their household things for gasoline, only to find themselves outnumbered by the thousands, who had already ventured down the 'road of dreams.' As time progressed, and after World War II was over, the baby boomers packed their bags, grabbed their children and went on a road trip to Route 66, to count the miles, and simply to cuss the big freight liners across 2,200 miles of Route 66. The song finishes with a sad tone, as he explains how the purpose of the superhighway ends up becoming ranch roads and runways, and how this fast-lane highway has almost wiped out small towns, in which you can almost see the ghost towns as you travel along the highway. In summary, Kevin Welch's song is poetic, historically significant and emotionally expressive.
Line by Line Meaning
There used to be a main street cross the country
There was once a significant road that traversed the entire country.
And that good ol' road would take you all the way
This road was the sole path to a plethora of places across the country.
From clark and ogden street up in chicago
The road's origin was at the intersection of Clark and Ogden Streets in Chicago.
I was praised up somewhere in the middle
I grew up in a place that was geographically central to the Mother Road.
Me and my daddy watch 'em roll through town
My father and I used to observe cars journey on this road as they passed through our town.
I saw license plates from states I'd only dreamed of
I observed vehicles from states I had never visited nor seen before.
They just wave goodbye and put that hammer down
Those in the vehicles waved goodbye and drove away promptly.
Well the restless and the desperate
The road saw individuals who were in search of something more or those who had nowhere else to turn.
The young ones and the old
Both young and old people utilized and drove on this road.
All together like a river flowed
Everyone was in the same flow, similar to that of a river.
Lord I hope they got where they were going
I hope all of them found what they were looking for and reached their destination.
All the children the mother road
This road was like a parent to everyone - a nurturing figure.
The dust bowl okied stoppen in arizona
During the Dust Bowl, impoverished Oklahoma residents migrated through Arizona by following this road.
To trade their family things on gasoline
They bartered their possessions for gasoline to fuel their journey.
Just to find themselves outnumbered by the thousands
Upon reaching their destination, they realized so many others had traveled this same road before them.
Who'd already traveled down that road of dreams
Many had come before them, all in search of the same great dream.
When the war was over all the baby booms
When World War II ended, the Baby Boomer generation began using this road.
Loaded up there cars and they grabbed their kids
They packed up their vehicles and brought their children along for the trip.
Just to count the miles and cuss those big freight liners
All they could do was track how far they were and curse at the large freight trucks on the road.
Across twenty two hundred miles of route 66
Route 66 is 2,200 miles long and this road is part of it.
Now the hot top is just ranch roads and runways
Nowadays, the once significant road has been reduced to small ranch roads and runways.
And a way of life for some folks is all but gone
The way of life for some people reliant on this road has dissipated.
You can almost see the ghost towns from the fast lane
From the fast lane, abandoned ghost towns can be easily noticed.
Of this super highway we're rolling on
The current highway in use is a far cry from the Mother Road of yesteryear.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, WORDS & MUSIC A DIV OF BIG DEAL MUSIC LLC
Written by: ALAN RHODY, KEVIN WELCH
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind