The Carter Family was a country music group that performed and recorded bet… Read Full Bio ↴The Carter Family was a country music group that performed and recorded between 1927 and 1943. Their music had a profound impact on later bluegrass, country, pop and rock musicians, as well as on the U.S. folk revival of the 1960s.

The original group consisted of Alvin Pleasant Delaney Carter (A.P.; 1891-1960), his wife, Sara Dougherty Carter (autoharp and guitar; 1898-1979), and Maybelle Addington Carter (guitar; 1909-1978). Maybelle Carter (later popularly known as Mother Maybelle Carter) was married to A.P.'s brother Ezra (Eck) Carter. All three were born and raised in southwestern Virginia where they were immersed in the tight harmonies of mountain gospel music and shape note singing. Maybelle Carter's distinctive and innovative guitar playing style quickly became a hallmark of the group.

The Carters got their start on July 31, 1927 when A.P. convinced Sara and Maybelle (pregnant at the time) to make the journey from Maces Springs, Virginia to Bristol, Tennessee to audition for record producer Ralph Peer who was seeking new talent for the relatively embryonic recording industry. They received $50 for each song they recorded.

In the Fall of 1927 the Victor recording company released a double-sided 78 rpm record of the group performing "Wandering Boy" and "Poor Orphan Child". In 1928 another record was released with "The Storms Are on the Ocean" and "Single Girl, Married Girl". This one proved very popular.

They stopped touring and recording in 1943.

In 1987, the three daughters of Maybelle Carter - June Carter (also known as June Carter Cash, following marriage to Johnny Cash), Helen Carter and Anita Carter, along with June Carter's daughter Carlene Carter, appeared as the Carter Family and were featured on a 1987 television episode of Austin City Limits along with Johnny Cash.

The Carters were elected to the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1970 and were given the nickname "The First Family of Country Music". In 1988, the Carter Family was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame and received its Award for the song "Will the Circle Be Unbroken". In 1993, the U.S. Postal Service issued a commemorative postage stamp honoring A.P., Sara, and Maybelle. In 2001, the group was inducted into the International Bluegrass Music Hall of Honor. In 2005, the group received the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.

The Carter Family III carries on the tradition. The group consists of A.P. Carter and Sarah Carter’s grandson Dale Jett, Maybelle Carter’s grandson John Carter Cash and his wife Laura Cash.

For more details, see the Carter Family biography at http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/carterfamily/peopleevents/p_carters.html

A Distant Land to Roam
The Carter Family Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

I remember very well
On one dark and dreary day
Just as I was leaving home
For a distant land to roam

Mother said (mother said)
My dear boy (my dear boy)
I hope to see you next year again

Fare you well (fare you well)
Fare you well (fare you well)
So I left my dear old home
For a distant land to roam

Now I've wandered far away
From my home I've gone astray
Now I'm coming, coming home
Never more from thee to roam

Mother said (mother said)
My dear boy (my dear boy)
I hope to see you next year again
Fare you well (fare you well)
Fare you well (fare you well)
So I left my dear old home
For a distant land to roam

And these words she said to me
As she took me by the hand
If on earth we meet no more
May we meet at God's right hand

Mother said (mother said)
My dear boy (my dear boy)
I hope to see you next year again
Fare you well (fare you well)
Fare you well (fare you well)

So I left my dear old home
For a distant land to roam

Overall Meaning

The Carter Family's song A Distant Land to Roam is a heartfelt and emotional song capturing the pain of leaving home to live in a far-off land. The singer remembers the day he left home and his mother's farewell words. Even though he's gone far from home, his mother's words ring in his ears. He takes comfort in the hope of reuniting with her someday - "If on earth, we meet no more, may we meet at God's right hand."

The song effectively captures the universal feeling of homesickness, a longing for a familiar and comforting environment. The use of repetition in the chorus enhances the sense of departure and separation from home. The singer sings about his fear that he may not return to see his mother again, mostly finding solace in the promise of being together someday in the afterlife.

The melancholic melody and the harmonious vocals of the Carter Family amplify the emotions conveyed in the song, making it a timeless classic that speaks to the hearts of anyone who has left home and found themselves in a distant land.

A Distant Land to RoamThe Carter Family Lyrics

Hazen Sweeney

Jörgen Mattsson

Will Hosken

Charles Rice

T.C. Bramblett

A Distant Land to Roam
The Carter Family Lyrics