LEAVIN’ ALL OUR TROUBLES FAR BEHIND (Back-story, Lyrics, and Link
to song on YouTube)
Back-story:
Folks, is there anything better than a road trip? It
has to be one of the top ten great experiences. In addition to
letting us let go of our anxieties and responsibilities, it gives us time to
relax, reflect, and renew our commitment to whatever personal goals we have
set. It lets us live in the moment, the most satisfying place we can
be. Most everyone I know has been on a road trip, but if you
haven’t, you owe it to yourself to get out there and try it!
Siobhan and I have been going on road trips for the past Thirty-nine
years. As with much of what we do, we keep it simple. We
take very little with us: favorite audio books, favorite music, and just the
essentials regarding clothing. In the 1990s, after Siobhan started
playing bass, we began taking the music along with us so that we could practice
and play some impromptu gigs if the opportunity arose. The focus of
our trips has been, and will probably continue to be, visiting family and
friends. So far, our destinations have been New England, Ohio, Maryland,
Washington DC, Virginia, West Virginia, North and South Carolina, and Florida. Unlike
many travelers, we do not rush to these destinations. Instead, we
take our time, staying in little interesting towns we find along the
way. We love to meet new people and listen to the stories they have
to tell.
In the mid 1990s, we traveled to Alexander, North Carolina, a
little town just north of Asheville. Our friends, Marianne and
Raymond Jacque, retired there, and built a beautiful home up in the hills
outside of Alexander. “Leavin’ All Our Troubles Far Behind” was born
on this trip.
We were on highway 81, an interstate that starts in upstate
New York and ends in Alabama. When it passes through western
Virginia, it travels along the beautiful Blue Ridge
Mountains. Somewhere between Winchester and Christiansburg, with the
music blaring, the details of the first verse of the song came
together. The imagery is nothing special. I merely put
the sights, sounds, feels, smells, and tastes of the road into a simple meter
and rhyme scheme. I felt good about this first verse, but I did not
immediately know where to go with it.
Here is what happened.
When we arrived at Marianne and Raymond’s house, the awesome
setting of their home inspired me and gave me an excellent opportunity to
complete the song. I am an early riser, and usually have at least
two to three hours of alone time before everyone else gets
up. Sitting in the sunroom located on the deck in the front of the
Jacque’s home, I composed the second and third verses of the song as the
dissipating fog dawned another beautiful Carolina morning.
When it came to creating the chorus, it was
simple. Road trips allow us to detach from our past and future, and,
if we let it happen, they let us get into the now and enjoy the
moment. I have been working at living this philosophy for most of my
life, and as I get better and better at it, I find life becoming more and more
rewarding. Many folks who listen to my songs wonder if I am a
Buddhist. I’m not, but I sure think they have some cool ideas!
The song is a fast moving somewhat folk, country, Americana song. With a guitar, a fiddle, a
mandolin, a banjo, a harmonica, a bass, drums, and backup harmonies, John and
Joe Dady (now members of the Rochester Music Hall of Fame) and Tim Chaapel (owner
of Mobile Music in Canandaigua, NY), all quintessential musicians, help Siobhan
and me create one of those hard-driving road tunes. Big thanks to
these guys! The song is far from being anything like the classic road
trip song “Take It Easy” by the Eagles, but it has that feel to it. I like it, and I hope you do, too.
Lyrics:
Verse 1
It's August and the
summer's nearly over
Here we are on Highway
81
The Blue Ridge,
the Smokies, and you right by my side
It's time to take a
break and have some fun
As we roll along and sip
our cups of coffee
The sun is rising in the
eastern sky
The leaves upon the
trees blow so gently from the breeze
The truckers nod and
wave as they go by
Chorus
And here we are without
a past or future
Suspended once again in
space and time
Enjoying each and every
precious moment
Leavin’ all our troubles
far behind
Verse 2
Way back up in those
woods outside of Asheville
Off the beaten path, out
of the way
All alone sits a little
home from where no one would want to roam
A place where time just
seems to fade away
It's here we sit
and play our good time music
Bluegrass, country,
folk, and rock-n-roll
And as we sing, the
hills soon ring, and suddenly everything
Harmonizes to become one
soul
Chorus
Verse 3
And sometimes on those
Carolina mornings
The fog is like a lazy
hazy dream
So we reflect, select,
reject, and finally connect
With that sun that
carves a bright and vivid scene
And often on those
Carolina evenings
The thunder rolls and
rumbles through the hills
We watch each flash,
feel each crash, listen to that water splash
'Til the moon returns
serene and still.
Chorus
Instrumental Break
Repeat first half of
Verse 1, and then the chorus 2 times.
Here is a link to the song on YouTube. It’s an auto generated video created by CD
Baby, our distributor. If an ad appears
when the link opens, click to dismiss it, and the song will start. Enjoy!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jvMmUbPQBgU&list=PLmaM3h4AoHN_cKb13jMDd4mDim-mU_khW&index=13
If you Prefer, you can stream this song on all the major
platforms such as Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Prime, etc.
