The Highway Song

James Taylor · Mud Slide Slim And The Blue Horizon [1971]

Father, let us build a boat and sail away

There's nothing for you here

And brother, let us throw our lot out upon the sea

It's been done before



I'm thinking 'bout a broken heart

I'm talking 'bout the break of dawn

You love me while I'm here

Then you can miss me when I'm gone

Sweet misunderstanding

Won't you leave a poor boy alone

I'm the one eyed seed of a tumbleweed

In the belly of a rolling stone



(Chorus)

Back on the highway, yeah, yeah, yeah

Back on the road again



I had a little woman in Memphis

She wanted to be my bride

She said, settle on down, traveling man

You can stay right by my side

I tried so hard to please her

But I couldn't hold out too long

'Cause one Saturday night I was laying in bed

And I heard that highway song



- Chorus -



Now one of these days that highway song will lose its appeal to me

I'm gonna settle on down like a natural born man

I'm gonna live my life naturally (Free and easy)

Until that day the thunder's gonna roll

And I notice there's a sign of rain

So I grab my bags and I pack my clothes

And I'm back on the road again



- Chorus -



I'm thinking 'bout a broken heart

I been talking 'bout the break of dawn

You loved me while I'm here

and you can miss me when I'm gone

And I said sweet misunderstanding

Won't you leave a poor boy alone

'Cause I'm the one eyed seed of a tumbleweed

In the belly of a rolling stone



- Chorus -



Here I am again

Holiday Inn

Same old four walls again

Gee, but it's fine to be back home again (whoa, now)

Say, Holiday Inn, I'm on the road again

The Highway Song

James Taylor's 'The Highway Song,' featured on the 1971 album Mud Slide Slim And The Blue Horizon, stands as a defining track of her early solo career. Recorded during a pivotal period when Taylor was transitioning from her work with The Carpenters to establishing her own distinct voice, the song blends folk-rock instrumentation with her signature melodic sensibility. The recording captures the atmospheric quality of late-night drives and the introspective mood characteristic of her early discography. As a staple of her catalog, the track exemplifies the acoustic guitar-driven sound that would become central to her identity, influencing countless artists in the folk and singer-songwriter genres. It remains a poignant example of Taylor's ability to convey deep emotion through simple, unadorned arrangements.