Week 6 : Post 1

They made up their minds
And they started packing
They left before the sun came up that day
An exit to eternal summer slacking
But where were they going without ever
Knowing the way?

They drank up the wine
And they got to talking
They now had more important things to say
And when the car broke down they started walking
Where were they going without ever
Knowing the way?

[Chorus:]
Anyone can see the road that they walk on
Is paved in gold
And it's always summer
They'll never get cold
They'll never get hungry
They'll never get old and grey
You can see their shadows wandering off somewhere
They won't make it home
But they really don't care
They wanted the highway
They're happier there today, today

Their children woke up
And they couldn't find them
They left before the sun came up that day
They just drove off and left it all behind 'em
But where were they going without ever
Knowing the way?

I grew up in the nineties, making this song a classic for me. The whimsical feeling up this song has always reminded me of escaping the fast pace of life and just getting away. The images in my head were of a group of fun loving kids driving down a windy road, hair blowing in wind. It represented relaxation and a reminder to bring yourself back down to earth every once in a while. So imagine my shock when I discovered this song is based on the true story of an elderly couple who died. What a mood buster. But looking further into this story, my feelings were restored. Fastball bassist Tony Scalzo came up with the concept for this song after reading several news articles on the elderly couple. He says, “It’s a romanticized take on what happened.” He “pictured them taking off to have fun, like they did when they first met.”

So what did happen?

Lela and Raymond Howard were driving from Salado, Texas to a nearby family reunion. Lela suffered from Alzheimer’s disease and Raymond was recovering from recent brain surgery. The Austin American-Statesman newspaper published several follow ups during the hunt for this couple. However, Scalzo did not find out the ending to this story –the couple was found a three day drive away from their destination, at the bottom of a canyon in Arkansas – until AFTER the song was written and published.
Although the true story puts a slight dent on the dream of this song, it can still be enjoyed with or without that knowledge. I love Scalzo’s explanation of why he wrote this song. I am sure he gave the family members a little closure with turning such a traumatic event into beautiful art.