Story Behind The Song
I wrote this in about 5 minutes 20 years ago. I like to write in albums - songs that to me have a theme. I was writing about my move to LA and actually felt I needed a fill in song with a different beat. When I auditioned the tune with the band I was working with at the time, the bass player couldn't follow my idea so I told the guys to just rock it. Kim was the lead player and I loved the intro and Dennis helped with the drum recording (thus I gave each a piece of the song).
Wendell
Song Description
The song tells the story of a country musician and band that treks from Georgia to the west coast looking for success. The band travels across country until they wind up in LA because they "Run Out of Highway". The song is happy and upbeat but contains a gentle nod to the singer's desire to one day return back east (or out of twon in later version) until he runs out of highway!
| Song Length |
3:19 |
Genre |
Country - Contemporary, Country - General |
| Tempo |
Medium Fast (131 - 150) |
Lead Vocal |
Male Vocal |
| Mood |
In High Spirits, Content |
Subject |
Musician, Highway, Street, Road |
| Similar Artists |
Tim Mcgraw, John Denver |
Language |
English |
| Era |
1990 - 1999 |
| |
Lyrics
?Til I Run Out of Highway
Words by Wendell Hall Music by Wendell Hall, Kim Lenz, Dennis DeMille
1. (Well) we drove across country in a camper on a ?52 [later version ??82?] pickup truck.
A five piece band, five months behind on luck.
No place to play, nobody would pay, to hear us in Georgia.
So we didn?t even stop until we?d drive on through to Louisiana.
2. We spent about a month in Dallas and week in El Paso.
Then we tried our luck in Tucson and Phoenix also.
And I guess it?s the natural thing we?d wind up here in L.A.
Not so much because we wanted to be here, we just ran out of highway.
Chorus (original):
Yeah the sunset sure is pretty out here in Los Angeles.
But I still love to feel that nice warm Florida breeze.
Someday I?ll have my say; I can afford to have my way.
I?m gonna pack up my truck and drive it back east ?til I run out of highway.
3. The business has been pretty good out here on the west coast.
And I think we?ve played every bar from Eureka [later version ?Yakima?] to San Diego.
And I guess I shouldn?t complain about the way things have gone.
But sometimes I?d rather be fishing on a cool Carolina morn?.
Chorus (revised):
Yeah the sunset sure is pretty out here in Los Angeles.
But I still love to feel that nice warm Texas breeze.
Someday I?ll have my say; I can afford to have my way.
I?m gonna pack up my truck and drive it out of town ?til I run out of highway.
Original Copyright and Published by TWO KEYS MUSIC in 1987