I wrote this title down as a song title like over 25 years ago. Despite having the title all these years, I never had any words for it until like now. I always had a sentence associated with the title that said “don’t let others define your journey” and incorporated that as the theme of the song. It’s probably the most straight forward song I’ve written, no mysterious allusions to graffiti on overpasses above I-40 or anything.
Is it my best work? Probably not, but it feels good to have the song to finally go with the title.
The bit at the beginning is a callback to growing up in North Raleigh long before 540 was built and playing in the woods with my brother where we’d run wild all day. It’s now the Raleigh Greenway.
The 2nd verse hints at my struggles with art as a teenager where things were supposed to be a certain color or need to look a particular way but I wanted to do them my way. It goes back to “why can’t I make the cow purple?” kind of thing.
3rd verse is about how people are constantly telling us how we are supposed to be, that there is a ‘right path’ but instead trusting in yourself that things will work out in the end whether you’re on their path or not.
Tuning: Standard, capo 7
Lyrics:
When I was a living up near where they built the highway
There was freedom of wandering around in the dirt going my way
There were these unpaved roads
Anywhere you want to go
People said ya got to paint the sky a certain way
When I stopped listening is when I knew I was ok
There’s these unpaved roads
Anywhere you want to go
They say follow this path if you wanna be something these days
But you can’t let others determine your own journey
Look at these unpaved roads
Anywhere you want to go
Look at these unpaved roads
Anywhere you want to go
Hazen James 