WHEN in the course of human Events, it becomes necessary….
Boomer Anthems: Telegraph Road
byVanderleunonNovember 5, 2022
If you just can’t wait the guitar run starts at 9:15 and goes on. . . . forever. Watch the hands. They tell a story.
Mark Knopfler said, he was inspired by the book “Growth of the Soil”: I was driving down this Telegraph Road [in Detroit] that you’re talking about, I think it’s the same road, and it just went on and on and on forever, it’s like what they call linear development. And I just started to think, I wondered how that road must have been when it started, what it must have first been. And then really that’s how it all came about yeah, I just put that book [Growth of the Soil] together and the place where I was, I was actually sitting in the front of the tour bus, at the time.
Well a long time ago, came a man on a track
Walking thirty miles with a sack on his back
And he put down his load where he thought it was the best
He made a home in the wilderness
He built a cabin and a winter store
And he plowed up the ground by the cold lake shore
And the other travelers came walking down the track
And they never went further, no they never went back
Then came the churches, then came the schools
Then came the lawyers, then came the rules
Then came the trains and the trucks with their loads
And the dirty old track was the Telegraph Road
Then came the mines, then came the ore,
Then there was the hard times, then there was a war
Telegraph sang a song about the world outside
Telegraph Road got so deep and so wide
Like a rolling river
And my radio says tonight it’s gonna freeze
People driving home from the factories
There’s six lanes of traffic
Three lanes moving slow
I used to like to go to work but they shut it down
I’ve got a right to go to work but there’s no work here to be found
Yes, and they say we’re gonna have to pay what’s owed
We’re gonna have to reap from some seed that’s been sowed
And the birds up on the wires and the telegraph poles
They can always fly away from this rain and this cold
You can hear them singing out their telegraph code
All the way down the Telegraph Road
Well I’d sooner forget, but I remember those nights
Yeah, life was just a bet on a race between the lights
You had your head on my shoulder, you had your hand in my hair
Now you act a little colder like you don’t seem to care
But just believe in me, baby, and I’ll take you away
From out of this darkness and into the day
From these rivers of headlights, these rivers of rain
From the anger that lives on the streets with these names
‘Cause I’ve run every red light on memory lane
I’ve seen desperation explode into flames
And I don’t want to see it again
From all of these signs saying “Sorry, but we’re closed”,
All the way down the Telegraph Road.
AD is my first stop of every day. And this was an exceptional stop, today.
Thank you Gerard-
DTNovember 5, 2022, 3:17 PM
North end of Telegraph Road was home for a long time. It was Jimmy Hoffa’s for a short while (Telegraph & 15Mile in ’75). Only one gas station open at night back when. 35¢/gal – I wasn’t going to pay that much so I made sure the tank was filled before heading out at night. 50 years ago (yikes!)
Yep – it’s a long road. Starts way downriver, ends up in Pontiac.
Casey KlahnNovember 5, 2022, 7:12 PM
MK: He’s a Guitar Hero, if ever there was one.
OutbackMikeNovember 5, 2022, 8:51 PM
I’ll take Knopfler over Clapton every day of the week and twice on Sunday.
Knopfler and Crumb, both Icons , I esp. like the new ending to Crumbs series, poetic, nice touch.
I.C. NielsenNovember 6, 2022, 5:36 PM
Bob Dylan called Knopfler the greatest composer of our times.
Of Chet Atkins 5 CGPs (Certified Guitar Players) Knopfler is one of them. Listen to their duet album, Neck and Neck on youtube. It is free.
Real World Address for Donations, Mash Notes and Hate Mail
Gerard Van der Leun
1692 MANGROVE AVE
APT 379
Chico, Ca 95926
Green Pants Interior by Klahn
Who Am I? by Carl Sandburg
My head knocks against the stars.
My feet are on the hilltops.
My finger-tips are in the valleys and shores of universal life.
Down in the sounding foam of primal things I reach my hands and play with pebbles of destiny.
I have been to hell and back many times.
I know all about heaven, for I have talked with God.
I dabble in the blood and guts of the terrible.
I know the passionate seizure of beauty
And the marvelous rebellion of man at all signs reading “Keep Off.”
My name is Truth and I am the most elusive captive in the universe.
Duty, Beauty, Liberty, Country, Honor, Family, Faith — Plus a few simple easy to follow rules for guys
Men saw the stars at the edge of the sea
They thought great thoughts about liberty
Poets wrote down words that did fit
Writers wrote books
Thinkers thought about it
Take it where you find it
Can’t leave it alone
You will find a purpose
To carry it on
Mainly when you find it
Your heart will be strong
About it
Many’s the road I have walked upon
Many’s the hour between dusk and dawn
Many’s the time
Many’s the mile
I see it all now
Through the eyes of a child
Take it where you find it
Can’t leave it alone
You will find a purpose
To carry it on
Mainly when you find it
Your heart will be strong
About it
[Chorus]
Lost dreams and found dreams
In America
In America
In America
Lost dreams and found dreams
In America
In America
In America
And close your eyes
Leave it all for a while
Leave the world
And your worries behind
You will build on whatever is real
And wake up each day
To a new waking dream
Take it where you find it
Can’t leave it alone
You will find a purpose
To carry it on
Mainly when you find it
Your heart will be strong
About it
[Chorus]
Change, change come over
Change come over
Talkin’ about a change
Change, change
Change come over, now
Change, change, change come over
I’m gonna walk down the street
Until I see
My shining light
I’m gonna walk down the street
Until I see
My shining light
I’m gonna walk down the street
Until I see
My shining light
I’m gonna walk down the street
Until I see
My shining light
I see my light
See my light
See my shining light
I see my light
See my light
See my shining light
Gerard Van der Leun
Comments on this entry are closed.
AD is my first stop of every day. And this was an exceptional stop, today.
Thank you Gerard-
North end of Telegraph Road was home for a long time. It was Jimmy Hoffa’s for a short while (Telegraph & 15Mile in ’75). Only one gas station open at night back when. 35¢/gal – I wasn’t going to pay that much so I made sure the tank was filled before heading out at night. 50 years ago (yikes!)
Yep – it’s a long road. Starts way downriver, ends up in Pontiac.
MK: He’s a Guitar Hero, if ever there was one.
I’ll take Knopfler over Clapton every day of the week and twice on Sunday.
I would take Danny Gatton over anybody.
Lately I’ve been wearing out Buckethead.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UP9o7GdWzu0
Buckethead is one weird dude, but his guitar playing is unique—and brilliant.
There’s a Telegraph Road in (or out of) almost every major city.
US-1 is Telegraph Road out of DC; six lanes moving slow.
And then there’s Knopfler’s Telegraph Road story for almost every settlement ever. Tremendous song.
Knopfler and Crumb, both Icons , I esp. like the new ending to Crumbs series, poetic, nice touch.
Bob Dylan called Knopfler the greatest composer of our times.
Of Chet Atkins 5 CGPs (Certified Guitar Players) Knopfler is one of them. Listen to their duet album, Neck and Neck on youtube. It is free.
6676 Telegraph may still be Jimmy Hoffa’s home…
https://tinyurl.com/6676Telegraph