The Big Lead

Funny TikTok Reignites Debates Over Which State Inspired 'Take Me Home, Country Roads'

By Stephen Douglas

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Take Me Home, Country Roads is a song performed by John Denver that peaked on the billboard charts in 1971. By this time next year, it will officially be 50 years old and people will still be arguing about what region the song is actually about, despite the fact that there is a state explicitly mentioned in the very first line of the song.

The latest debate about the song started when a wonderful TikTok was shared on Twitter. In this video, a young man will have a sober thought and express it while at a bar. Considering the second scene of the TikTok, we hope this was not filmed recently.

This fellow posits that the song is not about the state West Virginia, but about the western portion of the state of Virginia. It's funny. Unfortunately, whenever this song is brought up, somebody has to come in and try to blow everyone's mind by saying the song is actually about Massachusetts, as everything actually is.

The thinking behind this is that Bill Danoff, one of the original writers of the song, is from Massachusetts. The truth is, he was inspired to write the song while driving through Maryland and Denver was originally introduced to the tune in Washington, D.C.

But it doesn't stop there. A Twitter account celebrating the Blue Ridge Mountains, which are mentioned in the second line of the song, spent most of Memorial Day weekend defending West Virginia's claim to its state song.

Just tremendous work from everyone involved really. This is something that can only happen on the Internet because the minute you stand up from a computer or set down your phone, you really don't care.

This song is about Massachusetts! Really? It's about Maryland! Okay. It's about western Virginia! Woah! No matter what you want to remember, if you find yourself at a small, responsible gathering sometime this summer and Take Me Home, Country Roads comes on, feel free to drop any one of these things as an absolute fact. No one will ever question you in real life.