Been Thinking About Rural America

 

I’m a city boy. Grown up in the cement sidewalks and can’t walk far without running into a tall building. The city has lots of traffic and smog and noise, but what about the rest of America.

Sure, I’ve gone out of the city limits into the vast unknown and appreciate those who instead of worshipping the almighty dollar feel the dirt and grit of the land with wilderness to explore like the founding fathers before.

These folks are just like me folks, but they just live in a different land. Animals and trees and rivers and lakes and big blue skies with black ribbons to drive on just a different world surround them. They get sick and pray and fall in love and find a hideaway spot to explore before telling your grandmother you messed up. They get haircuts. They have a volunteer fire department. The teller knows your name. There are backyard cookouts on the weekends. Everyone parks the car or truck on the lawn instead of the curb. Satellite service is crappy but there are lots of landlines from the 50s. There are school marching bands and only one movie theatre.

We, I mean us city folk, aren’t any different. We got cute girls in prom dresses. We got warm beer on a hot summer night. We lie on the rocks by the river staring at the moon and talk about becoming an astronaut but really want to work the land like you. We cut our lawns and pretend to be a farmer. We plant our little gardens but do not deliver to the grocery store. We park in a shed called a garage.

When I come through your town, I’ll enjoy the site of the Dairy Freeze and take a breath of your fresh air. Antique barns may be falling down but are better than old Confederate general statues. If you allow me to join in, I’d love to play along at the square dance. If you allow me, I’ll take away the innocence of your country girls.

So this song caught my ear today. The visuals reminded me of what goes on outside the city limits. What the rest of America is about. What my fake forest can only imagine. I also hear the trains in the distance.