Front Porch Conversations: Country Roads and dogs named Pancho

Different versions of Country Roads? 

Welcome to our Front Porch!

The quintessential version of “Take Me Home, Country Roads,” released in 1971 by John Denver, is what most people think of when they think of Country Roads. And, ask anyone from West Virginia, it doesn’t matter if the rumor is true that the song wasn’t initially written about West Virginia – it belongs to us now. 

However, Denver didn’t write the song in its entirety. The original songwriters were folk duo Bill Danoff and Taffy Nivert, who had the idea for the song while driving through Maryland. Denver added on to the song later, and it was changed from its original version to suit radio listeners. 

A forgotten verse from the original version of the song goes like this: 

“In the foothills, hiding from the clouds

Pink and purple, West Virginia farmhouse.

Naked ladies, men who looked like Christ

And a dog named Pancho, nibbling on the rice.” 

It’s probably a good thing that verse was changed. But if that doesn’t give you chills that are multiplying, there is also this popular version of the song by Olivia Newton-John: 

We cannot under any circumstance write about Country Roads without mentioning the Pride of West Virginia: 

There is something about watching the West Virginia University Marching Band form the state’s outline that just brings a tear to one’s eye. But, we’re not crying, you are. 

Ray Charles once had West Virginia on his mind when he recorded his version of the song: 

Prior to 2014, “Take Me Home, Country Roads” wasn’t an official song of West Virginia. But, that changed when Dreama Denver, wife of the late Bob Denver (no relation to John), advocated to have it declared the state’s fourth official state song. 

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