Almost heaven west virginia blue ridge mountains shenandoah river

Q: What does Misty taste of moonshine mean?

The lines stranger to blue water, Dark and dusty, painted on the sky, Misty taste of moonshine, Teardrops in my eye,” in verse two, describe the hard work that Denver did. However he is nostalgic of the moments of reward in between the hard work where he was able to enjoy a nice country moonshine.

Q: Is Almost Heaven a place?

Discover almost heaven, West Virginia, a place well-known for its incredible outdoor adventures, from whitewater rafting, considered among the best in the world, to skiing, outdoor hunting and fishing, mountain biking, rock climbing, and zipline canopy tours.

Before you read this story, be warned: John Denver's "Take Me Home, Country Roads" will most likely be stuck in your head for the rest of the day. Now that you've been cautioned—or if you have realized it's already too late—let us proceed.

Table of Contents Show

Where is Mountain Mama West Virginia?
What does Misty taste of moonshine mean?
Is Almost Heaven a place?
Why is country road so popular?

In his 1971 song, "Take Me Home, Country Roads," Denver croons an ode to those winding roads that lead you back home. While the sing-along chorus namechecks West Virginia, it has come to our most recent attention that the folks over at Blue Ridge Outdoors aren't convinced that the song is actually about roads in West Virginia, though. Experts as they are on the Blue Ridge Mountains, they think Denver may actually be singing about not West Virginia, but western Virginia.

Here's their logic: While Denver mentions West Virginia by name when he sings the lines, "Almost heaven, West Virginia/ Blue Ridge Mountains, Shenandoah River," the scenery he cites is primarily in Virginia.

"The Blue Ridge Mountains are traditionally defined as the easternmost flank of the Appalachian Mountain chain, running roughly north-south from Pennsylvania to Georgia. They pass through only a sliver of West Virginia," they explain.

As further proof that Denver was singing about Old Dominion, they note that "The Shenandoah River's headwaters are near Front Royal, Virginia" and then runs "through Virginia's Shenandoah Valley" before emptying into the Potomac River near Washington, D.C." They do admit that over its 150-mile long run to the sea, "the Shenandoah does cross the eastern panhandle of West Virginia for approximately 20 miles," and Denver might have just fallen in love with that particular bit of the river. They think it's a bit more likely that Denver was singing about west Virginia (note the lower case "w"), opting to use "west" instead of "western" because it flowed more nicely in his song.

WATCH: 10 Southerners Who Defined Country Music

Of course, there's a good chance that Denver simply didn't know that the scenery he was singing about was more in western Virginia than West Virginia, because, according to SongFacts.com, he had never been to West Virginia when he recorded the song. The lyrics for "Country Roads" were written by Bill Danoff and Taffy Nivert, who were reportedly inspired by their drive along Interstate 81, which runs primarily through western Virginia. According to an interview with WVU Sports, when he was coming up with the song, Danoff had never really been to West Virginia either. In fact, Danoff reportedly originally wanted to write the song about his home state Massachusetts, but couldn't get the cadence to work. When he, Nivert, and Denver sat down to work on the song, West Virginia, or perhaps west Virginia, simply worked best and a hit was made.

For its part, West Virginia isn't particularly bothered by the potential discrepancies in scenic landmarks. They made the song one of its four official state anthems in 2014 and West Virginia University's marching band plays the song when their teams win.

With all that in mind, which country road do you think John Denver is singing about?

People of a certain age don’t even have to think about what words come after the phrase, “Almost Heaven.” The obvious answer is, “West Virginia.” But is that really correct?

There’s fairly strong evidence to suggest that the words following “Almost Heaven” are, “west Virginia.” In other words, the western part of the commonwealth of Virginia as opposed to the state of West Virginia.

In case you’re unaware, the line in question is the opening line to John Denver’s 1971 hit, “Take Me Home Country Roads.” The following line is, “Blue Ridge Mountains, Shenandoah River.” It’s this second line that gives us some insight into exactly what Denver was singing about.

The Blue Ridge Mountains run north-south from Pennsylvania to Georgia, barely encroaching over the West Virginia state line. Conversely, the Blue Ridge are prevalent in western Virginia.

The Shenandoah River runs for 150 miles, from it’s headwaters near Front Royal, VA to the Potomac River near Washington DC. Again, the Shenandoah barely crosses into West Virginia, running for about 20 miles through the eastern panhandle.

Despite these facts, it’s unlikely that Denver knew which state he was signing about. At the time he recorded the song, he had never set foot in either Virginia or West Virginia. His co-writers, Bill Danoff and Taffy Nifert, claim that the song was inspired by a drive they took on Interstate 81, which runs primarily through western Virginia.

But to make thing more complicated, Danoff and Denver said in an interview that they wanted to write the song about two completely different states. Danoff wanted to write the song about his home state of Massachusetts but couldn’t get the cadence right using that state. For his part, Denver said that he was inspired by Maryland, but just as with Danoff, couldn’t get the state name to work in the song.

Despite the controversy, West Virginia doesn’t seem to care much about which state the song is about. They’ve adopted it as one of four state anthems, and when the University of West Virginia football team wins a game (which they often do), the marching band launches into “Take Me Home Country Roads.”

So, which is it? Is the song about West Virginia or west Virginia? We may never know.

Where is Mountain Mama West Virginia?

Located in Davis in the West Virginia region, Mountain Mama has a balcony and mountain views. The accommodation is 24 miles from Elkins, and guests benefit from private parking available on site and free WiFi.

What does Misty taste of moonshine mean?

The lines “stranger to blue water, Dark and dusty, painted on the sky, Misty taste of moonshine, Teardrops in my eye,” in verse two, describe the hard work that Denver did. However he is nostalgic of the moments of reward in between the hard work where he was able to enjoy a nice country moonshine.

Is Almost Heaven a place?

Discover "almost heaven, West Virginia," a place well-known for its incredible outdoor adventures, from whitewater rafting, considered among the best in the world, to skiing, outdoor hunting and fishing, mountain biking, rock climbing, and zipline canopy tours.

Why is country road so popular?

“It was a great song, it was sung well, and people can feel it. It's like classical music. People feel it even when they can't understand it,” Ford said. Through countless adaptations, the enduring success of “Country Roads” seems to lie in its transcendent ability to evoke feelings of home and belonging.