October Road

This week at Glyn Wilton’s Mixed Music Bag,
he’s asking us to write about a song in which
the title or a line mentions the current month. 
Here’s my October artist and his song.

Renowned American singer/songwriter James Taylor was born in Boston in 1948 and raised in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. His father was a physician and his mother an aspiring opera singer. Taylor rose to prominence in the early 1970s with his sensitive, warm-voiced songs like “Fire and Rain”. Growing up in a musical household with four siblings who are musicians,  he studied the cello before switching to guitar, a skill that developed into his intricate fingerpicking style.

Taylor struggled with depression and mental health illness, which led him to drop out of high school and check into a psychiatric hospital. After his recovery, he moved to New York City and formed a band called The Flying Machine, but his time there was marred by a worsening drug addiction. He returned to North Carolina, where he went into a rehab facility. His struggles with addiction and mental health heavily influenced his music.

His 1970 album, Sweet Baby James, brought him international fame. The album featured “Fire and Rain”, a song created around his deep personal experiences. Taylor became a defining figure in the singer-songwriter movement of the early 1970s. He is celebrated for his gentle voice and autobiographical songs, which blend soft rock and country influences. 

James Taylor married singer/songwriter Carly Simon in November 1972, in a low-key ceremony at Simon’s home in New York; they divorced in 1983. He has won multiple Grammy Awards, sold over 100 million albums, and is an inductee of both the Songwriters Hall of Fame and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. 

In 2002, Taylor released his platinum-certified album, October Road which features his classic folk-rock style reminiscent of his earlier work, with a relaxed, contemplative mood. The album includes original songs such as the title track, “October Road”, which reflects on the themes of second chances and takes a contemplative look at life and past relationships. Taylor described it as a sad but hopeful and celebratory song about observing the lives of two young people while he, the narrator, feels disillusioned. 

This is “October Road” by James Taylor

LYRICS

Well, I’m-a going back down, maybe one more time
Deep down home, October road
And I might like to see that little friend of mine
That I left behind once upon a time
Oh, promised land and me still standing
It’s a test of time, it’s a real good sign

Let the sun run down right behind the hill
I know how to stand there still
‘Til the moon rise up behind the pine, oh, Lord
October road, an October road
October road

It’s the big-time life that I can’t abide
Raise my rent, tan my hide
Sweet call of the countryside
Go down slow, open wide
I did my time, and it changed my mind, I’m satisfied, oh

I got so low down, fed up, my God
I could hardly move (I could hardly move)
Won’t you come on, my brother (yeah), get on up
And help me find my groove

Keep me walking, October road
Keep me walking in the sunshine, yeah
A little friend of mine
October road
Help me now
October road
Oh, oh, oh, October road

Source: Musixmatch
Songwriters: James Taylor
October Road lyrics © Country Road Music

Mixed Music Bag 2025 – Two for one

Big thanks to Glyn Wilton for hosting Mixed Music Bag each week. Please be sure to follow the link and check out Glyn’s site.

Thanks for joining me today for a look and a listen.

See you on the flip side. 😎

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