“There are songs that come free from the blue-eyed grass, from the dust of a thousand country roads. This is one of them.”
Robert James Waller's quote encapsulates the profound connection between music, nature, and human experience. It suggests that some songs are born from the essence of life itself, drawing inspiration from the natural world and the journeys we undertake.
The phrase "songs that come free from the blue-eyed grass" evokes imagery of purity and simplicity, suggesting that these melodies arise organically from the beauty of the environment. Blue-eyed grass, a flowering plant, symbolizes both fragility and resilience, characteristics mirrored in the songs that resonate deeply within us.
The mention of "the dust of a thousand country roads" adds a layer of nostalgia, hinting at the stories and memories woven into the fabric of rural life. Country roads are often associated with travel, transition, and the passage of time, reinforcing the idea that music can capture the essence of our journeys—both physical and emotional.
Overall, Waller's quote invites us to reflect on the simplicity and depth of songs that speak to the human experience, reminding us that such music is often rooted in the elemental aspects of life and nature.
“The road is a strange place. Shuffling along, I looked up and you were there walking across the grass toward my truck on an August day. In retrospect, it seems inevitable - it could not have been any other way-- a case of what I call the high probability of the improbable”
“The reality is not exactly what the song started out to be, but it's not a bad song.”
“As much as I want you and want to be with you and part of you, I can't tear myself away from the realness of my responsibilities. If you force me, physically or mentally, to go with you, as I said earlier, I cannot fight that. I don't have the strength, given my feelings for you. In spite of what I said about not taking the road away from you, I'd go because of my own selfish wanting of you. But please don't make me. Don't make me give this up, my responsibilities. I cannot do that and live with the thought of it. If I did leave now, those thoughts would turn me into something other than the woman you have come to love”
“We're giving up free range, getting organized, feathering our emotions. Efficiency an effectiveness and all those other pieces of intellectual artifice. And with the loss of free range, the cowboy disappears, along with the mountain lion and gray wolf. There's not much room left for travelers.”
“The marketing people are always talking about something called 'consumers'. I have this image of a fat little man in baggy Bermuda shorts, a Hawaiian shirt, and a straw hat with beer-can openers dangling from it, clutching fistfuls of dollars.”
“This kind of certainty comes but once in a lifetime.”