#SongLyricSunday-I’ve Been Everywhere-May 30

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This week our host Jim Adams for Song Lyric Sunday has given us the prompt to discuss a song about a City, Country. County, State, Town.

Take some time to read the posts of other bloggers who respond to this music challenge, and even better, read as many of them as you are able to as you will probably find many enjoyable songs and it is quite possibly that you will learn a thing or two. Also feel free to offer up your suggestion to this week’s prompt.

Here are the “rules”:
• Post the lyrics to the song of your choice, whether it contains the prompt words or not.  If it does not meet the criteria, then please explain why you chose this song.
• Please try to include the songwriter(s) – it’s a good idea to give credit where credit is due.  Your post can be as long or as short as you want it to be.
• Make sure you also credit the singer/band and if you desire you can provide a link to where you found the lyrics.
• Link to the YouTube video, or pull it into your post so others can listen to the song.
• Ping back to this post or place your link in the comments section below.
• Read at least one other person’s blog, so we can all share new and fantastic music and create amazing new blogging friends in the process.
• Feel free to suggest future prompts.
• Have fun and enjoy the music.

I have chosen the song “I’ve Been Everywhere” that is often referred to as “I’ve Been Everywhere Man”. The song was originally written by an Australian songwriter named Geoff Mack in 1959. The original version featured towns and cities in Australia.

Mack had Lucky Starr record the song in 1962 and it featured a whole bunch of Australian towns in the four verses.

Over the years it seemed “everywhere” wanted to adapt the song to their home. Versions followed over the years about Western Australia, New Zealand, North America, Great Britain & Ireland, Texas, and Canada. In 1973 Kris Kristofferson adapted it for a western movie called “Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid”. His song was used in the escape scene and was an abbreviated version.

Towards the end of Johnny Cash‘s career he decided to do a version of the song and thanks to marketing it is a popular version. His version came about in 1996. Johnny’s version of the song became quite popular and was used in commercials for Comfort Inn and also in the 2004 remake of the movie Flight Of The Phoenix. The song also appeared on an episode of The Simpsons when Homer buys a RV.

I am pretty certain that Cash’s version of “I’ve Been Everywhere” is the one most people know best. I didn’t know that he mentions 92 places he’s been too. If you want here is a link to an interactive map of all those locales.

I decided to post a video with the lyrics so you can track how places you have been.

Next week the prompt is Old, New, Borrowed, Blue