The Original Verse in “Take Me Home, Country Roads” That Was Deemed Too Risqué for Radio Play

John Denver‘s “Take Me Home, Country Roads” is maybe the least risqué song of all time. Okay, that might not be true, but it’s undoubtedly very innocuous. However, the original draft of this now-classic track had a verse so salacious that it had to be cut before it could be played on the radio. Find out what the original second verse to this folk classic was. It certainly changes the vibe of this song.

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The Original Verse in “Take Me Home, Country Roads” That Was Deemed Too Risqué for Radio Play

“I’m a songwriter. I was looking for words,” songwriter Bill Danoff once said about writing “Take Me Home, Country Roads”. “The words that I loved in that song were Blue Ridge Mountains, Shenandoah River. They’re songwriter words, so that got me to West Virginia.”

Despite the geographical references in this song, it’s not intended to be a love letter to any specific place. It’s more of an ode to the idea of home as a concept. That concept has proven to be deeply relatable to listeners, as indicated by the numerous artists who have covered this track.

Though it’s meant to be universal, there are nods to West Virginia. Take the finalized second verse for example. Denver referenced the state’s exports and attractions. All my memories gather ’round her / Miner’s lady, stranger to blue water / Dark and dusty, painted on the sky / Misty taste of moonshine, teardrop in my eye, he sang in the deeply poetic verse.

However, that was not the original intention for the second verse. The original draft featured something far more racy.

Original Verse

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Instead of discussing West Virginia’s merits, the original second verse included language about naked women. Though it might seem a little tame by today’s standards, the verse was so risqué in its day that the radio couldn’t play it.

In the foothills, hidin’ from the clouds / Pink and purple West Virginia farm house / Naked ladies, men who look like Christ / And a dog named Poncho nibbling on the rice, the original verse reads.

The decision to comply with radio standards more than paid off for Denver. Revisit “Take Me Home, Country Roads” below.

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