Take Me Home, Country Roads

• By: John Denver

Lyrics:

Vocabulary in this song:

Vocabulary	Meanings
mountain /ˈmaʊntən/ A2	noun - a large natural elevation of the earth's surface
river /ˈrɪvər/ A2	noun - a large natural stream of water
breeze /briːz/ A2	noun - a gentle wind
road /roʊd/ A1	noun - a pathway for vehicles or pedestrians
home /hoʊm/ A1	noun - the place where one lives
mountainMama /ˈmaʊntən ˈmɑːmə/ C1	noun - a poetic reference to the Appalachian mountain range and maternal figure symbolizing home or heritage
memory /ˈmɛməri/ A2	noun - the faculty of remembering information or experiences
teardrop /ˈtɪərˌdrɑːp/ B2	noun - a drop of liquid from the eye
voice /vɔɪs/ A2	noun - the sound produced by a person's mouth
moonshine /ˈmuːnˌʃaɪn/ B2	noun - illegal distilled alcohol
feeling /ˈfiːlɪŋ/ A2	noun - an emotional state or sensation

Grammar:

• Almost heaven, West Virginia

  ➔ Ellipsis

  ➔ The phrase implies 'West Virginia is almost heaven'. The verb 'is' is omitted for brevity and poetic effect.

• Life is old there, older than the trees

  ➔ Comparative Adjective

  ➔ "Older than the trees" uses the comparative form of 'old' (older) to compare the age of life to the age of the trees.

• Younger than the mountains, growin' like a breeze

  ➔ Present Participle with Dropped 'g'

  ➔ 'Growin'' is a colloquial form of 'growing', using a present participle to describe an ongoing action.

• Country roads, take me home

  ➔ Imperative Mood

  ➔ "Take" is used in the imperative mood, expressing a command or request.

• To the place I belong

  ➔ Relative Clause

  ➔ "I belong" is a relative clause modifying "the place". A relative pronoun (such as 'where' or 'that') is implied but omitted.

• Miner's lady, stranger to blue water

  ➔ Possessive Case and Appositive Phrase

  ➔ "Miner's lady" uses the possessive case to indicate that the lady belongs to the miner. "Stranger to blue water" is an appositive phrase further describing the lady.

• I hear her voice, in the mornin' hour she calls me

  ➔ Inversion (Subject-Verb)

  ➔ While not a full inversion, "in the mornin' hour she calls me" has a slight inversion in word order for emphasis and poetic effect. A more standard order would be 'she calls me in the mornin' hour'.

• That I should have been home yesterday, yesterday

  ➔ Modal Verb + Perfect Infinitive (Regret/Obligation)

  ➔ "Should have been" expresses regret that the speaker wasn't home yesterday. It signifies a missed opportunity or obligation.