Where were they going without ever knowing the way?

Fastball ~ "The Way" 1998

This song is based on the true story of Lela and Raymond Howard, an elderly couple from Salado, Texas who drove to a nearby family reunion and kept going. She had Alzheimer's disease and he was recovering from brain surgery. When they disappeared, a reporter from the Austin American-Statesman wrote a series of articles about the missing couple. Fastball bassist Tony Scalzo came up with the idea for the song after reading the articles (the band is from Austin). He says, "It's a romanticized take on what happened" - he "pictured them taking off to have fun, like they did when they first met." However, he found out after writing the song that the couple had died. They were found at the bottom of a canyon in Arkansas about a 3-day drive from their destination.


IMO the "real" ending does not negate the possibility that this is exactly what they did.


I love this song. I was in Sloan Kettering supposedly dying when it came out, and every time I heard it it never failed to make me smile. The lyric is compelling in many ways.


I had no clue about what the song was really based on till this morning.

They made up their minds


And they started packing


They left before the sun came up that day


An exit to eternal summer slacking


But where were they going without ever knowing the way?


They drank up the wine


And they got to talking


They now had more important things to say


And when the car broke down


They started walking



Where were they going without ever knowing the way?



Anyone could see The road that they walk on is paved in gold


And It's always summer, they'll never get cold


They'll Never get hungry


They'll never get old and gray


You can see their shadows wandering off somewhere


They won't make it home but they really don't care


They wanted the highway They're happier there today, today



The children woke up


And they couldn't find 'em



They Left before the sun came up that day



They just drove off and left it all behind 'em



But Where were they going without ever knowing the way?




Anyone could see the road that they walk on is paved in gold



And It's always summer, they'll never get cold


They'll Never get hungry


They'll never get old and gray



You can see their shadows wandering off somewhere



They Won't make it home but they really don't care



They wanted the highway they're happier there today , today

BLAKE: 24 ELDERS AT THE THRONE