I’m Headed Home

I’m headed home was written during the Christmas season of 2002. The idea arose some years before while jamming with Dad’s band during a Christmas show. Always at these shows there would be a request from the band at the end of the show for me “to do one” as they would say.  For me it was always difficult to think of something that we had not done, and the band and I would know. I always would smile and pass and Dad would take the spot and eventually we would end the show. After thinking about this dilemma and wanting to have something to do the next time I was asked a song came on the CD player by the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band. The song was would be perfect for us to do. It was somewhat Rock, Country, Bluegrass, Folk and a history lesson all rolled together. The chance to do the song  finally came and to my surprise the band found it acceptable due to way it brought back memories and the names that the “Old Folks” could relate to. This is what inspired I’M Headed Home. On the first occasion that we done the song the request came unexpectedly early in the second set and to my surprise another request came at the end and like before I declined. At this time I was working on a song that would be a look at life back on the river, when I was younger. I had just begun on putting together the collection that would be known as The Old Boots Old Bikes Old Flattops Collection. I began working on the song and as always It just came together all at once. I made several demos and that year at Christmas I gave one to my Cus to get some feed back. As he listened he said “you got to do it at your dads show this weekend. At the end of the show while the Bass and Banjo player were still on the stage I “broke” into it and right away the Banjo and Bass player jumped in. To my surprise the Fiddle player came back and joined in. Before I knew it several other Pickers and to my surprise Dad was in to. “Where did that come from” The Fiddle player asked, “Just finished It”, I replied, well let’s try It in A. We done the song several times in different keys and everybody seemed to enjoy it. Since then we do the song every chance we get. It is a simple song about a simple time now past. I am delighted how it revisits the life we once knew back on the Catawba. I was told by many folks from that area that it hits the nail on the head in describing how my two cousins and I went through the motions of life. Folks say it is a mixture of Country and Blue grass. This was enough to convince me to keep it on the Hybrid Country CD.

copyright 2004 RA Huskins BMI