September is upon us, which means that young adults have excitedly headed off to college while parents have sent their babies off to join the world.
What are some of your favorite songs about children leaving home to spread their wings, whether it’s for college or another adventure away from home, and/or parents who have to let them go?
- Brad Paisley & Pat Green, “College”
- Alan Jackson, “You Can Always Come Home”
- Garth Brooks, “Send ‘Em on Down the Road”
- Suzy Bogguss, “Letting Go”
- Dixie Chicks, “Wide Open Spaces”
1. Live Oak: Jason Isbell
2. Home: Joe Diffie
3. Heads Carolina, Tails California: JoDee Messina
4. Wide Open Space: The Dixie Chicks
5. What if We Went to Italy: Mary Chapin Carpenter
In no particular order, my favorites are:
Dixie Chicks – “Wide Open Spaces”
Carrie Underwood – “The Night Before (Life Goes On)”
Ashley Monroe – “Dixie”
Miranda Lambert – “New Strings”
Trace Adkins – “You’re Gonna Miss This”
Honorable mentions:
Lady Antebellum – “Home Is Where the Heart Is”
Miranda Lambert – “Mama, I’m Alright”
Sugarland – “Baby Girl”
There Goes My Life – Kenny Chesney
River Road – Crystal Gayle
Tennessee Homesick Blues – Dolly Parton
I thought of the Suzy Bogguss song a lot when my daughter went away to college in ’98 and my son in ’00. I believe Suzy’s son is away at college now.
other going away songs:
The Wilkinsons – “26 cents”
Middleman Burr – “I Thought You’d Never Leave” (2nd verse) from “I Like the Sound of That”, the first album from singer songwriters Georgia Middleman and Gary Burr as a duo.
Tom Rush- Child’s Song
http://youtu.be/qT3be69X-Xg
Tim O’Brien- Forever Young (Dylan cover)
http://youtu.be/bIh1oz5smuY
Rascal Flatts- My Wish
http://youtu.be/Vyjq5SCbjQk
Not exactly college but what about – Mary Gauthier – Drag Queens in Limousines.
“After 17” – Alan Jackson
“Measure of a Man” – Jack Ingram
1. “I’m Movin’ On”: Rascal Flatts
2. “Half Mile Hill”: David Nail
3. “Only A Dream”: Mary Chapin Carpenter (The ending)
4. “Waiting On A Plane”: Maddie & Tae (New album is great)
5. “Acadia”: Marianas Trench (Best county song that country artist forgot to record)
Considering all the great songs already mentioned, I had to get creative:
1. Dancing with Jesus (Bre’s Song) – Jason Cassidy
2. Don’t Blink – Kenny Chesney
3. My Little Girl – Tim McGraw
4. Twenty Years Ago – Montgomery Gentry
5. Mamma Song – Cody Jinks
The 5 I could think of that haven’t been mentioned yet
Lori McKenna – Bible Song
Dixie Chicks – Taking The Long Way
Rachel Williams – World Famous
Julie Roberts – Mama Don’t Cry
Katie Armiger – Leaving Home
The child in Fancy (Bobbie Gentry, Reba McEntire) is leaving home and never sees her mother again.
Dolly Parton, “Wildflowers” (harmony by Linda Ronstadt and Emmylou Harris)
Sugarland, “Fly Away”
Sara Evans, “Born to Fly” (about wanting to leave home)
“Letting Go”–Suzy Bogguss
“26 Cents”–THe Wilkinsons
“There Goes my Life”–Kenny Chesney
“Tennessee Homesick Blues”–Dolly
“Father’s Table Grace”
“Don’t Forget to Remember Me” – Carrie Underwood