Travel is good, but coming home after time on the road can be so nourishing, back to the people we know, when we don’t have to explain, when we can relax and let down our guard. Throw in the joy of finding money in the packet of the jacket we haven’t worn in ages and one can only smile that deep, profound smile.
Robert Earl Keen captures that feeling in this song, coming off the road and heading to his favorite local tavern. Here’s how he described the inspiration to American Songwriter,
“Returning home after a long time gone. I lived in Bandera, Texas. When I would come home, it would occasionally be really late — this was back when I didn’t have a bus. And there was this place called Arkey Blue’s Silver Dollar Saloon that you could go to, still exists. So, I would come home and my wife would be asleep. Now, the other way, just about half a block, was Arkey’s. Lit up with a big silver dollar and it says ‘Arkey Blue’s Silver Dollar’ on it. And I would go there. Not to avoid going home, but to decompress from traveling — I would still be pretty awake. Even past 2:00 a.m.”
“There is a bar,” he continued, “and you walk down from the steps to get there. And in the cellar, which is the bar, was all of Arkey’s stuff. He had velvet paintings of Elvis and Dolly, and this great jukebox, and this corner stage where he would play every Friday and Saturday night. Arkey said actually that he built that place because he was kicked out of every honky-tonk in Texas … So Arkey’s was just a comfortable place to go and there was always people at a table, and it was a beer joint. So anyway, there it is. There’s the inspiration to the song.”
Listening to “Feelin’ Good Again” will have you feeling good.
#Songoftheday #spreadinghappiness #robertearlekeen #feelingoodagain
YouTube: https://youtu.be/g5i6duhB9mk?si=_yTEqneNZA1Lr44q
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/track/4NpYrBb5iuDqW1S5qrU3b6?si=0985f48691df4c57