Thank you Rose for sponsoring Illinois is Overflowing!!

All about Heather and Rob's 2004 trek into the wild, wild American mid-west during the intense summer storms, this song was started while camping in a very wet Illinois and completed while camping in a very wet West Virginia come season's end.

About the Song

"I really wanted to write a simple song. Sometimes my compositions can get so lyric laden, so I wanted to write something with a concise chorus and really spare imagery. I'd been holding onto the line about cassette tapes for at least a year, trying to find a piece to work it into and figuring that sooner or later I would write a road song. The floods during that first summer out were unreal, and highlight to some of my best and my most trying times. But when the skies were clear and dark, you could see just like it was daytime by moonlight. Once I had the lyrics, it took me another couple months to settle on chords, and they turned out to be ones I'd carried around for a while, as well."

-Heather

Lyrics

I'm so tired of water.
Three inches of rain in the passenger side.
The intestines of cassette tapes
are shining at the curb,
begging just one more play,
begging just one more ride,
but I just keep driving.
I just keep driving.

You close your eyes,
three inches away in the passenger side.
James is on the radio singing,
"Don't let me be loney,"
as I turn off the headlights,
take two states by moonlight,
I can't stop driving.
I can't stop driving.

(chorus)
And you say,
"Baby, it's alright,
the rain's subsiding.
We might even be dry tonight."

My wheels aren't even
touching the ground.
We're flying on faith
that the engine will hold.
Keep us going.
Keep us going.

(chorus)

I'm so tired of highway.
Three miles to the toll at the coming state line.
No quarters but this quarter tank,
we search our empty hands.
As Illinois is overflowing,
we hope for a little change here inside,
so we can keep driving.
So we can keep driving.

(chorus)

© Heather Lloyd