The song "Vague Directions" by James McMurtry is a nostalgic tale of a place that the narrator used to know as a boy. The song is filled with vivid descriptions of a rural setting and how to get there. The narrator is giving vague directions to the place someone else is looking for, but he remembers it clearly from his childhood. He talks about how back then there was no pavement and it was just the whistling wind. As the song progresses, the narrator starts to talk about his past and how he remembers the place so well. He speaks about his mother and how she used to curl her hair, and how a grown man would never have dared to do that. The chorus of the song talks about the memories the narrator holds from that place, and how the light shone long ago on the cold December snow, and how the river runs on through the golden past. Towards the end of the song, the narrator acknowledges that the place he is talking about might not exist anymore or might not be the same as it used to be. However, he still holds fond memories of it and would love to know if it still exists. The song is a beautiful ode to childhood memories and how they stay with us even as we grow older.
