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Ray Davies

Music

Lyrics

The Great Highway

I had this dream America
Was always a very special place
Heroes of the great Wild West
Wild Bill Hickok and the rest
The romantic on a reckless chase
Till reality hit me in the face
Hey, hey, hey, I am riding on the great highway
All across America 
From New York to L.A.

Hoping I can find my dream
In New Hampshire or New Orleans
Find a place where I can stay
And once I’m there I’m never going away so
Hey hey hey
From Portland, Maine to San Francisco Bay
All across America along the Great Highway

Bright eyes like wishing wells
instamatic kiss and tell
Optimistic self-belief
College girls with perfect teeth
Technicolor realism in 20-20 vision
Animated multi-raced
And always out there in your face
Ooh la she’ll be cruel if you upset her 
And life is not a road movie
So wake up to reality
And hey hey hey I’m driving on the interstate
All across America, along The Great Highway

And even if the dream goes wrong
Still stay for the last song
So hey, hey, hey
From Portland, Maine to San Francisco Bay 
All across America along the great highway

The great illusion it may be 
But always something else to see
Always some little hick town
To pick you up when you are down
Another day another shake
Malted with a slice of cake
lah di dah di dah di dah (x2)
At a juke box in a smoky bar
A girl stands looking at the stars
Dressed in denim wearing shades
And outside is the great Highway
(I had this dream, America)
She sips a coke walks away
It’s just a second in a day
But all her culture’s on display
She might be a dreamer
But maybe I’m a dreamer too

Hey hey hey
I’m riding on the great highway
From all across America
From New York to L.A.
Hey hey hey (repeat)