This Long Broken Road

The Story Behind the Song

"This Long Broken Road" turns the album's title into its central image: a stretch of highway with no visible end, walked by someone too exhausted to stop but too stubborn to quit. It's not about arriving anywhere -- it's about the act of continuing when continuing is the hardest thing left to do. The road stands in for a whole life's worth of hardship, compressed into one long, unbroken walk toward a horizon that keeps receding.

Also Performed By

This Long Broken Road is released in multiple performer editions, each with its own real performance — durations differ by artist, not just persona.

Lyrics

I've walked a very long time over many a-mile, Can't seem to catch my breath but gotta keep on a smile, There's no end in sight but you're damn near dead, And maps ain't gonna help when you're lost in your own head. Is there any end to this long, broken road? Lord, I'm so damned tired... but there's so far to go. Maybe some way that we could lighten the load? I look across the horizon... How much farther, no one knows... They say time heals all wounds, but mine are still bleedin', From all the promises broken to these mouths that need feedin', The world keeps on changin', oh it's changin' so fast, They throw out what's good and sell us shit that don't last. I stroll past empty diners and churches for sale, Folks are tradin' small towns for towers and dreams full of air! Leavin' these wide open spaces, and kind people who care, To pack themselves into cities and live their lives in a cell. Is there any end to this long, broken road? Lord, I'm so damned tired... but there's so far to go. Maybe some way that we could lighten the load? I look across the horizon... How much farther, no one knows... I look at the sky and see clouds turn to black, The storm's comin' in, but there's no turnin' back, I pull my coat tight and keep pushin' on, There's so far to go and the light's almost gone... We gotta keep walkin' this long, broken road! Lord, give us the strength!... There's so far to go... Our burdens are so heavy... help us lighten the load... We look across that far horizon... How much farther? Nobody knows... How much farther? Tell us how much farther... God only knows... God only knows... God only knows