Wednesday Wisdom: Fly Over States

photo by Clarissa Fidler

Listening to Jason Aldean's song "Fly Over States" makes me cry, every time, without fail.  It's one of those songs that touches me so deeply it's hard for me to fully express my emotions in words. Several road trips within the last two years have led me to appreciate what Jason calls the "fly over states"--land void of skyscrapers and retailers, timeless scenes reminiscent of the American West.

There's a different feeling in those little towns with funny names--one of simplicity, determination, and understanding. Like the weathered, well used barns dotting the horizon, the people are strong. I've met real farmers who plow the earth and bust their asses for you and me. It's not an easy life. You don't always reap what you sow.

If you question how people can live their lives in what we might call the middle of nowhere, take a ride across the Badlands. Spend some time basking in the beauty of a corn field. Breathe in the open space. I've done just that and now, I too understand why God made those fly over states.

Read the lyrics and watch the music video. You'll understand what I'm trying to convey. 

"Fly Over States"

A couple of guys in first class on a flight
From New York to Los Angeles,
Kinda making small talk killing time,
Flirting with the flight attendants,
30, 000 feet above, could be Oklahoma,

Just a bunch of square cornfields and wheat farms,
Man, it all looks the same,
Miles and miles of back roads and highways,
Connecting little towns with funny names,
Who'd want to live down there in the middle of nowhere,

They've never drove through Indiana,
Met the men who plowed that earth,
Planted that seed, busted his ass for you and me,
Or caught a harvest moon in Kansas,
They'd understand why god made those fly over states,

I bet that mile long Santa Fe freight train engineer's seen it all
Just like that flatbed cowboy stacking US steel on a 3-day haul
Road and rails under their feet
Yeah that sounds like a first class seat

On the plains of Oklahoma
With a windshield sunset in your eyes
Like a watercolored painted sky

You'll think heaven's doors have opened
You'll understand why god made
Those fly over states

Take a ride across the badlands
Feel that freedom on your face
Breathe in all that open space
Meet a girl from Amarillo
You'll understand why god made
You might even want to plant your stakes
In those fly over states

Have you ever been through Indiana
On the plains of Oklahoma
Take a ride