They Say the Oregon Rain . . .

I won't go into the historic details of the story of this favorite song from my teen years. Other folks have already covered it (very well) here and here and here.
Often (on a rainy day) in the Spring and Autumn I'm transported back to the time spent cruising around with my buds in crime, with 62 KGW AM blaring on the car radio. We all thought we harmonized beautifully and nailed those high notes in the lonely and emotional refrain. (Like one of the chroniclers in the links above, I do wonder why a movie was never made. Great material for an indie!)

They say the Oregon rain will get you down,
But I hunger for the freshness of its sound
The wind, the sun, the things that I have known before,
Now seem like faded ghosts, like shadows on the floor


I live in Oregon, Oregon's my home ...
I love the trees, the hills, the places I have roamed ...
I long to be there, I long to be there with my own kind!


Let me roam endless hours on my own ...
Take me home, back to where green trees grow ...
I feel so lonely and forgotten in this place ...
I'm losing hope, my mind is troubled by disgrace ...


I live in Oregon, Oregon's my home ...
I love the trees, the hills, the places I have roamed ...
I long to be there, I long to be there with my own kind!


I've painted pictures on the blank walls of my cell ...
I've walked through countless dreams no mortal words can tell
I feel how lonely and forgotten I could be ...
My heart is crying out to those who hold the key ...


I live in Oregon, Oregon's my home ...
I love the trees, the hills, the places I have roamed ...
I long to be there, I long to be there with my own kind!
I long to be there, I long to be there with my own kind!
{refrain} I can't go home ...
~"Blackhawk County" 1974 Monmouth