I was pleased to discover that the John Denver song “Rocky Mountain High” was adopted as another Colorado State Song in 2007. I’ve always loved this song, well, okay, I confess that I love all of John Denver’s music, but this has been our family’s ‘vacation song’ since it’s release in 1973. Although I was born in Missouri, and lived my junior high and high school years in Kansas, ever since I was a toddler Mom and Dad had been taking us to the Rockies for summer vacations.
And then, we were able to actually move to Colorado in my late teens! I lived there, up and down the front range, for twelve years. It’s likely that, if I hadn’t met Ron in 1999, I would already be back living in my beloved Rocky Mountains. Alas, they will have to wait for me, and I for them, until circumstances allow us to be together once more. While Maine is a very nurturing location, which is a big part of why I moved here the second time, the Rocky Mountain range is where I feel most invigorated and energized; it is where the sacred and the imaginal merge into an incredible euphoria. There is simply nothing else for me like walking/hiking the Rockies. Resting in the rocks, being with the beauty, viewing the visionary splendor. Being there, I am truly home elementally.
Meanwhile, I plan on making some trips out there in the near future, to commune with the energy of the Rockies. And I listen to John Denver regularly! His songs take me home to Colorado, the Rockies, and to the memories of fun-filled family vacations. My latest novel also is set in Colorado, which allows me to visit that locale regularly!
All I have to do is close my eyes, and the Rockies are there in my heart, mind and soul. The Rockies are Gaia, Mother Earth, in a form that resonates within me on all levels, from the crisp, thin air, to the magnificent jagged rocks, to the glorious pines and firs, to the hardy grasses and the delicate flowers in their often solitary innocence and uplifting beauty. Truly...Rocky Mountain High.
He was born in the summer of his 27th year
Comin' home to a place he'd never been before
He left yesterday behind him, you might say he was born again
You might say he found a key for every door
When he first came to the mountains his life was far away
On the road and hangin' by a song
But the string's already broken and he doesn't really care
It keeps changin' fast and it don't last for long
But the Colorado rocky mountain high
I've seen it rainin' fire in the sky
The shadow from the starlight is softer than a lullabye
Rocky mountain high
He climbed cathedral mountains, he saw silver clouds below
He saw everything as far as you can see
And they say that he got crazy once and he tried to touch the sun
And he lost a friend but kept his memory
Now he walks in quiet solitude the forest and the streams
Seeking grace in every step he takes
His sight has turned inside himself to try and understand
The serenity of a clear blue mountain lake
And the Colorado rocky mountain high
I've seen it rainin' fire in the sky
You can talk to God and listen to the casual reply
Rocky mountain high
Now his life is full of wonder but his heart still knows some fear
Of a simple thing he cannot comprehend
Why they try to tear the mountains down to bring in a couple more
More people, more scars upon the land
And the Colorado rocky mountain high
I've seen it rainin' fire in the sky
I know he'd be a poorer man if he never saw an eagle fly
Rocky mountain high
It's Colorado rocky mountain high
I've seen it rainin' fire in the sky
Friends around the campfire and everybody's high
Rocky mountain high
_________
The following video isn’t great quality but the audio is good, and it ends with John singing “Rocky Mountain High” after first telling his story of how the song came to be. Beautiful.
However, the next video below includes some fabulous photos of the Rockies, including unique sites like Mesa Verde and Garden of the Gods, plus a few views of Denver. The photos are beautifully choreographed to a later rendition of the song; a nice version, a little peppier, although I still prefer the original.
____________
ALTA LAKE (H)
free photo © Mike Norton | Dreamstime.com
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