The Road You Leave Behind

"The Road You Leave Behind" is a song written and recorded by American country music artist David Lee Murphy. It was released in July 1996 as the second single from his album Gettin' Out the Good Stuff. The song peaked at number 5 on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart and number 12 on the Canadian RPM Country Tracks chart.

"The Road You Leave Behind"
Single by David Lee Murphy
from the album Gettin' Out the Good Stuff
B-side	"Gettin' Out the Good Stuff"
Released	July 22, 1996
Genre	Country
Length	3:53
Label	MCA
Songwriter(s)	David Lee Murphy
Producer(s)	Tony Brown
David Lee Murphy singles chronology
"Every Time I Get Around You" (1996) "The Road You Leave Behind" (1996) "She's Really Something To See" (1996)

Content

In "The Road You Leave Behind," Murphy describes an incident that occurred when he was a child. The family was on vacation and had driven a long way. They had a flat tire and needed to get it changed quickly. Since the car didn't have state plates, it was important to get the tire changed quickly so they could get back on the road. But the nearest town was over 100 miles away. The father drove away, his face not smiling. He told his son, "Son, not until tonight."

Murphy was driving a truck on a highway at night. Suddenly, he felt an urge to stop the truck and get out to walk around. When he got out, he realized that the hood of the truck was pulled up because the gas tank was dry. The protagonist is driving a car that is low on fuel. He is trying to get to a gas station before the engine dies. The driver is checking the gas gauge to determine its accuracy. An old man on the night shift checks on him and tells the protagonist he should not be there. Murphy is surprised by this encounter and wonders why he should not be there. The old man says, "This is no place to be," and then adds, "I bet you're not wearing shoes, son." The old man could be referring to the boy's lack of shoes, but he could also be referring to the dangerous situation the boy is in.

In the song's bridge, the old man tells the protagonist that he doesn't owe him anything. The old man says this because he knows that the protagonist is kind and generous, and will help him if he needs it. The old man tells the protagonist that the next time they meet, it might be the old man asking for help.

Critical reception

Larry Flick, of Billboard magazine reviewed the song favorably calling it "one of those philosophical life-lesson kinds of songs, but Murphy's vocal honesty keeps it from sounding preachy or schmaltzy."

Music video

The music video for "The Road You Leave Behind" was directed by Michael Salomon. It premiered on CMT on July 24, 1996, during "The CMT Delivery Room." The video for "The Road You Leave Behind" by David Lee Murphy features him sitting in the back of a truck in black and white. The video also shows flashbacks of Murphy when he was a child, standing in the middle of the road playing guitar, and helping an old man.

Chart positions

"The Road You Leave Behind" debuted at number 62 on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks for the week of August 3, 1996.

Chart (1996)	Peak position
Canada Country Tracks (RPM)	12
US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)	5

Year-end charts

Chart (1996)	Position
US Country Songs (Billboard)	55