Don’t turn your back on me
Or read in between my words
I’m trying to drag this out
Taking the scenic route

I know we could get there much faster if we wanted to
But that isn’t what you and I came here to do

No nails to untie the knots
No veins left to take the shots
No touch to end a fight
Or letting who’s wrong be right

We’re just sitting like novels we’ve picked up but never read through
You think you know my ending, I think I know yours, too
You see, nowhere in these old conversations is there anything new

Even though we know the sun will rise
Every ray of light still takes us by, by surprise

Baby, leave it all behind
Baby, leave it all behind
Missed a road sign
I don’t want to get home soon
Drive the car all the way around the moon
Baby, we could get lost
We have another state to cross
We could find each other out
Tell our secrets on the scenic route
I don’t want to get home soon
Drive the car around the moon
I don’t want to crush you or rush you
I’m not going faster if you want to and if you want to
I don’t want to rush you or crush you
But I won’t go faster if you want to
It’s not what we came here to do
I just want to drive
I just want to drive


(Jars of Clay, Jeremy Lutito, Gabe Ruschival) © 2009 Bridge Building / Pogostick Music / Chigostick Music / Dudie Music (BMI). All rights for the world on behalf of Pogostick Music, Chigostick Music and Dudie Music administered by Bridge Building.

Behind the Song:
MATT ODMARK: “‘Scenic Route’ is a great example of how we wanted to play with traditional song structures on this record. Bands tend to go through seasons of standing in their strengths, followed by seasons of exploration where every place you've been is now off-limits. Good Monsters really felt like we were standing in our strengths, and with The Long Fall … we felt it was time to go on that exploration to rediscover what Jars of Clay’s voice is. ‘Scenic Route’ was our way of saying, ‘The traditional rules don’t apply this time around. We’re launching ourselves into new territory.’”

STEVE MASON: “‘Scenic Route” has my favorite lyric on the record: ‘We’re just sitting like novels we’ve picked up but never read through / You think you know my ending, I think I know yours, too’. Dan has perfectly rendered this idea that life and relationships aren’t meant to be just gotten through. Crossing things off the list is not the way to get the marrow out of life. Better to take the long way home, the scene route.”