Behind the Meaning of Sheryl Crow’s “Everyday is a Winding Road”

The great (and bad) thing about life is you never know what you’re gonna get. Somedays it feels like nothing could go wrong. Other days it feels like getting something to go right is an impossible task. Nevertheless, it somehow shakes out. That’s the sentiment behind Sheryl Crow‘s “Everyday is a Winding Road.” This classic Crow track is one of her most inspiring. Uncover the meaning behind this song, below.

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Behind the Meaning of Sheryl Crow’s “Everyday is a Winding Road”

I hitched a ride with a vending machine repair man

He said he’s been down this road more than twice

He was high on intellectualism

I’ve never been there but the brochure looks nice

Crow always makes use of some color characters in her songs. She tells stories with a richness that few of her peers can boast. In “Everyday is a Winding Road,” she hitches a ride with the most unlikely of drivers: a vending machine repair man. She uses his life as an example of the titular sentiment in this song.

In the pre-chorus, she says something that any of us can relate to: Everybody gets high, everybody gets low. Like her vending machine repair man, all of our lives are made up of good and bad. Really all there is to do is Lay back and enjoy the show.

Jump in, let’s go

Lay back, enjoy the show

Everybody gets high, everybody gets low

These are the days when anything goes

Every day is a winding road

I get a little bit closer

Every day is a faded sign

I get a little bit closer to feeling fine

He’s got a daughter he calls Easter

She was born on a Tuesday night

I’m just wondering why I feel so all alone

Why I’m a stranger in my own life?

She starts to get more introspective in the second verse. She applies this idea to her own life. Why I’m a stranger in my own life, she asks–almost rhetorically. Despite that quandary, she decides to follow her own example. If everyday is a winding road, shouldn’t it trend upwards again, eventually?

It’s a song all of us could use from time to time. If you ever find yourself falling down hill, trust that you’re liable to find your way back uphill again in no time. Revisit this track, below.

Jump in, let’s go

Lay back, enjoy the show

Everybody gets high, everybody gets low

These are the days when anything goes

Every day is a winding road

I get a little bit closer

Every day is a faded sign

I get a little bit closer

(Photo by Paul Morigi/Getty Images for The Recording Academy)