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The meaning of the lyrics of the song "Detour" by the artist "Willie Nelson Leon Russell"

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In the song "Detour," Willie Nelson and Leon Russell utilize the metaphor of a road to convey a sense of regret for the past and the consequences of wrong decisions.

The lyrical hero reflects on his life and realizes he was traveling on a "winding road" without sufficient knowledge and understanding. Due to his inexperience, he encountered "troubles" that led him to imprisonment for five years. He blames himself for ignoring the "detour sign," symbolizing the opportunity to avoid this negative experience.

The chorus of the song repeats the phrase "Detour!" with different epithets: "muddy road," "didn't heed the sign," "oh, how bitter a taste I found!". These lines emphasize that the hero is aware of the choice he had, but he neglected it, leading to dire consequences.

The second verse continues the road metaphor, but now the hero sees a "Turn" sign, offering hope for a change for the better. However, his optimism quickly fades as he realizes that "the farther I went, the more sorrow I found." This fragment shows that wrong decisions can have long-term consequences that are difficult to rectify.

Overall, "Detour" is a song about regret, the inability to learn from one's mistakes, and the importance of paying attention to the "signs" of fate that can save one from trouble.

Headed down life's crooked road

Lots of things I never knowed

Because of me not knowin', I now pine

Trouble got in the trail

Spent the next five years in jail

Should have read that detour sign

Detour, there's a muddy road ahead

Detour, paid no mind to what it said

Detour, oh, these bitter things I find

Should have read that detour sign

When I got right to the place

Where it said "about-face"

I thought that all my worries were behind

But the farther I go the more sorrow I know

Should have read that detour sign

Detour, there's a muddy road ahead

Detour, paid no mind to what it said

Detour, oh, these bitter things I find

Should have read that detour sign

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