---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: So in America when the sun goes down and…"
description: "\"“So in America when the sun goes down and I sit on the old broken-down river pier watching the long, long skies over New Jersey and sense all that raw ..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/649/jack-kerouac-182_children_so-in-america-when-the-sun-goes-down-and_1396718.jpg"
---

#  So in America when the sun goes down and I sit on the old…

![“So in America when the sun goes down and I sit on the old broken-down river pier watching the long, long skies over New Jersey and sense all that raw land that rolls in one unbelievable huge bulge over to the West Coast, and all that road going, and all the people dreaming in the immensity of it…” quote by Jack Kerouac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/649/jack-kerouac-182_children_so-in-america-when-the-sun-goes-down-and_1396718.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/649/jack-kerouac-182_children_so-in-america-when-the-sun-goes-down-and_1396718.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/649/jack-kerouac-182_children_so-in-america-when-the-sun-goes-down-and_1396718.jpg)

> ““So in America when the sun goes down and I sit on the old broken-down river pier watching the long, long skies over New Jersey and sense all that raw land that rolls in one unbelievable huge bulge over to the West Coast, and all that road going, and all the people dreaming in the immensity of it, and in Iowa I know by now the children must be crying in the land where they let the children cry, and tonight the stars'll be out, and don't you know that God is Pooh Bear? the evening star must be drooping and shedding her sparkler dims on the prairie, which is just before the coming of complete night that blesses the earth, darkens all the rivers, cups the peaks and folds the final shore in, and nobody, nobody knows what's going to happen to anybody besides the forlorn rags of growing old, I think of Dean Moriarty, I even think of Old Dean Moriarty the father we never found, I think of Dean Moriarty.””

[Jack Kerouac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kerouac/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

The speaker reflects on vast American landscapes, the collective suffering of children, and a yearning for meaning, invoking spiritual and literary allusions.

**In simple terms:** He muses on America’s expanse, children’s pain, and spiritual longing.

Key Takeaway

Seek empathy for collective sorrow and personal spiritual connection.

Themes

America spirituality loneliness journey nostalgia

Mood

melancholic contemplative

Type

poetic philosophical

When to use this quote

- travel
- social observation
- personal introspection
- poetic expression

Key Concepts

existentialism beat generation social critique

Questions to Reflect On

- How does geography shape personal identity?
- What role does spirituality play in coping with societal pain?

A Different Perspective

Romantic idealism may ignore concrete solutions to suffering.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Bear Evening](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bear-evening-4883061/) [Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [Crying Land](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/crying-land-4883060/) [Dean Moriarty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dean-moriarty-4437390/) [Growing old](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/growing-old/) [Long Long](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/long-long/) [Moriarty Father](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moriarty-father-4883062/) [Moriarty Think](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moriarty-think-4883059/) [Nobody knows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nobody-knows/) [Pooh Bear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pooh-bear/) [West coast](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/west-coast/)

## Related quotes

> [“I think of Dean Moriarty.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kerouac/i-think-of-dean-moriarty/)

[Jack Kerouac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kerouac/)

> [“and tonight the stars'll be out, and don't you know that God is Pooh Bear?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kerouac/and-tonight-the-stars-ll-be-out-and-don-t-you-know-that-god-is-pooh/)

[Jack Kerouac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kerouac/)

> [and don't you know that God is Pooh Bear?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kerouac/and-don-t-you-know-that-god-is-pooh-bear/)

[Jack Kerouac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kerouac/)

> [“Are you sure you know where you're going?" Andrea frowned. "Would you like me to pull over and ask that bamboo for directions?" "I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilona-andrews/are-you-sure-you-know-where-you-re-going-andrea-frowned-would-you/)

[Ilona Andrews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilona-andrews/)

> [Good morning, Eeyore," said Pooh. "Good morning, Pooh Bear," said Eeyore gloomily. "If it is a good morning, which I doubt," said he. "Why,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-a-milne/good-morning-eeyore-said-pooh-good-morning-pooh-bear-said-eeyore/)

[A. A. Milne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-a-milne/)

> [What's Mickey without Minnie, What's Pigglet without Pooh, What's Donald without Daisy, That's me without you. When Ariel doesn't sing, And when Pooh Bear…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/what-s-mickey-without-minnie-what-s-pigglet-without-pooh-what-s/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“Jack quickly set about releasing Pooh Bear from his cage. Once he was free and standing on solid ground, Pooh gazed at Jack in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-reilly/jack-quickly-set-about-releasing-pooh-bear-from-his-cage-once-he-was/)

[Matthew Reilly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-reilly/)

> [“We all grew up, those of us who took On the Road to heart. We came to cringe a little at our old favorite…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-vowell/we-all-grew-up-those-of-us-who-took-on-the-road-to-heart-we-came-to/)

[Sarah Vowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-vowell/)

> [What's Mickey without Minnie? What's Tigger without Pooh? What's Donald without Daisy? That's me without you. And when Elmo isn't ticklish, and Pooh Bear…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/what-s-mickey-without-minnie-what-s-tigger-without-pooh-what-s-donald/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Hallo, Eeyore." "Same to you, Pooh Bear, and twice on Thursdays," said Eeyore gloomily. Before Pooh could say: 'Why Thursdays?' Christopher Robin began to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-a-milne/hallo-eeyore-same-to-you-pooh-bear-and-twice-on-thursdays-said-eeyore/)

[A. A. Milne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-a-milne/)

> [Pooh, for a bear of very little brain, you sure are a smart one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/piglet/pooh-for-a-bear-of-very-little-brain-you-sure-are-a-smart-one/)

[Piglet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/piglet/)

> [“Power and money Like Pooh Bear and honey Stick fast.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mitchell/power-and-money-like-pooh-bear-and-honey-stick-fast/)

[David Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mitchell/)

## More by Jack Kerouac

> [Bein Crazy is the least of my worries.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kerouac/bein-crazy-is-the-least-of-my-worries/)

[Jack Kerouac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kerouac/)

> [I'm Catholic and I can't commit suicide, but I plan to drink myself to death.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kerouac/i-m-catholic-and-i-can-t-commit-suicide-but-i-plan-to-drink-myself-to/)

[Jack Kerouac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kerouac/)

> [The Beat Generation, that was a vision that we had, John Clellon Holmes and I, and Allen Ginsberg in an even wilder way, in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kerouac/the-beat-generation-that-was-a-vision-that-we-had-john-clellon-holmes/)

[Jack Kerouac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kerouac/)

> [But, outside of being a sweet little girl, she was awfully dumb and capable of doing horrible things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kerouac/but-outside-of-being-a-sweet-little-girl-she-was-awfully-dumb-and/)

[Jack Kerouac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kerouac/)

> [“For when you realized that God is Everything you know that you've got to love everything no matter how bad it is, in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kerouac/for-when-you-realized-that-god-is-everything-you-know-that-you-ve-got/)

[Jack Kerouac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kerouac/)

> [“I'm an idealist who has outgrown my idealism I have nothing to do the rest of my life but do it and the rest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kerouac/i-m-an-idealist-who-has-outgrown-my-idealism-i-have-nothing-to-do-the/)

[Jack Kerouac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kerouac/)

> [“Most of them were running away from something―usually the law.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kerouac/most-of-them-were-running-away-from-something-usually-the-law/)

[Jack Kerouac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kerouac/)

> [“Non lo so, non importa e non fa nessuna differenza.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kerouac/non-lo-so-non-importa-e-non-fa-nessuna-differenza/)

[Jack Kerouac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kerouac/)

> [“And in the flush of the first few days of joy I confidently tell myself (not expecting what I'll do in three weeks only)…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kerouac/and-in-the-flush-of-the-first-few-days-of-joy-i-confidently-tell/)

[Jack Kerouac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kerouac/)

> [I want a blaze of light to flame in me forever in a timeless, dear love of everything. And why should I pretend to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kerouac/i-want-a-blaze-of-light-to-flame-in-me-forever-in-a-timeless-dear/)

[Jack Kerouac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kerouac/)

> [“For the next week that was all I heard - manana, a lovely word and one that probably means heaven.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kerouac/for-the-next-week-that-was-all-i-heard-manana-a-lovely-word-and-one/)

[Jack Kerouac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kerouac/)

> [“O how wonderful life is, how miraculous, God made this and God made that", "how do you know he doesn't hate what He did:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kerouac/o-how-wonderful-life-is-how-miraculous-god-made-this-and-god-made/)

[Jack Kerouac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kerouac/)

> [Notoriety and public confession in the literary form is a frazzler of the heart you were born with, believe me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kerouac/notoriety-and-public-confession-in-the-literary-form-is-a-frazzler-of/)

[Jack Kerouac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kerouac/)

> [I promise I shall never give up, and that I'll die yelling &amp; laughing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kerouac/i-promise-i-shall-never-give-up-and-that-i-ll-die-yelling-laughing/)

[Jack Kerouac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kerouac/)

> [“The hot water pools are steaming, Fagan and Monsanto and the others are all sitting peacefully up to their necks, they're all naked, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kerouac/the-hot-water-pools-are-steaming-fagan-and-monsanto-and-the-others/)

[Jack Kerouac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kerouac/)

[Explore all 936 Jack Kerouac quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kerouac/)

## More Children quotes

> [I am certain that children always know more than they are able to tell, and that makes the big difference between them and adults,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-lusseyran/i-am-certain-that-children-always-know-more-than-they-are-able-to/)

[Jacques Lusseyran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-lusseyran/)

> [Behind every successful child is an adult who believed in him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-warren/behind-every-successful-child-is-an-adult-who-believed-in-him/)

[Rick Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-warren/)

> [I believe in freedom to do what you want if you aren't hurting others, but pictures of obese protesters giving their children big gulps.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-defranco/i-believe-in-freedom-to-do-what-you-want-if-you-aren-t-hurting-others/)

[Philip DeFranco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-defranco/)

> [If the audience likes your work, if they like you, they don't think whether you are married or have children or not. I made…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dimple-kapadia/if-the-audience-likes-your-work-if-they-like-you-they-don-t-think/)

[Dimple Kapadia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dimple-kapadia/)

> [It doesnt seem to me strange that children should like the macabre, the sensational, and the forbidden.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-hecht/it-doesnt-seem-to-me-strange-that-children-should-like-the-macabre/)

[Anthony Hecht](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-hecht/)

> [Let children support their parents or be imprisoned.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/let-children-support-their-parents-or-be-imprisoned/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Gratitude isn't just a feeling, it's an action. Expressing gratitude by writing in a journal, taking a photo, or shooting a video creates a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janice-kaplan/gratitude-isn-t-just-a-feeling-it-s-an-action-expressing-gratitude-by/)

[Janice Kaplan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janice-kaplan/)

> [My embarrassing confession is that my father is a 'Camelot: The Musical' obsessive. So as a child, when we were going to visit relatives…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-chibnall/my-embarrassing-confession-is-that-my-father-is-a-camelot-the-musical/)

[Chris Chibnall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-chibnall/)

> [I have many who keep me going, I am very fortunate in this sense. There is nothing like a child who knows more about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/floyd-cooper/i-have-many-who-keep-me-going-i-am-very-fortunate-in-this-sense-there/)

[Floyd Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/floyd-cooper/)

> [My school was one of the most beautiful places a child can grow up in. You are surrounded by nature - cats, dogs, birds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amala-akkineni/my-school-was-one-of-the-most-beautiful-places-a-child-can-grow-up-in/)

[Amala Akkineni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amala-akkineni/)

> [A lesser complaint: hair extensions. There are moments on 'All My Children' when half the women actors, young and old, seem to be afflicted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/camille-paglia/a-lesser-complaint-hair-extensions-there-are-moments-on-all-my/)

[Camille Paglia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/camille-paglia/)

> [As a child, I had a lot of older gay men taking care of me. There's a trust there. I feel like little girls…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-cho/as-a-child-i-had-a-lot-of-older-gay-men-taking-care-of-me-there-s-a/)

[Margaret Cho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-cho/)

> [If my child had prejudice in his head, I'd be ashamed. I would see it as my failure as a parent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/if-my-child-had-prejudice-in-his-head-i-d-be-ashamed-i-would-see-it/)

[Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/)

> [“Children's lives are always beginning and adults' lives are always ending. Or is it the opposite? Your childhood is always ending and your adult…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-espach/children-s-lives-are-always-beginning-and-adults-lives-are-always/)

[Alison Espach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alison-espach/)

> [As a child I was very involved with sports and I knew at age 9 that I wanted to be an Olympic champion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marion-jones/as-a-child-i-was-very-involved-with-sports-and-i-knew-at-age-9-that-i/)

[Marion Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marion-jones/)

[Browse all 62,396 Children quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“So in America when the sun goes down and I sit on the old broken-down river pier watching the long, long skies over New Jersey and sense all that raw land that rolls in one unbelievable huge bulge over to the West Coast, and all that road going, and all the people dreaming in the immensity of it, and in Iowa I know by now the children must be crying in the land where they let the children cry, and tonight the stars'll be out, and don't you know that God is Pooh Bear? the evening star must be drooping and shedding her sparkler dims on the prairie, which is just before the coming of complete night that blesses the earth, darkens all the rivers, cups the peaks and folds the final shore in, and nobody, nobody knows what's going to happen to anybody besides the forlorn rags of growing old, I think of Dean Moriarty, I even think of Old Dean Moriarty the father we never found, I think of Dean Moriarty.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Jack Kerouac"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kerouac/so-in-america-when-the-sun-goes-down-and-i-sit-on-the-old-broken-down/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Children"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kerouac/so-in-america-when-the-sun-goes-down-and-i-sit-on-the-old-broken-down/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/649/jack-kerouac-182_children_so-in-america-when-the-sun-goes-down-and_1396718.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/649/jack-kerouac-182_children_so-in-america-when-the-sun-goes-down-and_1396718.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/649/jack-kerouac-182_children_so-in-america-when-the-sun-goes-down-and_1396718.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“So in America when the sun goes down and I sit on the old broken-down river pier watching the long, long…” — Jack Kerouac",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Jack Kerouac",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kerouac/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“So in America when the sun...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kerouac/so-in-america-when-the-sun-goes-down-and-i-sit-on-the-old-broken-down/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kerouac/so-in-america-when-the-sun-goes-down-and-i-sit-on-the-old-broken-down/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
