--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Telegraph Road A long time ago came a man…" description: "\"“ Telegraph Road A long time ago came a man on a track Walking thirty miles with a pack on his back And he put down his load where he thought it was th..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/525/mark-knopfler-15066_civilization_telegraph-road-a-long-time-ago-came-a-ma_392786.jpg" --- # Telegraph Road A long time ago came a man on a track… ![“Telegraph Road A long time ago came a man on a track Walking thirty miles with a pack on his back And he put down his load where he thought it was the best Made a home in the wilderness He built a cabin and a winter store And he ploughed up the ground by the cold lake shore And the other…” quote by Mark Knopfler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/525/mark-knopfler-15066_civilization_telegraph-road-a-long-time-ago-came-a-ma_392786.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/525/mark-knopfler-15066_civilization_telegraph-road-a-long-time-ago-came-a-ma_392786.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/525/mark-knopfler-15066_civilization_telegraph-road-a-long-time-ago-came-a-ma_392786.jpg) > ““ Telegraph Road A long time ago came a man on a track Walking thirty miles with a pack on his back And he put down his load where he thought it was the best Made a home in the wilderness He built a cabin and a winter store And he ploughed up the ground by the cold lake shore And the other travellers came riding down the track And they never went further, no, they never went back Then came the churches, then came the schools Then came the lawyers, then came the rules Then came the trains and the trucks with their loads And the dirty old track was the telegraph road Then came the mines - then came the ore Then there was the hard times, then there was a war Telegraph sang a song about the world outside Telegraph road got so deep and so wide Like a rolling river ... And my radio says tonight it's gonna freeze People driving home from the factories There's six lanes of traffic Three lanes moving slow ... I used to like to go to work but they shut it down I got a right to go to work but there's no work here to be found Yes and they say we're gonna have to pay what's owed We're gonna have to reap from some seed that's been sowed And the birds up on the wires and the telegraph poles They can always fly away from this rain and this cold You can hear them singing out their telegraph code All the way down the telegraph road You know I'd sooner forget but I remember those nights When life was just a bet on a race between the lights You had your head on my shoulder, you had your hand in my hair Now you act a little colder like you don't seem to care But believe in me baby and I'll take you away From out of this darkness and into the day From these rivers of headlights, these rivers of rain From the anger that lives on the streets with these names 'Cos I've run every red light on memory lane I've seen desperation explode into flames And I don't want to see it again ... From all of these signs saying sorry but we're closed All the way down the telegraph road”” [Mark Knopfler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-knopfler/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The lyrics trace progress from wilderness settlement to industrialization, reflecting on loss, change, and nostalgia. **In simple terms:** Tracks human development and its costs. Key Takeaway Reflect on how progress shapes lives. Themes history progress nostalgia change industrialization Mood reflective melancholic nostalgic Type historical philosophical When to use this quote - studying local history - considering sustainable development - reflecting on personal change Key Concepts urbanization environmental impact human experience Questions to Reflect On - How does modern life compare to the song’s past? - What can be learned from past transformations? A Different Perspective May romanticize past while ignoring present challenges. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Civilization](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/civilization/) [Despair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/despair/) [Hard time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hard-time/) [Hard times](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hard-times/) [Hope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hope/) [Humanity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humanity/) [Memory lane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/memory-lane/) [Saying sorry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/saying-sorry/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [The car suddenly veered off the road and we came to a sliding halt in the gravel. I was hurled against the dashboard. My…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hunter-s-thompson/the-car-suddenly-veered-off-the-road-and-we-came-to-a-sliding-halt-in/) [Hunter S. Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hunter-s-thompson/) > [“Only once did I perceive a human being, and that was at the intersection of our crossroad with the wide, white turnpike which cuts…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-rice-burroughs/only-once-did-i-perceive-a-human-being-and-that-was-at-the/) [Edgar Rice Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-rice-burroughs/) > [“One day, The road came. The road brought with it beer and cigarettes. The road brought Coca-Cola and disposable razors. The road brought all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-a-newman/one-day-the-road-came-the-road-brought-with-it-beer-and-cigarettes/) [James A. Newman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-a-newman/) > ['Old Town Road' came after a period of feeling like I was out of options. I was living with my sister. She was pretty…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lil-nas-x/old-town-road-came-after-a-period-of-feeling-like-i-was-out-of/) [Lil Nas X](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lil-nas-x/) > [“Many days passed before we could speak to the Golden One again. But then came the day when the sky turned white, as if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/many-days-passed-before-we-could-speak-to-the-golden-one-again-but/) [Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/) > [Even when we turn around, there are no footprints behind us... Nor the road we came along, nor the tune we hummed... When we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kazuya-minekura/even-when-we-turn-around-there-are-no-footprints-behind-us-nor-the/) [Kazuya Minekura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kazuya-minekura/) > [“I can’t believe you did this,” she said a moment later, and he noted that along with her irritation, she was gripping the steering…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-kauffman/i-can-t-believe-you-did-this-she-said-a-moment-later-and-he-noted/) [Donna Kauffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-kauffman/) > [“Just because the road ahead is long, is no reason to slow down. Just because there is much work to be done, is no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-marston/just-because-the-road-ahead-is-long-is-no-reason-to-slow-down-just-2/) [Ralph Marston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-marston/) > [When you set out on your journey to Ithaca, pray that the road is long, full of adventure, full of knowledge.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/when-you-set-out-on-your-journey-to-ithaca-pray-that-the-road-is-long/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“The road is long and the end is death, he thought, remembering all the times his mother had said that. If we're lucky.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pamela-freeman/the-road-is-long-and-the-end-is-death-he-thought-remembering-all-the/) [Pamela Freeman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pamela-freeman/) > [No road is long with good company.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/turkish-proverb/no-road-is-long-with-good-company/) Turkish Proverb > [You will soon get run over if you stay in the middle of the road too long.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikrant-parsai/you-will-soon-get-run-over-if-you-stay-in-the-middle-of-the-road-too/) [Vikrant Parsai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikrant-parsai/) > [Going on the road for long stretches can seem daunting, and I certainly miss being home sometimes, but the chance to see so many…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mulaney/going-on-the-road-for-long-stretches-can-seem-daunting-and-i/) [John Mulaney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mulaney/) > [The road is long, we carry on, try to have fun in the meantime.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lana-del-rey/the-road-is-long-we-carry-on-try-to-have-fun-in-the-meantime/) [Lana Del Rey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lana-del-rey/) > [Who knows where life will take you, the road is long and in the end the journey is the destination.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucas-scott/who-knows-where-life-will-take-you-the-road-is-long-and-in-the-end/) [Lucas Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucas-scott/) ## More by Mark Knopfler > [Juliet, when we made love, you used to cry. You said, "I love you like the stars above, I'll love you 'til I die".…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-knopfler/juliet-when-we-made-love-you-used-to-cry-you-said-i-love-you-like-the/) [Mark Knopfler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-knopfler/) > [I love Gibsons, and Nationals, too. There's something magical about them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-knopfler/i-love-gibsons-and-nationals-too-there-s-something-magical-about-them/) [Mark Knopfler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-knopfler/) > [While listening, to things like western swing, for instance, I'd work something out in my head, then play it on my National; not the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-knopfler/while-listening-to-things-like-western-swing-for-instance-i-d-work/) [Mark Knopfler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-knopfler/) > [We used to play in a theater club in London called The King's Head. When the theater let nut, around 10:00 P.M., we'd be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-knopfler/we-used-to-play-in-a-theater-club-in-london-called-the-king-s-head/) [Mark Knopfler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-knopfler/) > [There's so many different worlds, so many different suns. And we have just one world, but we live in different ones.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-knopfler/there-s-so-many-different-worlds-so-many-different-suns-and-we-have/) [Mark Knopfler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-knopfler/) > [“I don't like definitions, but if there is a definition of freedom, it would be when you have control over your reality to transform…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-knopfler/i-don-t-like-definitions-but-if-there-is-a-definition-of-freedom-it/) [Mark Knopfler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-knopfler/) > [My idea of heaven is a place where the Tyne meets the Delta, where folk music meets the blues.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-knopfler/my-idea-of-heaven-is-a-place-where-the-tyne-meets-the-delta-where/) [Mark Knopfler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-knopfler/) > [I left for the same reasons everyone leaves jobs that are no longer fulfilling their hopes and aspirations. I didn't see myself spending the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-knopfler/i-left-for-the-same-reasons-everyone-leaves-jobs-that-are-no-longer/) [Mark Knopfler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-knopfler/) > [...the music you make is shaped by what you play it on ... if you feel that you're not getting enough out of a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-knopfler/the-music-you-make-is-shaped-by-what-you-play-it-on-if-you-feel-that/) [Mark Knopfler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-knopfler/) > [Last time I was sober, man I felt bad, Worst hangover that I ever had. It took six hamburgers, Scotch all night, Nicotine for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-knopfler/last-time-i-was-sober-man-i-felt-bad-worst-hangover-that-i-ever-had/) [Mark Knopfler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-knopfler/) > [Sometimes you gotta be an s.o.b., you wanna make a dream reality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-knopfler/sometimes-you-gotta-be-an-s-o-b-you-wanna-make-a-dream-reality/) [Mark Knopfler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-knopfler/) > [What I always try to do is to respond to the song; I've always rebelled against theory.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-knopfler/what-i-always-try-to-do-is-to-respond-to-the-song-i-ve-always/) [Mark Knopfler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-knopfler/) > [“Juliet, the dice were loaded from the start. / When you gonna realize it was just that the time was wrong, Juliet?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-knopfler/juliet-the-dice-were-loaded-from-the-start-when-you-gonna-realize-it/) [Mark Knopfler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-knopfler/) > [While I was into many different types of music, and played with many different local groups, I really didn't have a band to call…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-knopfler/while-i-was-into-many-different-types-of-music-and-played-with-many/) [Mark Knopfler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-knopfler/) > [“We prayed these wars would end all wars -- In war we know is no romance." ( Done With Bonaparte )”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-knopfler/we-prayed-these-wars-would-end-all-wars-in-war-we-know-is-no-romance/) [Mark Knopfler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-knopfler/) [Explore all 44 Mark Knopfler quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-knopfler/) ## More Civilization quotes > [What sets worlds in motion is the interplay of differences, their attractions and repulsions. Life is plurality, death is uniformity. By suppressing differences and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/octavio-paz/what-sets-worlds-in-motion-is-the-interplay-of-differences-their/) [Octavio Paz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/octavio-paz/) > [Sentiment is the mightiest force in civilization; not sentimentality, but sentiment. Women will bring this into politics. Home, sweet home, is as powerful on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-ellen-foster/sentiment-is-the-mightiest-force-in-civilization-not-sentimentality/) [Judith Ellen Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-ellen-foster/) > [Violence is not necessary to destroy a civilization. Each civilization dies from indifference toward the unique values which created it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicolas-gomez-davila/violence-is-not-necessary-to-destroy-a-civilization-each-civilization/) [Nicolas Gomez Davila](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicolas-gomez-davila/) > [“The voice in the head that never stops speaking becomes a civilization that is obsessed with form and therefore knows nothing of the most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eckhart-tolle/the-voice-in-the-head-that-never-stops-speaking-becomes-a/) [Eckhart Tolle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eckhart-tolle/) > [We released 400,000 classified documents, the most extraordinary history of a war to ever have been released in our civilization. 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We may…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/coal-lay-in-ledges-under-the-ground-since-the-flood-until-a-laborer/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [Once we allow ourselves to be disobedient to the test of an accountant's profit, we have begun to change our civilization.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-maynard-keynes/once-we-allow-ourselves-to-be-disobedient-to-the-test-of-an/) [John Maynard Keynes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-maynard-keynes/) > [Our laws and our institutions must necessarily be based upon and embody the teachings of the Redeemer of mankind. It is impossible that it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-josiah-brewer/our-laws-and-our-institutions-must-necessarily-be-based-upon-and/) [David Josiah Brewer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-josiah-brewer/) [Browse all 4,084 Civilization quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/civilization/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“ Telegraph Road A long time ago came a man on a track Walking thirty miles with a pack on his back And he put down his load where he thought it was the best Made a home in the wilderness He built a cabin and a winter store And he ploughed up the ground by the cold lake shore And the other travellers came riding down the track And they never went further, no, they never went back Then came the churches, then came the schools Then came the lawyers, then came the rules Then came the trains and the trucks with their loads And the dirty old track was the telegraph road Then came the mines - then came the ore Then there was the hard times, then there was a war Telegraph sang a song about the world outside Telegraph road got so deep and so wide Like a rolling river ... And my radio says tonight it's gonna freeze People driving home from the factories There's six lanes of traffic Three lanes moving slow ... I used to like to go to work but they shut it down I got a right to go to work but there's no work here to be found Yes and they say we're gonna have to pay what's owed We're gonna have to reap from some seed that's been sowed And the birds up on the wires and the telegraph poles They can always fly away from this rain and this cold You can hear them singing out their telegraph code All the way down the telegraph road You know I'd sooner forget but I remember those nights When life was just a bet on a race between the lights You had your head on my shoulder, you had your hand in my hair Now you act a little colder like you don't seem to care But believe in me baby and I'll take you away From out of this darkness and into the day From these rivers of headlights, these rivers of rain From the anger that lives on the streets with these names 'Cos I've run every red light on memory lane I've seen desperation explode into flames And I don't want to see it again ... From all of these signs saying sorry but we're closed All the way down the telegraph road”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Mark Knopfler" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-knopfler/telegraph-road-a-long-time-ago-came-a-man-on-a-track-walking-thirty/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Civilization" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-knopfler/telegraph-road-a-long-time-ago-came-a-man-on-a-track-walking-thirty/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/525/mark-knopfler-15066_civilization_telegraph-road-a-long-time-ago-came-a-ma_392786.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/525/mark-knopfler-15066_civilization_telegraph-road-a-long-time-ago-came-a-ma_392786.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/525/mark-knopfler-15066_civilization_telegraph-road-a-long-time-ago-came-a-ma_392786.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Telegraph Road A long time ago came a man on a track Walking thirty miles with a pack on his back And he put…” — Mark Knopfler", "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": "Mark Knopfler", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-knopfler/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“ Telegraph Road A long time...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-knopfler/telegraph-road-a-long-time-ago-came-a-man-on-a-track-walking-thirty/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-knopfler/telegraph-road-a-long-time-ago-came-a-man-on-a-track-walking-thirty/#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 } } ] } ```