In the Boondocks

Have you ever been in the boondocks?

The word “boondocks” is a fairly recent addition to the English language.  It comes from the Tagalog word bundok, which means “mountain”. When GIs in the Philippines brought the word back to America and began using it to refer to a remote rural area, it became a common slang term.

When city people talk about the boondocks (or, “the boonies”), it’s usually in a disparaging way, but the people who live there use the term with pride. They’re proud to be independent, resourceful country people and love living in the backwoods.  This kind of favorable  view of the boondocks ethos is expressed in the song “In the Boondocks” by the country music group Little Big Town.

(Chorus:)
I feel no shame
I’m proud of where I came from
I was born and raised in the boondocks
One thing I know
No matter where I go
I keep my heart and soul in the boondocks

And I can feel
That muddy water running through my veins
And I can hear that lullaby of a midnight train
It sings to me and it sounds familiar

(Chorus)

And I can taste
That honeysuckle and it’s still so sweet
When it grows wild
On the banks down at old camp creek
Yeah, and it calls to me like a warm wind blowing

(Chorus)

It’s where I learned about living
It’s where I learned about love
It’s where I learned about working hard
And having a little was just enough

It’s where I learned about Jesus
And knowing where I stand
You can take it or leave it, this is me
This is who I am

Give me a tin roof
A front porch and a gravel road
And that’s home to me
It feels like home to me

(Chorus)

I keep my heart and soul in the boondocks

You get a line, I’ll get a pole
We’ll go fishing in the crawfish hole
Five-card poker on a Saturday night
Church on Sunday morning

(2x)
You get a line, I’ll get a pole
We’ll go fishing in the crawfish hole
(Down in the boondocks)
Five-card poker on a Saturday night
Church on Sunday morning

Say a little prayer for me