“Home” (2007) Daughtry

I'm staring out into the night, trying to hide the pain
I'm going to the place where love
And feeling good don't ever cost a thing
And the pain you feel's a different kind of pain

Well, I'm going home, back to the place where I belong
And where your love has always been enough for me
I'm not running from, no, I think you got me all wrong
I don't regret this life I chose for me
But these places and these faces are getting old
So I'm going home, well I'm going home

The miles are getting longer, it seems, the closer I get to you
I've not always been the best man or friend for you
But your love it makes true and I don't know why
You always seem to give me another try

So I'm going home, back to the place where I belong
And where your love has always been enough for me
I'm not running from, no
I think you got me all wrong
I don't regret this life I chose for me
But these places and these faces are getting old

Be careful what you wish for 'cause you just might get it all
You just might get it all and then some you don't want
Be careful what you wish for 'cause you just might get it all
You just might get it all, yeah

Oh, well I'm going home, back to the place where I belong
And where your love has always been enough for me
I'm not running from, no, I think you got me all wrong
I don't regret this life I chose for me
But these places and these faces are getting old
I said these places and these faces are getting old
So I'm going home
I'm going home



This is one of my favorite songs, by one of my favorite bands, although I must admit both of those lists are quite long. The idea of going home “to the place where I belong” is not an easy one to write about. In this instance, he’s singing about being on the road and loving the life he chose as a singer/songwriter, but missing home and his love. Isn’t it interesting how he mentions the pain there being different, and the miles getting longer as he gets closer?

Home is not only a great song, it’s also an interesting concept; what is “home”? Well, that depends on who you ask. We all have a different definition, shaped by our past experiences and future desires. For someone who has a supportive, loving family, home is where the heart is (it’s a cliché for a reason); for others, who have moved around a lot or been hurt by those who were supposed to care for them, home might be a four-letter-word, or something only found in dreams.

Personally, I’m not sure how I define home. And I’ve given it a great deal of thought in the past few years. It’s definitely more than a place on a map or a living space filled with my things. (I've lived places that could never have been "home" to me. So is it a feeling then?) Family is part of it, but not the same way it was when I was younger; now I think of the family I want to have, a husband and children, rather than the one I was born into. So in that respect, I’m not home quite yet. But I’m on the way.

I’m still working on my first novel, Coming Home, and as part of the planning process I considered what “home” means to the protagonist. She was away from her family and hometown for University, and now that she’s returned – to a family grown and grown up, and a town that has expanded and changed – the “home” she left no longer exists. I don’t want to spoil the ending, but I assure you she finds a new way to see “home” that holds the promise of a future.