On this day in 1962, Canadian country legend Hank Snow released a song that turned maps into melodies and wanderlust into rhyme. “I’ve Been Everywhere” is a tongue-twisting anthem for sure, and it’s also a love letter to North America’s highways, backroads, and tucked-away towns, reimagined from Geoff Mack’s original Australian version.
The North American rewrite was brilliant. Armed with an atlas and a deadline, Mack swapped out place names for a whirlwind tour that begins on a “dusty Winnemucca road” and rockets through city after city, faster than a GPS recalculating on a country detour.
Snow’s rendition doesn’t just name-drop big cities like Chicago, Boston, and Houston—it swings through places you’ve driven past on summer road trips (Spirit Lake, Cadillac, Amarillo), spots you’ve meant to Google (Tocopilla, Chatanika), and ones you swear someone made up (Tallapoosa? Haverstraw? Jellico?). Six South American cities even sneak into the mix—Salvador, Barranquilla, Tocopilla, Argentina, Padilla, and Diamantina—just to keep your passport guessing.
Every verse is a high-octane itinerary: from Bangor to Bakersfield, Oskaloosa to Opelika, it’s a celebration of small towns, big dreams, and the geography of song. It’s also a challenge to any country fan with a memory—and lungs—strong enough to keep up.
So today, roll down the windows, turn up the volume, and take a musical road trip across North America. Because thanks to Hank Snow, geography has never sounded so fast—or so fun.
Ready? Here’s the places mentioned:
First verse
Reno, Chicago, Fargo, Minnesota, Buffalo, Toronto, Winslow, Sarasota, Wichita, Tulsa, Ottawa, Oklahoma, Tampa, Panama, Mattawa,[nb 2] La Paloma, Bangor, Baltimore, Salvador, Amarillo, Tocopilla, Barranquilla and Padilla.
Second verse
Boston, Charleston, Dayton, Louisiana, Washington, Houston, Kingston, Texarkana, Monterey, Ferriday, Santa Fe, Tallapoosa, Glen Rock, Black Rock, Little Rock, Oskaloosa, Tennessee, Hennessey, Chicopee, Spirit Lake, Grand Lake, Devil’s Lake and Crater Lake.
Third verse
Louisville, Nashville, Knoxville, Ombabika, Schefferville, Jacksonville, Waterville, Costa Rica, Pittsfield, Springfield, Bakersfield, Shreveport, Hackensack, Cadillac, Fond du Lac, Davenport, Idaho, Jellico, Argentina, Diamantina, Pasadena and Catalina.
Fourth verse
Pittsburgh, Parkersburg, Gravelbourg, Colorado, Ellensburg, Rexburg, Vicksburg, Eldorado, Larimore, Atmore, Haverstraw, Chatanika, Chaska, Nebraska, Alaska, Opelika, Baraboo, Waterloo, Kalamazoo, Kansas City, Sioux City, Cedar City and Dodge City.