“A Lonesome Road to Travel” was written by Joe Stuart, a longtime sideman in bluegrass who played at various times with Bill Monroe. Monroe and his Blue Grass Boys recorded it in the late 1950s.
The song is the lament of a man who left home and a true love to chase a fortune in the mines. The choice brought only regret; the lyric finds him worn down by miles of sorrow, wishing he could get off the lonesome road he set out on.
The song stayed in the bluegrass repertoire and was revived by newer bands.