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John Denver – Leaving On A Jet Plane

John Denver | Colorado Music Hall of Fame

About the Song

“Leaving On A Jet Plane” is a song written by American singer-songwriter John Denver. It was released in 1969 on his debut album John Denver Sings. The song reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the United States and number two on the UK Singles Chart.

The song is a country-folk ballad about a young man who is leaving his home and loved ones to travel the world. The song’s lyrics are simple but effective, and the melody is catchy and memorable. Denver’s gentle vocals add to the song’s emotional impact.

“Leaving On A Jet Plane” has been covered by many artists over the years, including:

  • Peter, Paul and Mary
  • Dionne Warwick
  • The Carpenters
  • Willie Nelson
  • Dolly Parton

The song has also been used in a number of films and television shows, including:

  • The Graduate (1968)
  • Forrest Gump (1994)
  • Up in the Air (2009)

“Leaving On A Jet Plane” is a classic folk ballad that has stood the test of time. It is a song that is sure to continue to be enjoyed by listeners for many years to come.

Here are some additional details about the song:

  • The song was written in 1966, when Denver was just 21 years old.
  • The song was inspired by Denver’s own experiences of traveling the world.
  • The song was originally recorded as a demo, but it was later released as a single.
  • The song was a commercial success, reaching number one in the United States and Canada.
  • The song has been covered by many artists over the years, including Peter, Paul and Mary, Dionne Warwick, and The Carpenters.
  • The song has also been used in a number of films and television shows, including The Graduate, Forrest Gump, and Up in the Air.

John Denver - Songs, Death & Music

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Lyrics: Leaving On A Jet Plane

All my bags are packed, I’m ready to go
I’m standing here outside your door
I hate to wake you up to say good-bye
But the dawn is breaking, it’s early morn
The taxi’s waiting He’s blowing his horn
Already I’m so lonesome I could die
So kiss me and smile for me, tell me that you’ll wait for me
Hold me like you’ll never let me go

‘Cause I’m leaving on a jet plane
Don’t know when I’ll be back again
Oh, babe, I hate to go

There’s so many times I’ve let you down
So many times I’ve played around
I tell you now they don’t mean a thing
Every place I go I’ll think of you
Every song I sing I’ll sing for you
When I come back, I’ll bring your wedding ring
So kiss me and smile for me
Tell me that you’ll wait for me
Hold me like you’ll never let me go

‘Cause I’m leaving on a jet plane
Don’t know when I’ll be back again
Oh, babe, I hate to go

Now the time has come to leave you
One more time let me kiss you
Then close your eyes, I’ll be on my way
Dream about the days to come when I won’t have to leave alone
About the times I won’t have to say
Kiss me and smile for me, tell me that you’ll wait for me
Hold me like you’ll never let me go

‘Cause I’m leaving on a jet plane
Don’t know when I’ll be back again
Oh, babe, I hate to go
I’m leaving on a jet plane
Don’t know when I’ll be back again
Oh, babe, I hate to go

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CANCER MAY HAVE TAKEN HIS STRENGTH, BUT IT NEVER STOLE THE FIRE FROM HIS SOUL. Toby Keith spent his entire life sounding like a man who couldn’t be pushed around—a kid from the Oklahoma oil fields who learned early on that you don’t wait for success; you earn it with calloused hands and a blunt, honest pen. He was the voice of the 90s, the man who turned “Should’ve Been a Cowboy” into a national anthem. But in 2021, life threw him a fight that no stage or spotlight could drown out. Stomach cancer didn’t care about his platinum records or his swagger. As the illness tore through him, his frame grew frail, his face thinned, and for the first time, the loudest man in the room had every reason to go quiet. The world expected him to fade into the shadows. Toby chose to stand in the light instead. When he walked onto the stage at the 2023 People’s Choice Country Awards to sing “Don’t Let the Old Man In,” he didn’t try to play the part of the invincible star. He sang like a man staring death in the eye and refusing to blink. He wasn’t pretending to be young; he was simply refusing to let sickness dictate the terms of his end. He passed on February 5, 2024, at 62. But the image that remains isn’t the tragedy of his final days—it’s the defiance of that night. They always called Toby loud. They called him stubborn. In the end, he proved them right. He turned his refusal to surrender into his final, most haunting melody. He didn’t just sing about not letting the “old man” in—he showed us exactly how to stand your ground when the clock starts running out.

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THE BOTTLE TOOK HIS YEARS. THE ROAD TOOK HIS PEACE. BUT GEORGE JONES STILL HAD THE ONE THING COUNTRY MUSIC COULD NEVER REPLACE. George Jones was born in Saratoga, Texas, and raised poor in East Texas, singing on street corners for change before the world ever called him a legend. His voice did not sound polished. It sounded wounded. Every note bent like a man trying to tell the truth while barely surviving it. For years, George fought the same demons that made his songs feel so real. The drinking. The missed shows. The wrecked marriages. The nights when Nashville wondered if the greatest voice in country music might destroy himself before the world fully understood him. Then came the song that changed everything. In 1980, George recorded “He Stopped Loving Her Today” — a song he first thought was too sad, too slow, too impossible to become a hit. But when he sang it, country music stopped breathing for a moment. It was not just about a man who loved until death. In George’s voice, it sounded like every heartbreak he had ever failed to escape. The song won awards. It revived his career. It became the performance people still measure country heartbreak against. George Jones died on April 26, 2013, at 81. Some remembered the chaos. Some remembered “No Show Jones.” But country music remembered the voice. Because when George Jones opened his mouth, even regret sounded like it had a soul.

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