"Old Dirt Road" is a song written by John Lennon and Harry Nilsson, first released on Lennon's 1974 album Walls and Bridges. Nilsson later recorded the song on his 1980 album Flash Harry. Lyrics & music Lennon and Nilsson wrote "Old Dirt Road" while Lennon was working with Nilsson producing Nilsson's Pussy Cats album. Lennon had written the first verse, when he was interrupted by some business people, and asked Nilsson to provide an "Americanism." Nilsson provided a line, which Lennon incorporated into the song. Nilsson then continued writing part of the song. "Old Dirt Road" uses the road as a metaphor for a point of stability in an unstable world and a life subject to variability. In the line originally provided by Nilsson, life is described as "trying to shovel smoke with a pitchfork in the wind." Even though the road is apparently stable, it too is at risk from the possibility of a mudslide. The singer advises the listener to just "keep on keepin' on." The lyrics incorporate a reference to Bob Nolan's song "Cool Water," where someone on the old dirt road suggests that the only thing needed is "cool, clear water." According to authors Ben Urish and Ken Bielen, the lyrics don't "make much literal sense but somehow sound right on an intuitive level." Music critic Johnny Rogan finds the mood of the song to be "stoical rather than despairing" and describes the lyrics as laissez-faire. The song is in the form of a ballad, with some country music influence. Jesse Ed Davis' guitar contributes to the country atmosphere. Musically, it reproduces some of the sound from Lennon's Imagine album in employing dual pianos, one played by Lennon and one played by Nicky Hopkins. Urish and Bielen describe the music as "mournful and relaxed." John Blaney claims that it captures "an atmosphere of listless intoxication." Music journalist Paul du Noyer believes that Charlie Patton's "Ain't Goin' Down That Dirt Road" may have been an influence on the song. Critical reception Lennon biographer Geoffery Giuliano describes "Old Dirt Road" as a "throwaway." AllMusic critic Richard Ginell does not rate the song highly either. However, AllMusic critic Stephen Thomas Erlewine describes it as "an enjoyable pop song." Johnny Rogan praises the "interesting imagery" of the lyrics, particularly the line about shovelling smoke. Lennon himself dismissed the song as "just a song" and that he and Nilsson wrote it