What poem or song is recited in the new Chevy truck commercial?
I can't imagine it was written for the commercial, and beside that, it
sounds familiar.  Part of it goes "it's far far away, and way way
afar, it's over the moon and the sea.  And wherever you're going,
that's where you are, and nobody knows it but me."  Or something like
that.  I can't locate this info anywhere!

Hello Aarforce1!

I believe I have found your poem and information about its author.

The short answer: 

The poem is called "Nobody Knows It But Me," written by Patrick
O'Leary and recited by James Garner.

Nobody Knows It But Me

There's a place that I travel
When I want to roam
And nobody knows it but me.

The roads don't go there
And the signs stay home
And nobody knows it but me.

It's far far away
And way way afar
It's over the moon and the sea.

And wherever you're going
That's wherever you are
And nobody knows it but me.

[ http://www.emule.com/2poetry/phorum/read.php?f=4&i=23469&t=23387 ]

The long answer:

The first time I heard this commercial, I remember thinking "what
movie is that?" because it was so catchy and enticing, pulling me in.
But then I noticed the car (SUV actually) and realized it's just
another ad.

But it's not just another ad as I have found through researching this
question. Many people have been inquiring about this poem on the
internet and who wrote it and what were the words? It's one of those
ads that grab you because it is so different and the poem is the
reason for this.

So, intrigued, I set out in search of this poem looking for any bit of
information I could. First, I found the question being asked by other
people on this page:

[ http://www.poetrylibrary.org.uk/poetry/quote/quote.jsp ]

It was asked twice but each time the reply was to a song which, while
containing the line, was a red-herring -- a deceptive clue that led
nowhere.

But then I came across another discussion about this poem here:

[ http://www.emule.com/2poetry/phorum/read.php?f=4&i=23387&t=23387 ]

That's were several resourceful people found out about this elusive
poem by asking Chevrolet themselves! One post:

"... I emailed Chevrolet at the address he (She?) provided AND got a
reply with the text of the poem, the author and the identity of the
narrator (James Garner)."

says that the author and the narrator was one in the same but I think
this is just a mix up because here:

[ http://www.emule.com/2poetry/phorum/read.php?f=4&i=23469&t=23387 ]

It is a reply from Chevy that states:

"We appreciate your interest in General Motors Advertisements. The
name of the poem that you are seeking is titled "Nobody Knows It But
Me". The poem is by Patrick O'Leary and the poem is narrated by the
actor Mr. James Garner."

There is another post:

[ http://www.emule.com/2poetry/phorum/read.php?f=4&i=23473&t=23387 ]

that also states Patrick O'Leary as the author and James Garner as the
Narrator.

I have emailed Patrick O'Leary and Chevrolet myself and will post back
the replies once they arrive.

You can find out more about the author here:

[ http://www.locusmag.com/1999/Issues/09/Oleary.html ]

Which states he is a vice president of an ad agency which works for
Chevy. So it was written for the commercial, but by a real poet who
happens to work at an ad agency.

His home page with biographical information and a picture is here:

[ http://mywebpages.comcast.net/patrickoleary/newindex.html ]

So Patrick O'Leary wrote it, James Garner narrated it, and Chevrolet
became famous for it.

If you need any additional assistance with this question I'll be glad
to help you. Just be sure to "Request Answer Clarification" before you
rate this answer!

This is a great poem and I enjoyed learning more about it, I hope you
do as well!

-arcadesdude-ga


Sources/Links:


The Poetry Archive - General Discussion - Re: Poem from Chevy Tahoe
commercial
http://www.emule.com/2poetry/phorum/read.php?f=4&i=23469&t=23387

The Poetry Archive - General Discussion - Re: Poem from Chevy Tahoe
commercial
http://www.emule.com/2poetry/phorum/read.php?f=4&i=23473&t=23387

Locus Online: Patrick O'Leary interview
http://www.locusmag.com/1999/Issues/09/Oleary.html

Patrick O'Leary Home Page
http://mywebpages.comcast.net/patrickoleary/newindex.html

Search Strategy:

and+nobody+knows+it+but+me -clown +sea +moon
http://www.alltheweb.com/search?cat=web&cs=utf-8&l=any&q=and%2Bnobody%2Bknows%2Bit%2Bbut%2Bme+-clown+%2Bsea+%2Bmoon

"nobody knows it but me" +moon +sea -clown
://www.google.com/search?num=100&hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&oe=utf-8&q=%22nobody+knows+it+but+me%22+%2Bmoon+%2Bsea+-clown&btnG=Google+Search

---

Clarification of Answer by arcadesdude-ga on 26 Oct 2002 14:59 PDT

Here is the official answer from Chevrolet:

From: <emaildeleted>
Date: 26 Oct 2002 17:51:04 -0400
Subject: RE: Chevrolet Advertisement Comment
To: <me> (emails deleted to follow policy.)

Dear <me>,

Thank you for contacting the Chevrolet Customer Assistance Center.

Thank you!  We are pleased to hear your complimentary remarks about
the advertisement you saw and appreciate you taking a moment of your
time to share your thoughts about it with us.  We at Chevrolet value
the comments of our current and future customers and have forwarded
your comments to our Advertising Department for their review and
consideration.

We appreciate your interest in our Chevrolet Tahoe Television
Commercial that features the poem "Nobody Knows It But Me".  This poem
was originally written by Patrick O'Leary.

If you should need to contact us in the future, please e-mail us again
or call our Chevrolet Customer Assistance Center at 800-222-1020.  
Customer Relationship Managers are available Monday through Friday
from 8:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m., Eastern Time.

Sincerely,

Shareea Graham
Customer Relationship Manager
Chevrolet Customer Assistance Center

First question I've posted and first experience at all with Google
Answers.
arcadesdude-ga did a great job, and gave me much more info than I
actually requested.

Hi aarforce1--

I'd like to know the title and author, too.   But I've been unable to
track it down.

It's recited by James Garner, by the way.

Here at least are all the words:

                There's a place that I travel
                When I want to roam,
                And nobody knows it but me.
                The roads don't go there
                And the signs stay home
                And nobody knows it but me.
                It's far, far away, and way, way afar;
                It's over the moon and the sea,
                And wherever you're going
                That's wherever you are,
                And nobody knows it but me!

I'm still searching.

Nellie Bly

Really nice job arcadesdude. 
  
Interesting that some "crass, commercial" type is the author, proving
once again that there is exceptional creative talent in some of those
ad agencies.
I appreciate all the links to O'Leary, and will be enjoy reading more
about him.

I should think the client will be quite pleased with your answer.

Nellie Bly

Thanks for the great answer, arcadesdude.  I had attempted to research
this poem myself before I stumbled across Google Answers, and I only
came up with a few leads, which were probably the same "red herrings"
to which you refer in your answer.  The primary culprit was a song
performed by a popular heavy-metal band, and was obviously not what I
was seeking.  I'm glad my question came in after you had already
weeded out these misleading bits of information.
Anyway, back to the poem and the commercial.  It's a job well done by
Chevy.
The poem itself was obviously the main arrester of my attention, but
Garner's voice, which was perfect for the task, together with some
subdued special effects involving the colors in the ad, served to make
this a very effective commercial for Chevrolet.