TXWY INCURSION AS PAX JET PIC CONFUSED BY CLRNCS AS ISSUED FOR TAXI AT DTW; MI.

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THIS WAS THE LAST DAY OF A 4-DAY TRIP WITH EARLY MORNING SHOWS IN THE EDT ZONE (BASED IN CDT). WHILE TAXIING ON THE 'RED ONE ALPHA' CODED TAXI RTE (TXWY K; TXWY H (E AND AT TXWY H); TXWY F; TXWY V; TXWY M) WE CONTACTED E GND ON TXWY H. GND INSTRUCTED US TO INITIALLY USE TXWY H AND HOLD SHORT OF TXWY H2. WE READ THAT BACK. IMMEDIATELY THEREAFTER; THEY GAVE US 'FOLLOW THE NINE (DC9) OUT OF CIRCLE X; TXWY H SHORT OF TXWY H2; HOLD ON A SECOND; LET ME FIGURE OUT WHAT WE'RE GONNA DO HERE (PAUSE) FOLLOW THE NINE.' THE DC9 WAS TAKING TXWY V AND TXWY M TO RWY 21R; WHICH IS PART OF THE NORMAL CODED RTE (RED 1 ALPHA). WE MUST HAVE MISHEARD THE CTLR OR TOOK HIM TOO LITERALLY; BECAUSE WE FOLLOWED THE DC9; AND ON TXWY V JUST SHORT OF TXWY H2 HDG E; THE CTLR SAID 'I TOLD YOU TO TAKE TXWY H.' AT THIS POINT; WE WERE CONFUSED AND A BIT TAKEN ABACK. WE WERE SLIGHTLY CONFUSED WITH THE ORIGINAL CLRNC; BUT BECAUSE WE WERE TIRED; DIDN'T ASK FOR CLARIFICATION. IT WAS A BIT CONFUSING AFTER CHANGING SEVERAL TIMES IN ROUGHLY THE SAME SENTENCE. OUR IMPRESSION WAS THAT THE FINAL CLRNC RECEIVED WAS TO LITERALLY FOLLOW THE DC9. EVENTUALLY; WE WERE ASSIGNED (OR RE-ASSIGNED?) TO FOLLOW THE DC9; TXWY V AND TXWY M TO RWY 21R. NEXT TIME WE SHOULD REMEMBER TO; WHEN IN DOUBT; ASK FOR CLARIFICATION OF CONFUSING CLRNCS (DON'T ASSUME!); ESPECIALLY WHEN TIRED OR FATIGUED. ALSO; WE WERE USED TO USING 1 RTE (TXWY V; TXWY M) THAT A NEW ONE SEEMED MORE UNFEASIBLE.