PDA

View Full Version : What song lyrics motivate/compel you to hike?



D'Artagnan
06-27-2005, 13:30
I find certain song lyrics compel me to head out and hike. This morning while I was walking before work, I was listening to my iPod Shuffle when Simon & Garfunkel's Slip Slidin' Away came on. The lyrics that made me long for the Trail were:

I know a woman
Became a wife
These are the very words she uses
To describe her life
She said a good day
Ain't got no rain
She said a bad day's when I lie in bed
And think of things that might have been

Slip slidin' away
Slip slidin' away
You know the nearer your destination
The more you're slip slidin' away

Just curious if there are others out there who have favorite song lyrics that push them to the great outdoors?

SGT Rock
06-27-2005, 13:41
No lyrics, just the tune to March Slav by Tchaikovsky. Never was there a better soundtrack to uphills.

Footslogger
06-27-2005, 13:46
James Taylor's ..."Walking Man"

'Slogger

Tabasco
06-27-2005, 14:04
My first day of this year's section hike was April 2nd, from Springer to Gooch Gap. Spent most of it alone in the blowing snow,

All I could hear in my head was the lyric from Green Day

"I walk alone, my shadow's the only one that walks beside me..."

wacocelt
06-27-2005, 14:22
I found I could somehow get up tough climbs in Maine, while SoBo'ing, without resting if I sang 'Devil went down to Georgia'. Makes absolutely no sense but it worked.

Nightwalker
06-27-2005, 14:35
A song that almost wrote itself during my AT section this year. Here's the chorus:

I was born a rambler, rambler through and through.
I was born to ramble, ramblin's what I do.
And if you walk with me just a little while,
you might become a rambler, too.

I wrote a number of verses, too, but forgot most of 'em. :D

cakeman21k
06-27-2005, 14:48
2 come to mind
1. Lord I was born a ramblin man by the Allman brothers
2. I'm Walkin by Fats Domino

Both are too fast to actually hike to, but they get the idea of walking in my head!

The Solemates
06-27-2005, 14:54
anything bluegrass, which is what i listen to most of the time, so im always wanting to hike!

hiker5
06-27-2005, 14:57
I find the first two verses of "How Great Thou Art" particularly inspiring when in the wilderness.

(1) O Lord my God, When I in awesome wonder,
Consider all the worlds Thy Hands have made;
I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder,
Thy power throughout the universe displayed.

(R) Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, How great Thou art.
Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, How great Thou art!

(2) When through the woods, and forest glades I wander,
And hear the birds sing sweetly in the trees.
When I look down, from lofty mountain grandeur
And see the brook, and feel the gentle breeze.

D'Artagnan
06-27-2005, 15:04
Hiker5, you're absolutely right. Every time we sing this hymn now in church (which is often since I'm a Methodist) I can't help but envision myself on the trail. Thanks for posting the words. It's one of those goosebump hymns for me.

Frosty
06-27-2005, 16:15
I make my best hiking time reciting poetry out loud. Certain poems work very well for rhythm. I like Longfellow's stuff (iambic pentameter).

Picture a hiking pole hitting the ground on each capitalize sylable:

it WAS the SCHOON-er HES-per-US,
that SAIL-ed the WIN-try SEA

or

[B]UN-der the SPREAD-ing CHEST-nut TREE
the VIL-lage SMITH-y STANDS
the SMITH a MIGHT-y MAN is HE
with LARGE and SIN-ewy HANDS

Edgar Allan Poe works, too:

ONCE up-ON a MID-night DREAR-y
WHILE i PON-dered WEAK and WEAR-y


When you get to the good parts of the poems:
at DAY-break ON a BLEAK sea BEACH,
a FISH-erman STOOD a-GHAST
to SEE the FORM of a MAIDen FAIR
LASHed CLOSE to a DRIFTing MAST

the tempo just naturaly picks up and the miles just slip right by :)

Backtrack
06-27-2005, 16:44
Name that tune:

(1)
"What price freedom?
Dirt is my rug
Well I sleep like a baby with the snakes and the bugs
And I woke up this morning with the cold water,
with the cold water, with the cold water..."

(2)
"In that cool mountain air, on the Appalachian Trail...
Oh, life is better there."

And of course:

(3)
"I'm takin a walk in the woods, &%#* yeah!
It's nice, very very nice..."

briarpatch
06-27-2005, 19:24
Robert Johnson's "Walkin' Blues" - with my own verses

Woke up this mornin'
feel 'round for my shoes.
You know 'bout that, baby,
Got them ole walkin' blues.
This mornin',
Got them ole walking blues.

Gotta get outta bed,
just to walk 20 miles,
puzzling to some,
but it gives me smiles,
this walking,
all day makes me smile.

Got puds in Georgia,
but views at the top,
gotta keep on walkin,
ain't gonna stop.
Puds ain't pointless,
beats punching a clock.

and so on. . . . . . . .

Dances with Mice
06-27-2005, 20:24
Robert Johnson's "Walkin' Blues" - with my own verses

Woke up this mornin' As all good blues songs should start!

Personally, when the sun starts heading downward in the western sky….

….and the miles behind me have been pretty long….and kinda rough….

….and the trail immediately in front of me turns kinda vertical…

….and my head thinks it’s one, maybe two, or maybe even three more climbs before the day’s walkin’ is done….

…but my bod says it’s time, way past time, to be done right here and now….

…that’s when the MP3 player’s Marley folder gets selected. And suddenly I’m Bob, Bob, Bobbin’ along.

Soul Shakedown Party (Tonight!!). Lively Up Yourself! Keep on Moving! Then mix in a little Police: Everything She Does is Magic! Walking on the Moon! Before I know it there’s the summit then a downhill to bop down. Another climb? No problem, bring it on!

Marley and Sting have gotten me up some climbs I didn’t feel like doing from down in the gap.

Big Guy
06-27-2005, 21:52
When things get tough I always hear Amazing Grace in my head. This is also my favorite hym.

Ridge
06-27-2005, 23:18
In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida.............Baby.......

digger51
06-28-2005, 01:10
They Call The Wind Moriah from the movie Paint Your Wagon. Also I Was Born Under A Wandering Star from the same movie.

coyote
06-28-2005, 01:25
Any Military Marching or Running Cadence. I sing em with my kids on the trail or buy myself or hiking partner when I hike with one.

example

Up in the morning with the rising Sun
Gona walk all day till the day is done

There once was a man from Nantucket
Who's (well nevermind) some of you know the rest. lol

wacocelt
06-28-2005, 06:00
I also enjoy switching up the lyrics to some of my favorite songs to fit the trail ie. Dock of the Bay - Otis Redding

Hiking in the mornin' Sun,
I'll be hikin' when the eeevnin' co'omes
Watchin' the rain rolli i'in
And I watch it roll awa'ay agi'in

Or perhaps Turn the Page - 'Uncle' Bob Seager

At a dark and lonesome trailhead
Miles and miles from home
You can listen to the north wind
Moanin' out it's long cold song
You can think about the buffet
That you ate in the town before

But your thoughts will soon be wanderin'
The way they always do
When you're hikin sixteen miles
And theres nothin' much to do
And you don't feel much like hikin'
You just wish your day was through...

You get the picture, it's a blast!

The Hog
06-28-2005, 06:03
This Pretenders song refers to Santa Claus, but I use several of the lines to evoke thru hiking:

He's co-uh-uh-uh-uh-ome....
2,000 mi-eye-eye-eye-iles...
It's very far.

The snow is falling do-ow-own,
I miss you.
-------------------

I don't know all the words to this Chicago song - I only use a few lines - especially when the going starts to get tough, the sweat is pouring off, and there's a long way to go, and further, that's exactly the moment I'm hankering for and immersing myself in:

Only the beginning,
Oh yeah, just the start....

Only the beginning,
What I want to feel's forever...

Sly
06-28-2005, 21:07
Cat Stevens - Miles from Nowhere Lyrics

Miles from nowhere
I guess I'll take my time
Oh yeah, to reach there

Look up at the mountain
I have to climb
Oh yeah, to reach there.

Lord my body has been a good friend
But I won�t need it when I reach the end

Miles from nowhere
Guess I'll take my time
Oh yeah, to reach there

I creep through the valleys
And I grope through the woods
cause I know when I find it my honey
It's gonna make me feel good

I love everything
So don't it make you feel sad
cause I'll drink to you, my baby
I'll think to that, I'll think to that.

Miles from nowhere
Not a soul in sight
Oh yeah, but it's alright

I have my freedom
I can make my own rules
Oh yeah, the ones that I choose

Lord my body has been a good friend
But I won't need it when I reach the end

Miles from nowhere
Guess I'll take my time
Oh yeah, to reach there.

Moxie00
06-28-2005, 21:40
One very cold and miserable morning in southern North Carolina, about 10 days into my thru hike I woke up in my tent. The rain was steady and cold. I was cold,miserable, and discouraged. I turned on my Sony Walkman for a weather forcast and there was Arlo Guthre singing "City Of New Orleans", I can't explain it but that song just seemed to pick me up and make the world seem right. I sang it all the way to Maine, especially when I was alone. I naver paid attention to that song before, I prefer clasical music, but that upbeat rythm became my theme song. Even today when I am feeling down it picks my spirts up. Hell, it's just a song about a train but it sure lifted me up and kept me going.
:sun Every day is a cool sunny day when you can sing whike hiking.

Nean
06-29-2005, 07:47
Many songs inspire me including this one by the Ventures, which has no lyrics- Walk, Don't Run

c.coyle
06-29-2005, 19:47
As all good blues songs should start!

All good blues song should start with "My woman done left me, took all my money, wrecked my new car, and pawned my diamond ring."

Briarpatch - Robert Johnson is a great choice.

Tractor
06-29-2005, 23:02
I like several walkin' tunes and many songs about some sort of jouney but for some reason don't seem to get those songs in my head while hiking. It's those odd Peter Gabriel, Little Feat, Robert Palmer, Jack Johnson, Allman Brothers Band, Dave Mathews tunes that pop up on the trail and for some strange reason I, too, recall some old church hymms there as well. Those classic James Taylor/Dan Fogelberg/Firefall/Eagles tunes remind me of the trail. Now for the lyrics of (why, I do not rightly know) a song that reminds me most of the trail:

What do you do with a drunken sailor,
What do you do with a drunken sailor,
What do you do with a drunken sailor,
Earl-eye in the mornin'!

chorus:
Way hay and up she rises
Way hay and up she rises
Way hay and up she rises
Earl-eye in the mornin'!

Shave his belly with a rusty razor,
Shave his belly with a rusty razor,
Shave his belly with a rusty razor,
Earl-eye in the mornin'!

chorus

Put him in the hold with the Captain's daughter,
Put him in the hold with the Captain's daughter,
Put him in the hold with the Captain's daughter,
Earl-eye in the mornin'!

chorus

Put him in the back of a paddy wagon,
Put him in the back of a paddy wagon,
Put him in the back of a paddy wagon,
Earl-eye in the mornin'!

chorus

Throw him in the lock-up 'til he is sober,
Throw him in the lock-up 'til he is sober,
Throw him in the lock-up 'til he is sober,
Earl-eye in the mornin'!

chorus

Tie him to the mast with a red dress on him,
Tie him to the mast with a red dress on him,
Tie him to the mast with a red dress on him,
Earl-eye in the mornin'!

chorus

This little tune has been on my shoulder through many a mile.

Sleepy the Arab
06-29-2005, 23:17
I pulled into Nazareth, I was feelin' about half past dead;
I just need some place where I can lay my head.
"Hey, mister, can you tell me where a man might find a bed?"
He just grinned and shook my hand, and "No!", was all he said.

(Chorus:)
Take a load off Fannie, take a load for free;
Take a load off Fannie, And (and) (and) you can put the load right on me.



Words can't express how irked I was when that cell phone company hijacked it for a damn commercial.

justusryans
06-30-2005, 07:18
twenty twenty twenty four hours to go,
i wanna be sedated! "ramones"

Nightwalker
06-30-2005, 08:39
I remembered another one, which most folks in this country probably have no access to (but it's good enough to chase down). "Another 45 Miles to go" by Golden Earring. It's on their Naked Truth CD, and really hits on the walking/hitching thang.

:)

BigToe
06-30-2005, 11:41
Don't Think Twice, It's Alright
- Bob Dylan

"It ain’t no use to sit and wonder why, babe
It don’t matter, anyhow
An’ it ain’t no use to sit and wonder why, babe
If you don’t know by now
When your rooster crows at the break of dawn
Look out your window and I’ll be gone
You’re the reason I’m trav’lin’ on
Don’t think twice, it’s all right

It ain’t no use in turnin’ on your light, babe
That light I never knowed
An’ it ain’t no use in turnin’ on your light, babe
I’m on the dark side of the road
Still I wish there was somethin’ you would do or say
To try and make me change my mind and stay
We never did too much talkin’ anyway
So don’t think twice, it’s all right

It ain’t no use in callin’ out my name, gal
Like you never did before
It ain’t no use in callin’ out my name, gal
I can’t hear you any more
I’m a-thinkin’ and a-wond’rin’ all the way down the road
I once loved a woman, a child I’m told
I give her my heart but she wanted my soul
But don’t think twice, it’s all right

I’m walkin’ down that long, lonesome road, babe
Where I’m bound, I can’t tell
But goodbye’s too good a word, gal
So I’ll just say fare thee well
I ain’t sayin’ you treated me unkind
You could have done better but I don’t mind
You just kinda wasted my precious time
But don’t think twice, it’s all right"


A down song for sure, but it always comes to me several times during a hike.

rocket04
06-30-2005, 19:29
"You gotta get gone, you gotta get going
The world ain't slowing down for no one."

-Ellis Paul

Pencil Pusher
07-01-2005, 01:46
They Call The Wind Moriah
Sounds like an old Kingston Trio tune. My pop had us waking up to Tom Dooley thumping through the house when we were kids, all on his reel-to-reel no less.

Blister
07-01-2005, 15:26
I usually try to hike with a radio - so anything is possible. But one that always goes through my head is "these are the days to remember" by the 10,000 maniacs. And if it is a long haul into town - 99 bottles of beer usually gets me thru the last mile pretty damn quick with beer to spare.

Happy Feet
07-01-2005, 15:38
The other morning while hiking the BMT TN/NC extension, I woke up at the Crowder Place (nice campsite - excellent water) with Bob Marley in my head. It must have been a combination of the perfect morning and the songs of all the wood thrushs (we call them 'bubble birds').


Rise up this mornin',
Smiled with the risin' sun,
Three little birds
Pitch by my doorstep
Singin' sweet songs
Of melodies pure and true,
Sayin', ("This is my message to you-ou-ou:")

Singin': "Don't worry 'bout a thing,
'Cause every little thing gonna be all right."
Singin': "Don't worry (don't worry) 'bout a thing,
'Cause every little thing gonna be all right!"

Happy Feet
07-01-2005, 15:43
Neil Young gets into my head too...not because of the lyrics, just because I like Neil Young.


Oh, to live on Sugar Mountain
With the barkers and the colored balloons,
You can't be twenty on Sugar Mountain
Though you're thinking that
you're leaving there too soon,
You're leaving there too soon.

Red Hat
07-01-2005, 17:21
Silly as it sounds, this was playing on my husband's Sirius Radio the day he let me out in Waynesboro. For over 100 miles I kept thinking about

"my China doll in old Hong Kong, makes my heart start to yearn,...
There's a pretty seniorita waiting for me, down in old Mexico,
and if you're ever in Alaska stop and see my cute little eskimo....
Oh, Im a travelin' man.... "

I know there are other lines that I'm missing, but this is what kept going through my head!

mbroadhe
07-02-2005, 02:14
doo doooooo doodoodah

mahnahmahnah

doo doooooo doodoodah

mahnahmahnah

Ah, Dr. Teeth!

DMA, 2000
07-03-2005, 14:36
Some of those mentioned above (Cold Water, How Great Thou Art, City of New Orleans) I can relate too...these ran through my head alot too.

Another song I tried to sing in my head (but couldn't, because I didn't know the words) was sung at Trail Days 2000 Talent Show by the 1999 SOBOs..."Walking Along". If anyone knows the words/chords to that, I'd really appreciate it.

I just heard a song today for the first time that seems like a perfect AT theme song, "Walking to the End of the World" by Alastair Moock.

I'm walking to the end of the world
I'm walking to the end of the world
I'm walking to the end of the world
My future ain't been told
And my soul ain't been sold
I'm just walking to the end of the world

I'm taking my time as I go
Taking my time, moving slow
I'm taking my time as I go
'Cuz taking time's the only way I know
You can't borrow time
When you ain't got a dime
So I'm just taking my time as I go

And I'm trying to keep my head out of the sand
As I'm walking to the end of the land
Trying to be a quiet, decent man
Trying to keep my head out of the sand
Most talking is cheap and the sand is always deep
As I'm walking to the end of the land

Chorus

And I'm searching for a fine looking girl
As I'm walking to the end of the world
Looking for a fine searching girl
As I'm walking to the end of the world
Most them girls are cute, but I want me a beaut
'Cuz I'm walking to the end of the world

Chorus

There ain't nobody living that could stop me
No, there ain't no one could ever make me turn back
There ain't nobody living that could stop me
'Til God or fate or both decide to drop me
My walking is one way, that's all I've got to say
If you're smart, then you'll stay out of my way

Chorus

Scooter
07-03-2005, 14:48
I've always been very partial to Civil War marching tunes. The cadence of the fife and drums, beating out the song, has carried me up many a switchback.

willyhort0w2
07-03-2005, 17:14
There is a underground jam band out of Ohio called the Ekoostic Hookas and the have a song called Through Hiker and I do suggest taking a listen. you can find it in one of there live shows on www.archive.org under live music downloads.