Season 430 - Travel

My first thing thought was a shanty. My grandmother had a collection of 78s of shanties and this one was my favourite. I'd have loved to have kept them but unfortunately, she threw them out after my grandfather died and she came to live with my parents.

Stan Hugill says that Rio Grande was always sung at anchor, capstain or windlass and was an outward bound shanty. The last verse ties in nicely with this.
 
Thanks for hosting, Steve. Here's a song by the great Gene Clark about a longing to travel on the railroad. Both outward and homeward bound...
 


Hello friends! It’s been a minute.

I’ve been writing material for my second EP, which I hope to record as soon as it’s safe to leave the house. This prompt inspired me to get off my duff and finally write the song that’s been playing in my head all week.
 
Hey, friends!!! Steve, thanks so much for hosting this week! I’ve got a song for you! Not the JJ Cale tune I mentioned, yesterday, during our Zoom meet-up, but another classic JJ Cale tune referencing gettin’ on the road! :D

 
All caught up again - if I have left your song off the playlist, please shout.

So far we have been to the moon, Brighton, Kansas City, and quite a few points inbetween. Keep 'em coming.
 
thank you for this week Steve.
this, an original song for the season
and featuring some amazing art by joo.



FAR AWAY FROM HERE

Gonna jump me a train
Gonna find me a plane
Gonna climb in a car
Take a walk & walk so far

Gonna write me a book
& try not to look
At the words I left behind
On this journey to another time

Far away from here

There's a virus in the air
Catchin' like a curse
Before things get better, don'tcha know
They're gonna get much worse

They all say we got nothin' to fear
So why did they leave us here?
These politicians with smokin' guns
Bringin' on the world to come

Far away from here

Right, let's open it up
Put it to the test
Everyone's a traveler
Headin' towards our place of rest

So I'll jump me a train
I'll find me a plane
Gonna climb in a car
Take a walk & walk so far

Far away from here
Far away from here
 
Clifford von Richovens was a German who flew Stuka dive bombers during WW2. He was shot down over Stalingrad and spent the rest of the war on a Gulag in Siberia . During that time he wrote many songs that became popular in the 19 50's in Russia. The most famous being Light Travelling. He was commissioned to write music for The movie Dr Zhivargo, and had high hopes that Light Travelling would be the theme tune. However "Somewhere my love Laura's theme " was chosen instead. He died on 23rd November 1963 in Vladivostock.

 
Hello again, Steve! I am determined to cover all modes of travel this week, so, having done boats, here is one about trains. I had never heard this song before yesterday. Although it was originally an African-American spiritual, it seems to have evolved into a children's song. This is intended to be the original version. The film is a colourised version of a wonderful Lumiere Bros' film of 1896, showing the arrival of a train at a station near Marseille, which I found under the "Creative Commons" banner.

 
This is the first song that came into my head when I saw the theme, but had to wait until the time was right to get the distortion out.

 
Big hit in 1935.Many recordings were made including Bing Crosby and Louis Armstrong
 

Based on a true story my mum told me. As a little girl she travelled on a Sampan, which is a Chinese flat bottom boat, with my grandpa to visit my great-granny's tomb. She suffered from seasickness but since paying respects to your ancestors was important she had to endure it.

I sang 3 lines in Teochew language here. They were: lets go visit your granny tomorrow!
And then:
Don't stay up too late tonight. We will wake up at 7 am tomorrow and we will take your uncle's sampan!

Thanks for hosting, Steve!
 
Last edited:
Here's a Courtney Barnett song which describes a physical, emotional and at times I suspect hallucinogenic journey through a pub crawl. If that doesn't suffice it also mentions various forms of transport like taxis, tractors and trains.

 
a traditional song for the season
traveling happens fast when you break the lock on the chook shed... :)
 
All up to date again, with 29 songs in the first two days.

Just realised I didn't say anything about a prize. That's because I hadn't thought about one. Now I have, and there might be one.
 
Last edited:
Top Bottom