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September 21, 2006

Inspirational music for the independent traveler

A few months back I asked the masses over at Metafilter to list off their favorite travel-oriented songs – from any genre – that evoke the spirit of independent, vagabonding travel.

User OmieWise suggested the wonderfully unique Mountain Goats – “one of the best songwriters in the world [who] has a series of songs about travelling all over the place for reasons as diverse as contract killing, love affairs, and nostalgia.”

A trip to their website includes many free, downloadable mp3s along with a complete song database, most of which include lyrics such as these from a track titled Going to Bolivia:

I cut myself a two-foot switch from some tropical hardwood nearby.

and the sounds of a carnival drifted miraculously

through the air from a thousand miles away.

the monkeys jumped from tree to tree.

it sent a deathly chill through me

in bolivia

Here are a few highlights of the many suggestions my question received (links go directly to lyric sites which may contain popups and annoying ads – you’ve be warned!):

A13 Trunk Road To the Sea – Billy Bragg
Two of Us – The Beatles
Get Out the Map – Indigo Girls
I’ve Been Everywhere – Johnny Cash
On the Road Again – Willie Nelson
The World at Large – Modest Mouse
Highway Chile – Jimi Hendrix
King of the Road – Roger Miller
The Way – Fastball
Another Travelin’ Song – Bright Eyes

For the entire list of suggestions, click here.

Do you have a favorite aritst or song that’s missing from the list? Feel free to share your suggestions in the comment section below.

Posted by | Comments (4) 
Category: Notes from the collective travel mind


4 Responses to “Inspirational music for the independent traveler”

  1. Jc Says:

    Goin’ Mobile by the Who must be on the list!

  2. Jerri Says:

    So weird. I just posted a list of my favorite traveling songs on my blog the other day, then I come to your site and you have a list, too. Surprisingly, we have no songs in common on the list! Learning to Fly-Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers is one of my favs. I have a full list on my blog http://jerristephenson.blogspot.com

    Cheers!

  3. Barry Says:

    Definitely a must have list! I also found a place where you can download these songs for free http://www.ez-tracks.com/Inspirational.html

  4. Nick Case Says:

    etherreal your powers of observation are astounding!

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