By Shiv Sidecar
It’s hard to imagine a time when humans spent their lives in one place, with the same horizon and the same stars overhead. Eventually, possibly inspired by the local fauna, our ancestors realised that, over the hill, food was more plentiful and travelling was a desirable, if dangerous, necessity. According to Wiki the first identifiable shared human trackways date back to 10,000BC or so, with the first paved roads appearing in ancient Egypt 8,000 years later. Now people travel roads in a bewildering variety of propelled vehicles but, through choice or necessity, many still choose to walk – as celebrated in many of the songs here.
Nick Drake was very much the Cat Who Walked By Himself during his short lifetime. He emphasises his outsider status in his song Road by contrasting others’ enjoyment of a sunny day out with his preference for the night under a clear (pink) moon. Sadly his concluding line “I can take a road that'll see me through” proved to be utterly unfounded. Aboriginal musician Archie Roach isn’t alone in seeing paths as a metaphor for life, but his characterful voice and a steady walking pace underpin the effective “All Men Choose The Paths They Walk”, written for the soundtrack of the film The Tracker. (The non-inclusive title is regrettable; as my wife says “I enjoy a good yomp”).
Travelling for its own sake is a trait enjoyed by many humans, intrigued by the lure of seeing (or missing) something unique and unexpected around every corner. Linkin Park express this in their lyric “Weep not for roads untravelled, weep not for sights unseen, may your love never end and if you need a friend there’s a seat here alongside me” – an unexpectedly poignant farewell after their singer, Chester Bennington, took his own life in 2017. From an earlier era, we’re hitching “Up Around The Bend” with Creedence Clearwater Revival, a classic wind-in-the-hair journey to see what’s around the next corner. For what it’s worth, Creedence have recently joined the Spotify Billions Club (one US billion plays), suggesting that a younger generation is latching on to their timeless Americana.
Alasdair Roberts is one of many walkers more interested in the journey than the destination, and uses poetic language to reinforce this: “Wherever twines the path, I will follow, and when the map and fact mismatch I will burn the map (…disregard the map”). But don’t let down your guard – it’s not all pastoral nirvana, as US band Aislers Set discover when they walk up New York state and “Hit The Snow”.
Cross-country routes can be lonely, but it’s a truism that if you travel for long enough, you will meet somebody coming in the opposite direction. That’s what happens to Buddy Miles who, “Walking Down The Highway”, meets a lady with her arms spread wide, and… you can guess the rest. But not everybody is so… tangible. Mazzy Star know a highway ghost who, presumably, met their end out on the road. Hope Sandoval’s voice and David Roback’s fuzz guitar are both heavily distorted for that extra paranormal vibe. At least this is a benign ghost – the helium-voiced David Surkamp of Pavlov’s Dog is alone in a forest on the “Natchez Trace”, menaced by a vengeful witchy lady “in silver thread and coal-black lace” who aims to “put you in your resting place”. An eerie listen; this isn’t going to end well.
The idea of creating walks and trails for leisure walking (often connecting up historical paths) is something that has developed during our lifetimes. The Natchez Trace, above, is an example – 440 miles from Tennessee to Mississippi, following Native American paths through the forest. There are many similar trails in the UK – “The Old Lych Way” (or the Way of the Dead) was a corpse road between distant churches on Dartmoor, commemorated here by Show of Hands. (For something similar, check The Lyke Wake Dirge by The Young Tradition in our Marconium).
Sometimes paths can be short, local affairs. The Move’s highly evocative Blackberry Way is a setting for heartbreak as volunteers march to the station (past the boating lake) to entrain for the trenches of the Great War, and the narrator’s beloved turns her back on him.
Perhaps the most challenging roadways are those across wildernesses. The Triffids successfully call up the vastness of the great Australian desert in their song of vengeful pursuit Wide Open Road, a story with no ending. A very different route across trackless terrain is to trust nature and follow the path of a river. Dengue Fever (once compared by Ray Davies on TV to Led Zeppelin) are US-based, but their singer Chhom Nimoi comes from Cambodia, and their Khmer song Sleepwaking Through The Mekong relates to the indigenous population’s use of the Mekong River as a road across the landscape.
So there are trails beneath our feet… but look upwards, and you may see vapour trails in the sky above our heads, showing where humans have flown. The trails are, in the great scheme of things, very short-lived. Canadian band Metric draw a comparison to our puny lifespans: “Time flying on a path, moving through thе sky… I don't ever want to land. There’s no way to stop the time”
Nothing to say about Gillian Welch’s heartfelt I Dream A Highway, with its recurring verse of “Oh, I dream a highway back to you, love, a winding ribbon with a band of gold, a silver vision come and bless my soul, I dream a highway back to you”. It speaks for itself.
Finally, now Ivor Cutler wants to share a word with us.
Alleyway-Alist Playlist:
Nick Drake – Road
Archie Roach – All Men Choose the Path They Walk
Linkin Park – Roads Untravelled
Creedence Clearwater Revival – Up Around The Bend
Alasdair Roberts – Where Twines The Path
The Aislers Set – Hit The Snow
Buddy Miles – Walking Down The Highway
Mazzy Star – Ghost Highway
Pavlov’s Dog – Natchez Trace
Show Of Hands – The Old Lych Way
The Move – Blackberry Way
The Triffids – Wide Open Road
Dengue Fever – Sleepwalking Through The Mekong
Metric – Paths In The Sky
Gillian Welch - I Dreamed A Highway
Ivor Cutler – The Path
Byway B-list Playlist:
The Grateful Dead – So Many Roads
Neil Young – No Hidden Path
Midnight Oil – Gunbarrow Highway
Japanese Breakfast – Road Head
Lil Nas X (w/ Billy Ray Cyrus) – Old Town Road
Kevin Morby – Singing Saw
Jackie Leven – Uist Tramping Song
Karine Polwart – Salter’s Road
Lal Waterson – Piper’s Path
Robb Johnson – Pennypot Lane
J J Cale – Thirteen Days
Bo Diddley – Road Runner
U-Roy – Steppin Pon The Right Track
Billy Butler – The Right Track
Shocking Blue – Long And Lonesome Road
The Factory – Path Through The Forest
David Byrne – Great Western Road
Nina Nastasia – Roadkill
Dan Fogelberg – The Spirit Trail
Lightnin’ Hopkins – Walkin’ This Road By Myself
PJ Harvey – Highway 61 Revisited
Cult Maniax – Road To Nowhere
Lhasa – Anywhere On This Road
Ralph MacDonald – The Path
Guru’s Wildcard Z-List:
Super Furry Animals – Roman Road (zedded - from my nomination - for a previous topic)
Trees – Road
The Battered Ornaments – Twisted Track
The Gun Club – Ghost On The Highway
Plainsong – Goodnight Loving Trail
XTC – Roads Girdle The Globe
Nick Drake
These playlists were inspired by readers' song nominations in response to last week's topic: Route notes: songs about paths, tracks, trails and roads. The next topic will launch on Thursday after 1pm UK time.
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