A Leaving Home Playlist

As a kick-off to this blog, I thought I’d share some songs I’ve been listening to recently, as I prepared to leave, then actually left home. Sitting in my mosquito-net draped bed in Arusha– post about my first days in Tanzania to come. For now, enjoy the tunes here!

1. Dawns- Maggie Rogers and Zach Bryan

I’ve been on two separate Maggie Rogers and Zach Bryan kicks this summer, but this collaboration never quite hit for me until last week. Driving back from the beach with my best friend, windows down, salty and slightly sunburnt, I finally got it. Meant for early morning summer drives, post-swim showers, and roof sits. 

1. Evergreen- Yebba

An eternal–evergreen, one could say– favorite song of mine, that I associate strongly with my summer at Hearty Roots, sleeping like sardines in an old creaky cabin and spending salty days on the water. This song is absolutely effervescent to me. It’s got that “it” factor most songs only hope to achieve. I could (and do) listen to it for hours without getting bored of its forward driving beat and close-to-home imagery. Meant for moving fast near water or looking out plane windows.

1. Long Long Time To Get Old- Great Speckled Bird

I heard this song last year in a bookstore/record store/cafe in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, and it absolutely rocked my world. I listened to it for hours on end during my drive home from Canada, and it is one of my favorite songs to listen to at top volume. One of my personal favorite mis-hearings is that at some points in the song, I hear “there’s a long long time to get home” rather than a “long long time to get old”, which I find a useful reminder that, throughout these adventuresome years of “getting my yayas out”, there’s no rush to get home. Or old, for that matter. I’ll get there when I get there. I love this song for long travel days, opening the windows on a slightly-too cold day, and Canadian highway driving.  

1. Graceland- Tallest Man on Earth

This is one of the few covers that I think neither improves or cheapens an already excellent song, but instead provides an entirely different mood, tone, and context for the words, melodies, and ideas. I think the original is truly a perfect song, but there’s something about the wailing on this version that I think captures the melancholy of both moving forward and leaving something behind. Best for melancholic train rides, rainy mornings, the first night in a new place knowing you’re right where you should be but missing home anyway.

1. Old Friends- Pinegrove

This is a song I strongly associate with my time in Chile, my last extended international trip. It was introduced to me by my dear friend Sophie, and is the most beautiful song about growing up through grief and it subsequently changing your idea of home, an idea I associate with closely. Hearing this song makes me think of the sunlight filtering through the tall, spiny trees that grew on the banks of the Futa, and being both home and far from it. Best for scrolling through old photos, reminiscing while doing yoga, and photosynthesizing loudly. 

1. Lucky Enough (Poem)- Zach Bryan

I discovered this poem this summer, at the start of my Zach Bryan phase, and it absolutely rocked my world. I love Zach Bryan for the way he romanticizes the little things, and in the process explicates a succinct-but-not-simple recipe for living. I think he distills everything that is good and raw about rural living and the type of music that comes from rural places, and makes it uniquely listenable. An excellent appetizer into country music. This poem, in particular, rocks. Listen to it lying on a warm rock after a run, preferably on an island, or on a plane, or anytime you need a quiet moment and a reminder of what matters.

1. Toro- Remi Wolf

This song single-handedly got me through my portions of the Downeast Sunrise Relay Trail this summer, and exudes danceability. A silly, groovy, horny song about thin hotel walls, this song is best danced to with new friends and old–extra points if it’s a mix of both. And if you’re doing something summer-y like eating hot dogs and drinking wine. In a hot tub. 

1. Shake The Frost (Live)- Tyler Childers

Tyler Childers has also been a big character in the musical landscape of my summer and leaving-home preparations. This song is so gorgeous, and the very best of his style of music. This song absolutely has some magic in it, and deserves one’s full attention. Best enjoyed stationary, looking out over a long distance, or while cooking dinner with a loved one. 

1. Delta Dawn- Tanya Tucker

I adore this song. An enduring, stunning song that is a real contender for "last song before you die", Delta Dawn is a song Tiger beat me to by a number of months, and I'm just now catching up. This song makes me feel nearly every emotion in a number of minutes, and is the kind of song that makes me want to instantly transport to my old car, driving fast in North Waldoboro. Best enjoyed with a cold beer, on a porch, or watching a sunset on a new continent.

1. Change- Big Thief

An obvious choice for a time of, well, change, and an absolutely beautiful song to boot. Perhaps no song makes me feel more comforted in times of chaos, logistics, hellos, and goodbyes. I fell in love with this song on long runs through Providence, and it has persisted throughout the summer. This song feels like a big deep breath, stroking through cold water on a foggy morning, taking off on a plane. Happy travels, all. I’ll be in touch. 

Bonus song: For some reason, all I’ve wanted to listen to since arriving in Arusha is Zach Bryan’s “Purple Gas”. Maybe it’s that the city lies in a flat, surrounded by notable hills to climb and die on? Unclear. But a beautiful song, which makes me feel like a flatland boy indeed.