The Highwaymen - Highwayman

The Highwaymen: Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings and Kris Kristofferson ~ legends each one on his own. I love their songs, the guitar score, the voices, and particularly the sentiment of this particular song ... 

I'll be back again, and again and again and again and again ...

Highwayman
Willie Nelson, Johnny Cash, Kris Kristofferson, Waylon Jennings

I was a highwayman
Along the coach roads I did ride
With sword and pistol by my side

Gordon Lightfoot - Whispers of the North

Seven weeks between the old job and the new one. Seven weeks to my own; time to unwind, to relax, to renew, and to take a deep breath. For reasons I wouldn’t know how to put into words Canada always was a land I wanted to visit and finally there was my chance. 

My memory of the first day heading into Canada is fuzzy thanks to an uninvited travel companion: a severe cold no doubt caught on the flight over to Seattle. Surely, my nose then was as big and red as that of Rudolph the Reindeer, dripping remnants of the brain that was being pounded to mush by a headache without equals – ‘nough said … Although the recollection of that first day is spotty at best, two things stand out bright and clear.

Ballad of Yarmouth Castle - Gordon Lightfoot

There's something about the majesty and relentless power that is the ocean inspiring awe and fear alike and keeping me fascinated in spite of tragedies like the loss of the Yarmouth Castle. Here's to her and to all other ships and souls who came to rest below the waves ~

Ballad Of Yarmouth Castle
Gordon Lightfoot

Well, it's four o'clock in the afternoon
And the anchors have been weighed
From Miami to Nassau
She's bound across the waves

Joan Baez - Diamonds and Rust

"Well I'll be damned ..." indeed!

To me, 'Diamonds and Rust' by Joan Baez is one of those songs that does not sound its age, and the unmistakable voice of Joan Baez is one that doesn't grow old. Of course to me it has little to do with Bob Dylan -the one Joan Baez talks about in her song - but rather with the incredible chance which had me hear this song on the radio after a similar "here comes your ghost again ... you happened to call" moment ...

Diamonds and Rust
Joan Baez

Well I'll be damned
Here comes your ghost again
But that's not unusual
It's just that the moon is full
And you happened to call
And here I sit
Hand on the telephone
Hearing a voice I'd known
A couple of light years ago
Heading straight for a fall

Gareth Dunlop and Kim Richey - One And The Same

Sometimes I hear a song and I get goose bumps because the lyrics, or at least parts of them, seem to address me, talk to me, and call me out. "One And The Same" written and performed by Gareth Dunlop and Kim Richey falls into that category and, somehow, has been on my mind for some time now. The video comes with the lyrics but I've added a copy anyway. I just think they are worth contemplating ... 

... what's rolling around in your head - it's too hard to say so you leave it unsaid ...

One And The Same

I know what's rolling, around in your head
It's too hard to say so, you leave it unsaid
It's easier to turn, and walk away instead

Van Morrison - Into The Mystic

Imagine: Sailing through the night, out in the bay. The sky is clear, sprinkled with stars, the moon is almost full and reflects in the choppy water. The breeze is just enough to keep our sails filled and propel us southward. In the distance the big container ships cling to the shipping channel - lit up like Christmas trees. They are far enough away so the rumble of their enormous engines does not reach us. Only the boat's radio, tuned in to their communication frequency, lets us hear their voices from time to time. It's the wind murmuring in the sails, the creaking of the boat, the water splashing against the hull ~ nothing matters but staying the course and watching the water to avoid any objects floating along with us which could damage the hull ...  and, of course, enjoying the moment!

When I first heard "Into the Mystic" by Sir Van Morrison it brought back the memory of that sailing trip and in particular that night out on the bay. Such a soothing, peaceful night - such a soothing, peaceful song ~