Afoot and light-hearted I take to the open road

"For this composition, developed on a beautifully sunny weekend with the warm summer air blowing in through open windows,  I set myself the challenge of working on something optimistic and upbeat.

"Having been reading Walt Whitman recently, I started with his poem "Song of the Open Road" in mind (from which the title comes) and wanted to convey some of the feeling of that work in this piece. 

"Starting with a field recording from a station in Lisbon, the composition imagines setting out on a train journey on a bright, sunny morning, full of hope and optimism for the day ahead. 

"Acoustic guitar lines intertwine around a simple bassline, with light, jazzy drums and airy synths building up an atmosphere of positivity, light and forward movement."

Afoot and light-hearted I take to the open road,
Healthy, free, the world before me,
The long brown path before me leading wherever I choose.

Henceforth I ask not good-fortune, I myself am good-fortune,
Henceforth I whimper no more, postpone no more, need nothing,
Done with indoor complaints, libraries, querulous criticisms,
Strong and content I travel the open road.

The earth, that is sufficient,
I do not want the constellations any nearer,
I know they are very well where they are,
I know they suffice for those who belong to them.

Estacio do Oriente, Lisbon reimagined by Cities and Memory. 

IMAGE: david prieto from Spain, CC BY-SA 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons