Mountain's rough this time of year
They close the highway down
They don't warn the town
I've been fighting second gear for fifteen miles or so
Trying to beat the angry snow
I know every town worth passing through
But what good does knowing do with no one to show it to?
I've grown tired of traveling alone
Tired of traveling alone
I've grown tired of traveling alone
Won't you ride with me?
Won't you ride?
I quit talking to myself
And listening to the radio, a long, long time ago
Damn near strangled by my appetite
In Ybor City on a Friday night
Couldn't even stand up right
So high, the street girls wouldn't take my pay
She said come see me on a better day
And she just danced away
I've grown tired of traveling alone
Tired of traveling alone
I've grown tired of traveling alone
Won't you ride with me?
Won't you ride?
Pain in the outside lane
I'm tired of answering to myself
Heart like a rebuilt part
I don't know how much it's got left
How much it's got left
I've grown tired of traveling alone
Tired of traveling alone
I've grown tired of traveling alone
Won't you ride with me?
Won't you ride?
~ Jason Isbell
You may be tired of my Jason Isbell posts, but clearly, I'm not. I don't think I've been this interested in a singer/songwriter since Ryan Adams. (And Isbell has been compared to Ryan Adams!) "Traveling Alone" appears on Isbell's 2013 solo endeavor, Southeastern, but the video linked above is a live duet featuring Isbell's wife, Amanda Shires. Her violin is hauntingly beautiful, and her voice complements his beautifully. Clearly, they have chemistry.
Jason Isbell has struggled in the past with addictions (Damn near strangled by my appetite), but has been sober for several years now. Apparently, Shires was instrumental in creating the intervention that led Isbell to rehab. And certainly, he had extra motivation to get clean; Isbell and Shires married a few days after studio work for Southeastern was completed. Shires is now a featured member of Isbell's back-up band, The 400 Unit. And they are parents to a baby girl, referenced in at least one of Isbell's songs ("White Man's World").
Last night, I flew home from Colorado . . . alone. After spending a week with Sam and Andrea and Luna, plus visits with their friends and Andrea's family, the flight home was a bit lonely, although my Jenna was at the airport at midnight to drive me home. But I had time on the flight to contemplate that aspect of my travels. It may be that I travel as often with friends and family as I do alone, and there are drawbacks and benefits to both kinds of trips. But sometimes, I do grow tired of traveling alone. Navigating airports by myself is not always comfortable, nor is driving to unfamiliar places. It may take some intense conversations with myself to become motivated to pack up the car and go, but I know that if I became complacent about traveling, I might blink my eyes to discover that I am too old or addled to do it anymore, thereby missing out on something that has become so important to me.
And I am not overlooking the obvious. "Traveling Alone" is an extended metaphor for the human condition. While I do think it is possible to enjoy a fulfilling life as a single, unattached person, there is comfort and satisfaction in sharing the ride with someone. For me, right now, I seem to be enjoying the best of both worlds. I am planning a solo road trip to Maine next month, but I will look forward to another trip a few weeks later, on which I hope to be accompanied by my favorite traveling companion.
Won't you ride with me?
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