coastal alt/indie rock
the way I travel
Field Notes
"The Way I Travel" was written as a project for a songwriting / production course I was taking. The project was to co-write a song and learn the arts of compromise and collaboration... something I don't do very often.
I enlisted my wife, Angie as my co-writer. She isn't a 'songwriter', but we had co-written one other song previously.
Basically, I asked her what she would like to write about and she said, "Our travel experiences".
We brainstormed awhile, shared some of our many experiences, and decided that - instead of writing about the experiences - we would write about the impact of those experiences on us.
As we thought about the impact, we realized that we wished we lived our day-to-day lives more like we do when we travel. I asked her to write down a bunch of those thought, "If I lived the way I travel..." then what?
She wrote her list. I wrote mine. And we combined them.
I was on a deadline, so the whole song was written, recorded, and produced in less than a week.
I actually made three versions of the song. A reflective Neil Diamond-like version. An electronica Moby-like version. And the one you hear above. All of them were good, but this was my favorite.
At some point, I may release the others...
So what about you? If you lived the way you travel... then what?
Lyrics
VERSE 1:
IF I LIVED THE WAY I TRAVEL
i’d always wear a lei
i’d have all I need in just one bag
and go barefoot every day
i’d have a bloody mary
and french toast at 10am
i’d find some drummers drumming
and i’d jump right in with them
VERSE 2:
IF I LIVED THE WAY I TRAVEL
i’d stay up late to stare at stars
i’d linger under falling leaves
and dance all night in empty bars
i’d use a leaf as my umbrella
while i was singing in the rain
i’d photograph every one i meet
so the memories remain
CHORUS:
think of all my fears and doubts
the lies and ties and chains that I’d unravel
i’d open all my love and hopes and dreams
IF I LIVED THE WAY I TRAVEL
VERSE 3:
IF I LIVED THE WAY I TRAVEL
i’d walk each trail to it’s end
i’d send “wish you were here” postcards
to my family and my friends
i’d try to slow my heart down
cause life, it moves too fast
i’d plan each day that I had left
like it’s my first and it’s my last
 If I Lived the Way I Travel"I'd find some drummers drumming". Like in this Korea image. (© glenn hughes) |  If I Lived the Way I Travel"and I'd jump right in with them". Like here in South Africa (© glenn hughes) |  Marimba JammingIn Zimbabwe |
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Details
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key: A
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tempo: 87
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time: 4/4
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year: 2023
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location(s): San Jose, California; Hawaii; Japan; Africa; Bali;
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mood: travel, joy, gratitude
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theme: it's time for revolution
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instruments: synthesizers, electric 12-string guitar, bass, drums
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recording status: released
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registered: ℗ 2025, glenn cash hughes / angie elschlager
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