This is a cheesy thing to say, but the greatest comfort I had on the Camino wasn’t my fancy shoes or the high-tech Hiking pants we wore (who knew pants could be high tech?). It was music.

There were a few days when Stacy (my wife who was walking the trail with me, for all you late-comers) would let me plow ahead at top speed to tire me out, and so I would be walking alone for a while. And then, I would sing. Loudly. On purpose. You see, I was an army brat as a kid, and when we lived on the premises of Fort Sam Houston, we would watch the troops marching and running on KP, singing their cadence songs to help keep them in step, which sounded so cool. In the Boy Scouts we learned that singing while hiking was a great way to not think about your aching feet. And whaddya know? It works on the Camino Santiago as well.

Of course, when it comes to Army rules and regulations, even the Cadence, I need to be true to my calling as Professional Smart Ass….

You might be surprised at what makes a good Camino Cadence song. I found that a lot of the music I enjoyed back in the world wasn’t working for me on the road. The Misfits, Sex Pistols, The Detroit Cobras: they all felt wrong when I tried to get my usual lift from their thrashing energy. However there was a certain stretch of road lined with rolling green hills and haystacks that made me want to sing the entire score of the musical “Les Miserables”, (original London Cast recording, of course).

MY CAMINO PLAYLIST

Leon Redbone
Old Crow Medicine Show
Cat Stevens
The Beatles ( especially Abbey Road)
Jim Croce
Willie Nelson
Beethoven

And despite my access to every song every made in the History of Mankind, there were also entire days when I never desired to hear anything but the world around me; the wind off of Alto De Pardon, the sounds of grape harvesters yelling at each other, eagles screaming in the sky . . . more than enough to fill my senses. And sometimes, silence is the best sound.

I am an aficionado of silence. As much as I like music, I respect silence more. It was a rare commodity when I was a kid and it’s even rarer now. And it’s not fair that we all share playlists of Music, but never lists of Silences. So…..

MY FAVORITE SILENCES PLAYLIST

An empty Stage in a dark, empty theater.
Your house three seconds after all your guests have just left.
A wooden church in the countryside.
Walking a gravel road in August in the middle of the Texas Hill Country.
A Winter sunrise at Promontory Point in Chicago, Illinois.
A full audience that is so moved by a performance they are even holding their breath.
The split second right before the delivery of the perfect punchline.

Do you have a favorite silence? Please share it. And if you don’t…..

Hey there all you Pilgrims! In honor of the Buddhist Holiday celebrating the Bodhishattva Kaufmann and his 1000 Mirrors Of Absurd Truths, I give all you a CAMINO SONG, written in my Native Language, American

Not English, American. There’s a difference. Bless ’em both.

The song is based on ‘Polly Wolly Doodle’, a folk tune from the Southern Unites States that is quite silly. Here’s my favorite version…..

Fun, eh? It’s an easy tune to sing and play on a guitar or ukulele and it’s incredibly adaptable, so I wrote a version for all you Pilgrims out there to sing while pilgriming along the pilgrim way. . .as Pilgrims….

So here’s my lyrics for anyone walking the Camino:

WALKING EL CAMINO ALL THE DAY ( THE THE TUNE OF POLLY WOLLY DOODLE)

CHORUS:
Fare thee Well,
Fare Thee Well,
Fare thee well on the Pilgrim Way.
For I’m goin’ to Compestella cuz I am a groovy fella ( or Bella )
Walking El Camino all the day.

VERSES!

I ain’t washed my clothes in 15 days,
Walking El Camino all the day
I smell so bad even flies stay away.
Walking El Camino all the day

My feet fell off as the Spanish people Gaped
Walking El Camino all the day
I replaced them with stacks of olives and grapes
Walking El Camino all the day

I opened my mouth just to say hello
Walking El Camino all the day
Twenty flies flew in and then out my nose.
Walking El Camino all the day

Well I went into a church and then I went into a church
Walking El Camino all the day
Then I went into a church and I went into a church.
Walking El Camino all the day

They wanted ten euros just to wash my socks
Walking El Camino all the day
So I washed ’em in wine and asparagus stalks.
Walking El Camino all the day

There wasn’t a single room to be seen
Walking El Camino all the day
Until I told them that I was Martin Sheen.
Walking El Camino all the day

The tortillas are blander than a plywood box
Walking El Camino all the day
I asked for salt they gave me rocks.
Walking El Camino all the day

I got so hungry I ate my own face
Walking El Camino all the day
My wife didn’t notice it was a disgrace.
Walking El Camino all the day

And you know what? This is a folk song, so everybody owns it! If you can think of a verse, please add it in, and sing it loud and proud as you walk to Compestella.

Buen Camino.