Travel Light by Jeffrey Lewis and Diane Cluck

This is the original version that Johnny Flynn and Laura Marling covered, just in case people were wondering. Also, seeing as this track seems to have disappeared off the face of the earth I decided to upload it as I love both of them.

"DIANE CLUCK AND JEFFREY LEWIS (Summer/fall 2001)

3 songs written by Diane and Jeff in Maine, recorded by Spencer Chakedis at his "Balloon Heaven" home studio in Brooklyn. A few dozen CDR copies were made and sold, then these songs became half of the "Antifolk Collaborations Volume 1" CDR."

Lyrics:
When I was an astronaut I didn't take my boots,
When I was a coal miner I didn't know the news,
When I was a record store I didn't have the blues,
I travel light and that's the life for me.

He doesn't care where else he goes,
He's not gonna take any extra clothes
or extra shoes to hide his feet
The ground is dirt, the dirt is sweet

When I go Londontown I'll stand under a rock,
Until I know all the time it takes to pack a clock,
Then I'll flip it over, close the key, and swallow the lock.
I travel light and that's the life for me.

He doesn't take his spoon or fork,
He's seen too many eating in New York,
He'll use his hands to pick and eat,
The fruit he finds, he'll find it sweet

[whistles]

When I was a waitress, I gave away my tips
When I was a call-girl, I gave away my hips
When I ran the kissing booth, I gave away my lips,
I travel light and that's the life for me

She lives a life like abandoned wind
Elemental wife, fortune is her friend,
I smile on a planet and a river made of light,
she's just a pebble on a waterfall tonight

When i go to Boston I stand around in jeans
And save the cash to leave by selling black-market baked beans
Denim's what I like to wear and has durable seams
I travel light and that's the life for me

She just a genious without a thinking cap
She doesn't pay the rent, she's funny like that
I don't know what she's on, she's here and gone
Rides a welcome mat on a jungle cat

[more whistles]

Both:
Fur's and silver chairs and shiny things are just a fuss
We'll eat all peanuts that we steal from the circus
We'll count the stars and go to sleep under the bus
We'll travel light and that's the life for us

(I found the lyrics at: http://jeffreylewisboard.free.fr/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=141&sid=32c5b0cf5... So, credit to them!)

Category:

Music

Tags:

• travel
• light
• jeffrey
• lewis
• diane
• cluck
• jeff
• anti
• folk
• collab
• collaboration
• vol
• volume
• johnny
• flynn
• laura
• marling
• song

[butterflypiano]

Wow wow wow... I think, besides of Regina Spektor's "Chemo Limo" this is my favourite Anti-Folk / Freak-Folk song. Awesome, awesome, freaking awesome...

[imamacyoureapc]

@butterflypiano I think if folk music is just a form of people expressing regular everyday experiences and emotions then both Dianne and Jeff are just plain 'folk' :D. Though I like the sound of 'freak-folk' haha

[ThadleyProductions]

Where might I download this lovely song? Can't seem to find it anywhere.

[imamacyoureapc]

I think there is a program on the internet somewhere that rips MP3s from youtube videos, have a surf about in google :). I would upload it to megaupload or whatever but I've lost the mp3 also, sigh haha.

[nihilistichick]

dianes voice is unreal.

[jibberjabberjoodrops]

both versions are brilliant, i'm a fan of all four of them. :)

[lasteverdotorg]

@ThadleyProductions These three songs that Diane Cluck and Jeffrey Lewis made together are available directly from them:

download.dianecluck.info/album­/the-river-travel-light-finish­-line

Thanks for supporting the artists!

Diane is gathering subscribers for her "Song-of-the-Week" project, in which she'll write and release 24 new songs to subscribers for 6 months. Please join and help *spread the word* so we can all experience new music from her!

[syahirahsazali]

..........

[kniggelene]

is this song played in a movie or something? I don't know where I know it from and this drives me crazy :D

[xaman04]

AntiFolk Overdose

[butterflypiano]

@imamacyoureapc Yeah, they absolutely do, but - excuse this primitive question :) - isn't it what people call "freaky"? Jeff singing a disharmonic tune to his chords; the artists "drawing" absurd pictures in your mind with the lyrics; the surprising end (...and that's the life for us)... maybe it's just a question of your or my view to it, but to me "Travel Light" definitely isn't regular plain folk. Besides of all that - "freak-folk" is a word I actually created to explain my own sings :D xD

[7shabba]

jo regan loves this! yay xoxoXoOoXoxox

[EarlyBizrd]

@jubilaz not to hate on laura and johnny but this version is supercalifragilisticexpialidoc­ious!!!

[bobjohnson513]

@imamacyoureapc

vidtomp3 dot com. It's pretty temperamental and there's a million pop-up ads, but it works...most of the time. Don't even mess around with the standard quality. It always leads me to an error page.