This is the time of year that a lot of us are moving around. Maybe we are moving back home for the summer, or moving out after graduation, or spending the summer abroad. Some of us will travel a few hundred miles, some of us a few thousand. For those who are traveling and missing home, here are some songs that helped me travel the 4,000 miles it took to find a new home for the summer. I hope that this music can be just as therapudic for you as it was for me.
5 songs for when you're traveling:
1.Terminals by Relient K
This is one of my all-time favorite songs, and is perfect for those in-betweens. Airports, train stations, or bus rides - this is the song you need.
“Just passing through, trying to catch that glimpse of you.”
2. Collapsible Lung by Relient K
Traveling can make you feel broken, tired, and lost. You might not know where you're going to end up, but you have hope that you'll get there soon. Give this song a listen if you can relate.
“Between the miles of open road…
I stumbled into the great unknown and found
That life can’t slow down.”
3. Needle by Born Ruffians
This song is for those who have accepted their nomadic state, as if the band name didn’t give that away.
“I belong to no one, a song without an album”
”Needle in the hay
Lost but in my place
Peaceful in my way”
4. Boy Moves To A New Town With Optimistic Outlook by FM Static
Moving? New place? Feeling optimistic (or just nervous) and want some upbeat pop-punk? This is what you need.
“First day in a brand-new town
What will it be like, will it all go down?”
“Fading, hating, waiting for some place where I can fit in”
5. Why Am I the One by fun.
This song will resonate with people who feel done with traveling, done with packing, leaving, and moving. You just want to have a place to call home.
“Why am I the one always packing up my stuff?
For once I get the feeling that I'm right where I belong.”
5 songs for when you're almost home, or wish you were:
1. Back Home by Owl City
If you are sitting dreaming of a small town home, this song was made for you. It talks about the fact that no place is quite like the home we grew up in, with a perfect guitar-filled summer feel.
“Pack your bags, it’s time to go
We’ve got brighter lights back home.”
2. Back Home by Andy Grammer
The music industry is so creative in their song titles these days, isn't it? Regardless, this song is so joyful. You’re almost home! You always find your way back home, and nothing will change that.
"See, we won't forget where we came from...
No matter where we go
We always find our way back home"
3. Home We'll Go by Walk Off the Earth
This song makes it feel like you're not alone, since it's home we'll go. This is perfect if you are traveling with someone, but it's also perfect for anyone on their way home.
"It's a long road but we're not alone
Together we stand and we're coming home"
4. Don't Forget Where You Belong by One Direction
This song tells the story of anyone who has been traveling a lot and is ready to go home. They don’t want to forget where they belong.
“Been a lot of places.
I've been all around the world.
Seen a lot of faces.
Never knowing where I was...
Living out of cases,
Packing up and taking off.”
“Don't forget where you belong. Home.”
5. 53 Steps by Rachel Platten
Listen to this when you are so close to home you can feel it in every bone in you body, when you practically smell home you feel so close!
“I feel it in my toes
I know I'm coming close
The signs say I need to go.”
10 songs for when you’re really homesick:
1. Homeless by Ed Sheeran
If you don’t listen to any other song on this list, listen to this one. There is no better song for the homesick traveler. I tend to feel homeless when I travel too much of for too long, and this guy captures that feeling.
“It’s not a homeless life for me
It’s just I’m home less than I’d like to be.”
2. Vagabond by MisterWives
Traveling can be lonely, very lonely, and this song captures
the depression, anxiety, and simple exhaustion of the traveling life.
"You've been flying so high
Avoiding the road
Pretending to not feel alone"
3. Lay be Down by the Oh Hellos
This is a song to listen to once you have been traveling for a while, when you feel like “weathered stone.” You’re restless and ready to return.
“See, I was born a restless, wayward child
I could hear the whole world calling me outside…
And Lord, I had to see with my own eyes
Take me home”
4. Sailboat by Ben Rector
Lonely and lost, maybe indecisive? Dying to get to that place called home, wherever that is? Listen to this song. It might give you some comfort that even when life is crazy, and when you feel lost most of the time, you can get home in the end.
"I feel just like a sailboat
I don't know where I'm headed"
"Please let this wind blow me home
Night after night there's an empty horizon
And my God do I feel so alone"
5. Home by Johnnyswim
This song sometimes sounds like a cry, so if you are just now drying your eyes due to your aching chest, shout out with this song:
"Home, I need me some home."
6. Home by Michael Buble
This is the most honest homesickness song: “I want to go home.”
It breaks your heart with silky, slow melodies."Another aeroplane
Another sunny place
I’m lucky, I know
But I wanna go home
Mmmm, I’ve got to go home"
7. Lost Boy by Ruth B
If you feel lost, lonely, and and need an escape from reality, listen to this sad song.
"There was a time when I was alone
Nowhere to go and no place to call home"
8. Tire Swing by Kimya Dawson
This song is deceitfully cheerful, but if you listen to the lyrics you can hear the story of a restless girl who misses someone, but is never home.
"Cause I like to be gone most of the time
And you like to be home most of the time
If I stay in one place I lose my mind
I'm a pretty impossible lady to be with"
9. Until We Get There by Lucius
This is less about home, more about restlessness. When your skin is scratching because you have to get "there" and you feel like you might go crazy if you stay, I hope this song runs through your head.
"Won't know until we get there
You know I wanna get there "
Cliché, I know, but I had to end this list on a happy note! This song always makes me feel like I’m wrapped up in a hug, I’m homesick but home is at least possible now. There is such a thing as home; you just need to get there.
“If you get lost, you can always be found
Just know you're not alone
'Cause I'm gonna make this place your home”
