It’s interesting to see how an idea changes from one form into something completely different as it evolves in the writing process.  In this case, the song began with a guitar pattern that derived from another song called ‘February.’  I’d been listening to Iron and Wine quite a bit around this time and found myself mimicking the playing style of the beautifully subtle songs from the album Naked as We Came.

I was drawn to the mood of this pattern and spent a week or more trying to fit it to a lyric.  Somewhere along the line I hit upon an idea and dropped the pattern entirely, opting instead for a very simple chord progression using the G/C/Em forms.  I tend to play with a capo on the 2nd or 3rd frets, so the tuning in the recording will be a full tone up, which seems to suit my vocal range.

The lyric itself is inspired by a personal experience with a good friend who never made it to the end of his journey.  I had the good fortune to play it live with another friend at a recent reunion, where we performed it as a personal tribute.