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My Gen X Playlist: Walk On – U2

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There is something called through hiking, which is hiking a long distance trail end to end. My bucket list includes the Camino de Santiago, which I’ve mentioned here. This is a 500 mile pilgrimage across Spain. I’ve heard it’s a life changing spiritual experience.

There is another, much longer adventure that I’ve always found amazing: the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT). This trek begins at the Mexico border and ends when you reach Canada. It’s a five month long walk that spans 2,650 miles. My eyes are bigger than my stomach for this one. There is no way I’m able to complete the PCT, but it’s such a cool adventure to think about. If I was younger man and had the time and strength, I would lace up the shoes and take it on foot. What an adventure that would be.

U2 released Walk On in 2001. Like many U2 songs, it has a deeper meaning and not just about going for a long walk.

This song is about Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, a Burmese activist who was sentenced to house arrest in 1989 for protesting her government. Earlier that year, while walking with some of her supporters, soldiers blocked their path and pointed rifles at them. Suu Kyi kept walking, despite orders to stop. The soldiers threatened to shoot her, but didn’t. Her actions have been closely monitored by the government, but she remains an influential leader and won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1991. Her house arrest ended in 2010 and she was released.

– Songfacts

This makes me think about walking with conviction and purpose. It’s been awhile since I’ve been down this path. It’s so far in the rear view mirror, I can’t recall the last time. I know I shouldn’t use my age as an excuse, but these days I seem to be only searching for a slower pace in life. And of course, a healthier one, too. Maybe that fits the conviction/purpose mold for me, somewhat on a smaller scale. Maybe.

–

For a complete playlist, please click here.

For the Spotify playlist, please click here.

And love is not the easy thing
The only baggage you can bring
And love is not the easy thing
The only baggage you can bring
Is all that you can't leave behind

And if the darkness is to keep us apart
And if the daylight feels like it's a long way off
And if your glass heart should crack
And for a second you turn back
Oh no, be strong

Walk on, walk on
What you got they can't steal it
No they can't even feel it
Walk on, walk on
Stay safe tonight

You're packing a suitcase for a place none of us has been
A place that has to be believed to be seen
You could have flown away
A singing bird in an open cage
Who will only fly, only fly for freedom

Walk on, walk on
What you've got they can't deny it
Can't sell it, or buy it
Walk on, walk on
Stay safe tonight

And I know it aches
And your heart it breaks
And you can only take so much
Walk on, walk on

Home, hard to know what it is if you've never had one
Home, I can't say where it is but I know I'm going home
That's where the heart is

And I know it aches
And your heart it breaks
And you can only take so much
Walk on, walk on

Leave it behind
You've got to leave it behind

All that you fashion
All that you make
All that you build
All that you break
All that you measure
All that you steal
All this you can leave behind
All that you reason
All that you care
It's only time
And I'll never fill up all my mind
All that you sense
All that you speak
All you dress up
And all that you scheme
All you create
All that you wreck
All that you hate

18 thoughts on “My Gen X Playlist: Walk On – U2”

  1. I’m conflicted about this kind of walking for myself. I’ve lived on the AT and hiked sections and met many thru-hikers, and I love the idea of hiking as traveling. I’m also in love with walking simply to be in nature without an agenda. I hear thru-hikers have to keep goals in the forefront, and it’s a lot of psychological work. So many people love it, though! I hope you get to experience that joy of accomplishment.

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    1. Trails like the AT and ACT are too long. I wish I learned about them in my younger years. I think I can handle the Camino de Santiago because it’s more manageable. I’ve been trying to convince my friends to do the John Muir Trail, even if we broke it up in separate treks. I like the thought of a long challenging adventure.

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  3. Nice post! U2 is such a great choice for it. They’ve always brought a higher purpose to pop. Your post makes me think of Selma, Tiananmen Square and all the other times brave people risked everything by just walking.

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  4. A U2 favourite. Didn’t know the backstory… thanks for that! Makes it that much more meaningful, like many of their songs.

    A couple we know has done the Camino several times (I’ve not heard the term though hiking before, so that’s cool). They’re in their 70s and he’s not in very good physical condition, so there’s hope for us all! Me, I prefer my long distances with two wheels beneath me. This summer, I’m thinking of cycling to the birthplace of a friend who died in January as a way of honouring him. It’d be 110 kilometres one-way, which is only 10 km more than my longest ride, but it would be a one-way trip with a pick-up or drop-off as there’s no way I could do the round trip.

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    1. Honoring him with a trip to his birthplace is touching. I’m sure his spirit will be with you on your ride. The trip will speak to you in many ways. You are a good friend. Sometimes when I go on a backpacking trip, I dedicate the trip with someone I’ve lost. I have long conversations with them in my head as I trek forward. The trip becomes more meaningful. I’m sure your trip for your friend will be a memorable experience.

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  5. When I was much *much* younger, I wanted to hike the Appalachian Trail. Then, maybe, the Shenandoah Trail. Now those days are past me. There’s bunches of hiking trails around me here in Albuquerque. I might get well enough to do them some day.

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  7. I once knew a retired Dean at Tufts who did the AT in seven segments. The groups bags were moved for them daily so they only needed to bring lunch and water. It was probably expensive, but she still did the entire trail.

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      1. I found a great sense of satisfaction in long-distance hiking last year (the Corfu Trail in Greece) and I’ve been well and truly bitten by the bug. Slow travel is rewarding as you get to see so much.

        While not as long or dramatic as the US trails like the PCT (Cheryl Strayed’s book, Wild, about her PCT hike), there is beauty to be found in 100–150 km through hikes. They still feel long, so you get that satisfaction of covering ground, but are more manageable.

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      2. I like the idea of still getting the feeling and inspiration from a long hike, yet in still a manageable time frame. I just looked up the Corfu Trail. It seems like there is a little of everything on the trip. That must have been wonderful

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