Carry Less by Everwild Collective
This acoustic ballad was inspired by a combination of ultra-light trail running, ultra-light backpacking, skimo, and learning what it's like to shed the expectations others have of us when they don't align with who we truly are.
Lyrics
Folks were gathered at the trailhead sign
Bringing loads they said would help me climb
Said, “Take this pack, you’ll need it all”
I strapped it tight and started on
One packed a set of "ought to's", just in case
Another packed a bag of "shoulds" to track my pace
One tied a label across my chest
Said, "Wear it close, it's for the best"
But the higher up the trail would wind
The more I wished I’d left behind
Breath came slow, then came clear
The mountain said: you don’t need that here
Carry less, and you'll go far
You don't need to hold who you're told you are
Lay it down, the world's yours to explore
You don’t need to carry that anymore
Step by step, you’ll find your way
Light enough for another day
When you set that weight aside
You'll move lighter on your way up high
Met a mountain where the air ran thin
Bearing nothing but sky and wind
Then it spoke like it knew my mind
Said, “Some things you can set aside”
I said, “But this weight was packed for me to bring”
It said, “That don’t mean it's yours to keep
Most folks hand you what they’ve known
Don’t mean you've gotta make it your own”
What is yours remains with you
Light and steady, tried and true
No need to carry borrowed weight
It was never yours to take
You can set it down at the trail side
And still be whole when you say good-bye
Carry less, and you'll go far
You don't need to hold who you're told you are
Lay it down, the world is yours to explore
You don’t need to carry that anymore
Step by step, you’ll find your way
Light enough for another day
When you set that weight aside
You make space for what is you inside
Dropped what I carried mile by mile
Had what I needed all the while