Keep right on to the end of the road,
Keep right on to the end,
Tho’ the way be long, let your heart be strong,
Keep right on round the bend.
As I made my way back to Basel after traversing the St. Gotthard Pass on my last outing, a song with these words came to mind. It was a distant memory of something heard long ago, probably on the radio during my formative years.
The song is simply called “Keep Right on to the End of the Road”. It was written by Harry Lauder, a famous Scottish singer and entertainer of the early 20th century. Brought up in the tough working class conditions of a coal mining community, his singing career brought him fame and fortune. When World War 1 broke out, he was an enthusiastic supported of the British war effort, using concerts to raise funds, as well as entertaining troops on the Western Front. In 1916, his only son was killed in action. It was in memory of his sone that Harry Lauder wrote the song.
The song is very much about persevering through adversity. Lines like “Tho’ the way be long, let your heart be strong”, or “Tho’ you’re tired and weary still journey on”, all convey the idea to keep going, even when the going is tough.
But strangely enough, it was not this idea that brought the song to my mind. I have walked three quarters of the Trans Swiss Trail with only 125km to go. So now it is about closure. The major obstacles have all been passed. The Juras are behind me, as are the Glaubenbielen and St. Gotthard passes. But without such obstacles ahead of me, the challenge is lessened. The challenge now is about the logistics of the remaining walk. I have farther to go to get to the start of each section, and longer to come back at the end as well. That means shorter walking days. So there is a risk of loss of enthusiasm, knowing that I can do this, and faced with logistical rather than physical challenges. And it is in that context that something in my sub-conscious dredged up this song.
I must keep it in front of me for a while, not to help me through adversity or a difficult part of the route, but simply to make sure that I bring this to closure.
I give the words of the song in full here:
Ev’ry road thro’ life is a long, long road,
Fill’d with joys and sorrows too,
As you journey on how your heart will yearn
For the things most dear to you.
With wealth and love ’tis so,
But onward we must go.
Chorus:
Keep right on to the end of the road,
Keep right on to the end,
Tho’ the way be long, let your heart be strong,
Keep right on round the bend.
Tho’ you’re tired and weary still journey on,
Till you come to your happy abode,
Where all the love you’ve been dreaming of
Will be there at the end of the road.
With a big stout heart to a long steep hill,
We may get there with a smile,
With a good kind thought and an end in view,
We may cut short many a mile.
So let courage ev’ry day
Be your guiding star alway.
Chorus:
Walkingman 