The Wanderlust
The Wanderlust has lured me to the seven lonely seas,
Has dumped me on the tailing-piles of dearth;
The Wanderlust has haled me from the morris chairs of ease,
Has hurled me to the ends of all the earth.
How bitterly I've cursed it, oh, the Painted Desert knows,
The wraithlike heights that hug the pallid plain,
The all-but-fluid silence, -- yet the longing grows and grows,
And I've got to glut the Wanderlust again.
Soldier, sailor, in what a plight I've been!
Tinker, tailor, oh what a sight I've seen!
And I'm hitting the trail in the morning, boys,
And you won't see my heels for dust;
For it's "all day" with you
When you answer the cue
Of the Wan-der-lust.
The Wanderlust has got me . . . by the belly-aching fire,
By the fever and the freezing and the pain;
By the darkness that just drowns you, by the wail of home desire,
I've tried to break the spell of it -- in vain.
Life might have been a feast for me, now there are only crumbs;
In rags and tatters, beggar-wise I sit;
Yet there's no rest or peace for me, imperious it drums,
The Wanderlust, and I must follow it.
Highway, by-way, many a mile I've done;
Rare way, fair way, many a height I've won;
But I'm pulling my freight in the morning, boys,
And it's over the hills or bust;
For there's never a cure
When you list to the lure
Of the Wan-der-lust.
The Wanderlust has taught me . . . it has whispered to my heart
Things all you stay-at-homes will never know.
The white man and the savage are but three short days apart,
Three days of cursing, crawling, doubt and woe.
Then it's down to chewing muclucs, to the water you can eat,
To fish you bolt with nose held in your hand.
When you get right down to cases, it's King's Grub that rules the races,
And the Wanderlust will help you understand.
Haunting, taunting, that is the spell of it;
Mocking, baulking, that is the hell of it;
But I'll shoulder my pack in the morning, boys,
And I'm going because I must;
For it's so-long to all
When you answer the call
Of the Wan-der-lust.
The Wanderlust has blest me . . . in a ragged blanket curled,
I've watched the gulf of Heaven foam with stars;
I've walked with eyes wide open to the wonder of the world,
I've seen God's flood of glory burst its bars.
I've seen the gold a-blinding in the riffles of the sky,
Till I fancied me a bloated plutocrat;
But I'm freedom's happy bond-slave, and I will be till I die,
And I've got to thank the Wanderlust for that.
Wild heart, child heart, all of the world your home.
Glad heart, mad heart, what can you do but roam?
Oh, I'll beat it once more in the morning, boys,
With a pinch of tea and a crust;
For you cannot deny
When you hark to the cry
Of the Wan-der-lust.
The Wanderlust will claim me at the finish for its own.
I'll turn my back on men and face the Pole.
Beyond the Arctic outposts I will venture all alone;
Some Never-never Land will be my goal.
Thank God! there's none will miss me, for I've been a bird of flight;
And in my moccasins I'll take my call;
For the Wanderlust has ruled me,
And the Wanderlust has schooled me,
And I'm ready for the darkest trail of all.
Grim land, dim land, oh, how the vastness calls!
Far land, star land, oh, how the stillness falls!
For you never can tell if it's heaven or hell,
And I'm taking the trail on trust;
But I haven't a doubt
That my soul will leap out
On its Wan-der-lust.
poem by Robert William Service

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Related quotes
Wanderlust
As sure as the sun rises in the east
Another gunman will come seeking my defeat
Will he be as fast as me, are his nerves quiet and still
Will he fall like all the rest ending his days upon boothill
Im an outcast riding into town alone
I got wanderlust branded deeper than the bone
Im an outcast riding into town alone
I got a lust for wandering branded deeper than the bone
As I ride into the sunset to take another town
Thank you for the invite, but I just cant settle down
The dust that coats my hat is from a dozen towns
Dust from shooting down another dozen clowns
Im an outcast riding into town alone
I got wanderlust branded deeper than the bone
Im an outcast riding into town alone
I got a lust for wandering branded deeper than the bone
A drum beats for me, its louder every day
The cadence tells me that soon Ill meet my judgment day
Lifes an endless showdown never knowing when theyll come
I sleep with one eye open lying with my smoking gun
The game I play has caused a lot of grief
They were dying for fame, so I obliged them some relief
Im an outcast riding into town alone
I got wanderlust branded deeper than the bone
Im an outcast with lightning in my hand
I got wanderlust lost in no mans land
I got a lust for wandering lost in no mans land
I got wanderlust
song performed by by Megadeth

Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Wanderlust
Light out wanderlust
Head us out to sea
Captain says therell be a bust
This ones not for me
Take us from the dark
Out where we can see
Captains out to make his mark
This ones not for me
Light out wanderlust
Help us to be free
Light out wanderlust
Do it just for me
Wanderlust
Oh where did I go wrong my love?
What petty grime was I found guilty of?
What better time to find a brand new day?
Oh - wanderlust away
Light out wanderlust
Help us to be free
Light out wanderlust
Do it just for me
Wanderlust
Captains out to make his mark
This ones not to be
Light out wanderlust
Head us out to sea
Captain says therell be a bust
This ones not for me
Counter melody
Oh where did I go wrong my love?
What petty grime was I found guilty of?
What better time to find a brand new day?
Oh wanderlust away
Dropping a line
Maybe this time
Its wanderlust for me
song performed by by Paul McCartney

Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Wanderlust
Looks like I pulled a fast one
Looks like I went to town
Looks like the world revolves around me
Looks like it's falling down.
I thought I'd kicked the traces
I thought the wheels would spin
I thought I'd jumped the fence and bolted
Looks like I'm back again
I got my signals crossed.
It's overwhelming because
I'm all alone and I can't get back
Get back with my wanderlust.
I had to grab a suitcase
I had to change my clothes
I had to run the shower hot
until the water froze
I brushed against confusion
I wanted time to grow
I want the sticks and stones not to throw me
get back to what I know
I got my signals crossed.
It's overwhelming because
I'm all alone and I can't get back
Get back with my wanderlust.
I'm searching for a greatness
I smear it on my face
I want to bathe in grape must
swim the length of the milky way
I want it to be brilliant
I want it to be sweet
I want to kiss the astronauts
when they salute to me me me me
I got my signals crossed.
It's overwhelming because
I'm all alone and I can't get back
Get back with my wanderlust.
I got my signals crossed.
It's overwhelming because
I'm all alone and I can't get back
Get back with my wanderlust.
song performed by by REM

Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Leaving Home
My bags are packed
and I’m leaving home.
My old heart wants to roam.
I don’t know where I am going
and I don’t know how long I’ll be gone
or when I’ll be back again.
There is wanderlust in my soul,
a call I have to answer.
My bags are packed
and I am leaving today.
I will be back when my wanderings are though.
How many days that will be,
is hard to tell, only that I must go.
6 February 2009
poem by David Harris

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If It Should Please You
If it should please you, I have come to play
A glad or a sad tune, I wrote along the way
And a few good songs about the old highway
I been around so long lord, I guess Im here to stay
So Im itching to please you, with a topical song
And a few golden oldies and a little hoedown
And I think I know how to make you feel
Were one and the same now, like a big flywheel
I have seen the best of all those things you cant explain
Wanderlust I did not trust but I never did complain
So if it should please you, put away those blues
Just settle on back now, Ill do my licks for you
Its my own way and thats the way it goes
Youre a real good reason for a real good show
I have seen the best of all those things you dont forget
Wanderlust I did not trust and I aint been done in yet
So if you got the dead end of the dealing shoe
This is your last chance man, we belong to you
Its my own way and thats the way I feel
Were one and the same now, like a big flywheel
So if it should please you, I have come to play
A glad or a sad tune, I wrote along the way
And a few good songs about the old highway
I been around so long lord, I guess Im here to stay
Were one and the same now, lets take it away
Were gonna take it real easy, lets take it away
song performed by by Gordon Lightfoot

Submitted by Lucian Velea
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If I Should Farewell Old Wonthaggi
If I should farewell old Wonthaggi I'll miss people that I know there
I'll miss Georgie Waters and Stella Hitchins good people like them are quite rare
And Jessica Harrison and Julie Tyrell and Jack Iversen the unsung hero of old Loch Street
One who would go out of his way for to help you people like him one always don't meet.
If I should farewell old Wonthaggi as the wanderlust is still in me
I'll miss the volcanic cliffs of Kilcunda from where one can look out on the sea
And I'll miss the hills of Archies Creek that in Summer and Autumn look brown
Those old hills one can see on clear days from the streets of Wonthaggi Town.
I'll miss Inverloch and Cape Paterson pollution and factory free
I love these old quiet coastal places they will live in my memory
And the Village of Harmers Haven Utopia on Earth it does seem
A place where one could grow old and be happy if of the quiet life one does dream.
If I should farewell old Wonthaggi I'll miss the few friends I had there
The wanderlust is stirring in me and my future I feel is elsewhere
But I will miss the coastal Countryside that surround the old coal mining Town
Of Wonthaggi in coastal South Gippsland that is no stranger to renown
poem by Francis Duggan

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Making Memories
Words and music by geddy lee, alex lifeson, and neil peart
Theres a time for feelin as good as we can
The time is now, and theres no stoppin us
Theres a time for livin as high as we can
Behind us you will only see our dust
You know were havin good days
And we hope theyre gonna last
Our future still looks brighter than our past
We feel no need to worry
No reason to be sad
Our memries remind us, maybe road lifes not so bad
Just keep smilin, move onward evry day
And try to keep our thoughts away from home
Were travlin around, no time to settle down
And satisfy our wanderlust to roam
Well from sea to shining sea, and a hundred points between
Still we go on diggin evry show
The cities in the land all extend a welcome hand
Till morning when its time for us to go
song performed by by Rush

Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Wanderlust [George Explains Elysium's Philosophy of Free Love to Linda]
Paul Rudd, Jennifer Aniston, Justin Theroux
from Wanderlust (2012)

Submitted by Veronica Serbanoiu
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Wanderlust [George and Linda Meet Eva]
Paul Rudd, Jennifer Aniston, Malin Akerman, Justin Theroux
from Wanderlust (2012)

Submitted by Veronica Serbanoiu
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projections through blue
planes spring wanderlust explain
buzzard buzzword ku
haiku by Jonathan Robin (19 May 2008)

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Wanderlust [George and Linda Try to Pay for Their Stay at Elysium]
Paul Rudd, Jennifer Aniston, Malin Akerman, Justin Theroux, Alan Alda
from Wanderlust (2012)

Submitted by Veronica Serbanoiu
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Hearts That Wander
With a heart that plays around,
it will never find some solid ground.
Always too busy to settle down.
The heart that wanders around,
it may seek a resting place,
with someone gentle and kind.
However, with its wanderlust,
this place it will never find.
poem by David Harris

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Roofs
(For Amelia Josephine Burr)
The road is wide and the stars are out
and the breath of the night is sweet,
And this is the time when wanderlust should seize upon my feet.
But I'm glad to turn from the open road and the starlight on my face,
And to leave the splendour of out-of-doors for a human dwelling place.
I never have seen a vagabond who really liked to roam
All up and down the streets of the world and not to have a home:
The tramp who slept in your barn last night and left at break of day
Will wander only until he finds another place to stay.
A gypsy-man will sleep in his cart with canvas overhead;
Or else he'll go into his tent when it is time for bed.
He'll sit on the grass and take his ease so long as the sun is high,
But when it is dark he wants a roof to keep away the sky.
If you call a gypsy a vagabond, I think you do him wrong,
For he never goes a-travelling but he takes his home along.
And the only reason a road is good, as every wanderer knows,
Is just because of the homes, the homes, the homes to which it goes.
They say that life is a highway and its milestones are the years,
And now and then there's a toll-gate where you buy your way with tears.
It's a rough road and a steep road and it stretches broad and far,
But at last it leads to a golden Town where golden Houses are.
poem by Joyce Kilmer

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Rose In A Box
I take a box of solid steel, my final gift to you
Our parting token, last goodbye, before we walk our paths anew.
Inside I place a Rose; like my heart, it has blackened with time
'Twas blooming crimson when first we met, but withered with each clock's chime.
That Rose is as our love was; so blooming and fresh at the start
But a Rose is not meant to be kept in a box; it needs freedom, just like my heart.
A Wild Rose can grow any way it wants, but is pruned under human hand
It has to follow a set of rules its Wanderlust can't understand.
So now I hand you a Rose in a box, because I want you to see
The reason I had to leave you; my heart is a Gypsy, it loves to feel free.
When you're ready, dearest, toss the Rose in the turbulent sea
Let go of my heart forever; say goodbye and set me free xxx
poem by Kristina Jones

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Wanderlust
What wonders,
hidden beyond far horizon,
summon forth the wanderlust
resting dormant within my soul?
Is there any power,
strong enough to overcome?
That magnetism drawing me,
to the ever retreating horizon.
poem by Kurt Hearth

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A Light In A Window
There is a light in a window
that burns to show me the way.
Back to my home
when my wandering days are through.
My love she keeps it burning
though she is far away
to let me know
our love will never go astray.
One day I will find that window
on my travels around
and when I find it
then I’ll know I’ll be home.
A heart can be a careless thing
wanting to wander and stray,
but with a deep love within
at home it will always stay.
Therefore, if you have wanderlust
keep it at bay.
Never let yourself be driven
to wander away.
If you do not heed my words
and lost, you are to wander.
Remember there is
a light in a window somewhere.
poem by David Harris

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Wanderlust
Jennifer Aniston, Paul Rudd, Malin Akerman, Justin Theroux, Ray Liotta, Alan Alda, Lauren Ambrose, Kathryn Hahn, Reba McEntire
from Wanderlust (2012)

Submitted by Veronica Serbanoiu
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The last act of the Play
The wanderer's wanderlust stopped at once
as he got a stroke.
He strolls with his walking stick only a short distance.
It's not like his early days.
When he was a stripling looks like a horseman.
He is speechless because of the shock
and gradually he became bedridden.
This handsome man never used a bedpan
but now his wife brings him all the time.
Life perverts him very unkindly
anyway the beloved with him as a shadow.
Flies and Maggots in friendly terms
because of the bedsores.
The innocent soul drowns in the shallow waters
and he fades away in the wakefulness.
poem by Nimal Dunuhinga

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In Search Of
May I wanderlust a moment,
Persue a place subline,
Approaching silent meadows,
Lax'd and unconfined.
Prehaps discover treasures,
Priceless to receive,
When reality and myself,
Slowly interweave.
poem by Heather Burns

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I Envy Them Their Love Of Home
Many left the old Town by the river to work and live in Cities far away
From where they went to school and spent their early years and first saw light of day
But some remained in the Homeplace and there worked for lower pay
And credit them for their love of home those who at home did stay.
They sowed their seed in their Hometown their children and grandchildren still live there
Whilst those with the lust of wander in their hearts went off to work and live elsewhere
To the old Town by the river they remain ever true
And credit them for their love of home since credit they are due.
The ancient river by the old Town ever towards the ocean flow
And to the Countryside it babbles though the Seasons come and go
And another generation of young people into young adults have grown
And the stay at home feel quite content with the only life they've known.
When I say I envy them their love of home 'tis not said with tongue in cheek
Compared to theirs my love of the Hometown to say the least seems weak
The wanderlust was in my heart and from the home shore I went to live far away
Though home is where the heart is you hear some people say.
poem by Francis Duggan

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