Song of the Open Road - Walt Whitman (Powerful Life Poetry)

Read by Dave Luukkonen
Music by Tony Anderson
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Walt Whitman is America’s world poet - a latter-day successor to Homer, Virgil, Dante, and Shakespeare, whose verse collection 'Leaves of Grass' marked a new era in the history of American literature.

Within Leaves of Grass, Whitman’s 'Song of the Open Road' engages with important themes of freedom, the self and nature.

The poem begins with the speaker setting out on a long brown path “Afoot and light-hearted,” for he is done with the routines, customs, and safe behaviours of his previous life, “done with indoor complaints, libraries, querulous criticisms.”

Here, Whitman renounces a life devoted to the conventional pursuit of material success and embarks on the open road, the world before him.
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If you'd like to read the full poem, go here:

If you’d like to hear us read this poem in its entirety, drop a comment below!

[rengoku]

Life is the open road, we all get to choose which road to travel, we all get to choose how we view our lives, we all get to make peace/enemies of our burdens, and the human species is lucky to be the median for which the universe can experience itself through our discoveries and fascination.

[FinnSpeaks]

Wow... I did the narration for this and I can't believe how much my performance is improved by Tony Anderson's music, and by the pacing and styling of the video. Great work; I'm proud to be a part of it! I have more poetry on my own channel, but none of the videos I've made are as artfully designed and produced as are yours!

[essenceoflife]

"Not I, nor anyone else can travel that road for you.
You must travel it by yourself.
It is not far. It is within reach.
Perhaps you have been on it since you were born, and did not know.
Perhaps it is everywhere - on water and land."
- Walt Whitman

[beverlyanne]

It is really not about an actual road. It is about his perspective. How he is unbound by conventionalism and grounded in nature as it is made in purpose & function. Greatful in his relationships that he finds both a blessing and worry in balance to his being. I adore his metaphors.

[Adam-xfin]

01:12 I've never read this poem or heard it before now and I got full-on shivers down my spine, this is so beautiful.

[lucianomezzetta]

When I asked Jack Hirschman in an interview what is the greatest poem ever written by an America, he answered quickly ": The Song of the Open Road " by Walt Whitman. All homage and honor to Jack Hirschman who died on August 22 2021. And this from another poem by Whitman: "the keelson of creation is love."

[richardweeden]

The beautiful and profound expression of what it is to be a boddhisattva. So touching and so meaningful. I am so grateful for this video, and aspire to live and understand as Walt Whitman lived and understood.

[sehri]

This is probably a limitation within myself but...
I heard Walt Whitman was a poet I should read, I read him and was bored sensless
Then I though to look it up and hear someone read them too me, I was nearly brought to tears by this
If poetry has it's value in it's delivery, this person is worth their weight in gold

[fkthedemlibscum]

I have been driving all over America alone for over 30 years throughout the 90's and all through the 2000's up until 2020 which was an 11-month long journey all over America again... In my life, I have been to 48 states, half of Canada, parts of Mexico, and went on over a dozen Caribbean Cruises to almost every Island.... I travel ALONE because solitude is what I want & desire.

[Danoftheconda]

The fact you used Tony Anderson as the score, automatically gives this video a solid 10 out of 10. That album is unbelievable! Fantastic poem being narrated to a fantastic heart felt score 💚

[solomonfaber]

This is a a declaration of Inner Peace by a man who was in a state of what people now call Enlightenment, Freedom, or whatever you wish to name it. He was a great teacher! We don't need to go to the East to find great teachers. They are here and available to everyone . . . at any time!

[thevampire]

Yes! i'd love to hear all of it. I always had problems undertandig poetry but lately i found that if i hear reather than read it everything makes more sense much quicker and i love it.
Keep up the good work!

[FalloftheHouseofUsher]

Walt Whitman can officially put on his résumé that he made me cry for the first time in months

[Squigglydodah]

"done with indoor complaints" I just love that line so much. The music is perfectly matched and timed to the reading.

[CassiusLux]

That one particular line just resonates with me "Henceforth I ask not good forune, I myself am good fotune"

[timothymallon]

An amazing spoken word from
Someone struggling with PTSD

[theechooflove]

If I ever heard a poem that was exactly took the thoughts out of my head, this one was it!!!! Holy moly! Love it!

[mallenjm]

I love libraries one can travel FREE and visit every library across our beautiful USA very nice poem..Thank you for posting it.

[davidschestenger]

It takes a life time to UNDERSTAND all the beautiful meaning
Of corse we understand in de the way parts, when it comes all together and we understand the BIG meaning this becomes a pray
It’s my way of praying

[nickmulcahy]

"I carry my old delicious burdens" -- What a line! What a concept!