Merritt's father taught her guitar chords and Percy Sledge songs. She began her professional career in 1998 with her band The Carbines playing small clubs. In her early twenties, though Tift had gigged by herself, she decided she was not very good at music and better suited for writing short stories. She and her dog Lucy started school at UNC to study creative writing. There, she met Zeke Hutchins, whose band had just taken a hiatus and who had decided to become a school teacher. With his encouragement and a big box of LPs from the 70's that they both liked, they started a band. Zeke set drums up in the kitchen of Tift's farmhouse on the outskirts of town, and they practiced songs at her red piano. The Carbines played Chapel Hill haunts like the Cave, the Cat's Cradle, and the front porch of the General Store in Bynum, NC. Tift also made a guest appearance on the Two Dollar Pistols with Tift Merritt EP.
In 2000, Tift won Merlefest's Chris Austin Songwriting contest, and with the help of Ryan Adams, found herself with a manager and a recording contract with Lost Highway records. The band headed to LA to record her first release, Bramble Rose, in 2002, produced by Ethan Johns. The record landed on Time Magazine's and New Yorker's top ten lists and was called the best debut of the year in any genre by the Associated Press. Tambourine followed in 2004. Produced by George Drakoulias, featuring Mike Campbell of the Hearbreakers on guitar, Tambourine was a soul-rock throw down, Grammy-nominated for Country Album of the Year, even though it was really not a country album. It was also nominated for three Americana Music Awards. The tour opened for Elvis Costello, recorded Austin City Limits, releasing the performance as a live DVD, and made Home Is Loud, a document of the tour's homecoming concert in Raleigh, NC. As the tour was winding down, Tift ran away to Paris looking for her mojo and, without intending to, started writing songs that would become Another Country. Another Country was released on Fantasy Records in 2008, again with George Drakoulias and her longtime band at the helm. Buckingham Solo, recorded in England, is an intimate concert behind Another Country, released on Fantasy in April 2009. Also in 2009, Tift had her first art exhibit, Other Countries, bringing the journals and pictures behind Another Country to light.
Tift also produces The Spark for KRTS Marfa, Texas Public Radio. The Spark explores the real lives and processes of the people behind great works of art. Guests have included writer Nick Hornby, artist Kiki Smith, songstress and Merge co-founder Mac MCCaughan. Emmylou Harris, when asked about Tift, said, “I first heard Tift Merritt some years ago during a writer's night at a small club in Nashville. She stood out like a diamond in a coal patch, and everyone there knew she carried a promise of great things to come.”
In 2009, Tift married longtime collaborator Zeke Hutchins. They lived in a small Greenwich Village apartment in NYC, and later divorced.
Traveling Alone, her fifth studio album, was recorded in Brooklyn and featuring guest spots from Marc Ribot, Andrew Bird, and others, was released in the fall of 2012.
Her sixth studio Stitch of the World was released in 2017. According to the review in Pop Matters, "The stories surrounding Stitch of the World, Tift Merritt's most recent album, make up their narrative, with divorce, relocation, and childbirth at the center of the tale... But Merritt's gift for the record has been to write a series of songs that sound personal without relying on anything autobiographical... the songs are individual, a capturing of Merritt's vision that's unguarded and inviting without being limited."
http://www.tiftmerritt.com/
Traveling Alone
Tift Merritt Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Might feel like I just got home. See, I always had a taste for traveling alone.
Only get this one time round, better speak up straight, better speak up proud.
Good Lord, if he’s not at home, well, I always had a taste for traveling alone.
Oh If I had a son, I would make him laugh, I would teach him something.
I’d say, Son, you gotta hold your own, and it’s good to have a taste for traveling alone.
Oh If I had a love, I would say, Man, got to keep up.
Got to lay down, baby, feed my soul, ’cause you know I got a taste for traveling alone.
Oh If I had a song, I would sing it now, wouldn’t take too long.
I’d sing, Goodness is a real bare bone, and it’s what you do when you’re traveling alone.
Down south, baby, in the heat, I was raised up right, I was raised so sweet.
Sweetness ain’t gonna get you home. You’re bound to get a taste of traveling alone.
I know that the world is mean, I know it don’t care, I been around, I seen it.
It’s like a pretty girl who don’t even know. I guess everybody here is traveling alone.
Cigarettes and a pick up truck, I’m gonna leave this town now, I got to press my luck.
Ocean gonna break so slow. You know, I always had a taste for traveling alone.
The song "Traveling Alone" by Tift Merritt talks about the beauty of being alone and embracing it. The lyrics start with the singer saying that if everything in her life were to go, it wouldn't bother her much. She already has a taste for traveling alone, and the thought of being alone doesn't scare her. She believes that life is too short, so it's important to speak up, be proud, and hold your own if you want to achieve something on your own. The singer seems to be in love with the idea of being alone, free, and independent. She believes that it's good to have a taste for traveling alone and that everyone should try it once in their life.
The song talks about how the singer would raise her son and the importance of teaching him to hold his own and be independent. She believes that everyone should have a taste for traveling alone, and it can teach a person a lot about themselves. She talks about how even in love, it's important to not lose sight of your individuality and what makes you happy. She also talks about how sweetness doesn't always lead you home, and sometimes you need to get a taste of traveling alone.
The singer is aware of how harsh the world can be and how it doesn't care about anyone. But she believes that everyone in this world is traveling alone, just like her. The last few lines talk about the singer leaving the town, and even though the ocean may break slowly, she has a taste for traveling alone, and that's enough for her.
Line by Line Meaning
This morning, if it all was gone, funny thing, it wouldn’t phase me none.
If everything was taken away from me today, it won't bother me because I have a natural inclination to travel alone.
Might feel like I just got home. See, I always had a taste for traveling alone.
Whenever I travel alone, I feel the most comfortable and at home, it's like it's where I belong.
Only get this one time round, better speak up straight, better speak up proud. Good Lord, if he's not at home, well, I always had a taste for traveling alone.
We only live once, and it's important we speak our truth boldly and confidently. Even if God is not around, I'll still choose to travel alone.
Oh If I had a son, I would make him laugh, I would teach him something. I'd say, Son, you gotta hold your own, and it's good to have a taste for traveling alone.
If I had a son, I would want to teach him to be strong and independent while still enjoying life, including traveling solo.
Oh If I had a love, I would say, Man, got to keep up. Got to lay down, baby, feed my soul, ’cause you know I got a taste for traveling alone.
If I had a partner, I would encourage them to keep up with me and not hold me back from pursuing my solo travels, which feed my soul.
Oh If I had a song, I would sing it now, wouldn't take too long. I'd sing, Goodness is a real bare bone, and it's what you do when you're traveling alone.
If I had a song, I'd sing about how being alone on the road makes you truly appreciate the goodness in life.
Down south, baby, in the heat, I was raised up right, I was raised so sweet. Sweetness ain’t gonna get you home. You're bound to get a taste of traveling alone.
I was raised well in the South, but I know that being sweet and relying on others won't get me where I need to go. To truly understand myself and the world, I have to travel alone.
I know that the world is mean, I know it don't care, I been around, I seen it. It's like a pretty girl who don't even know. I guess everybody here is traveling alone.
I'm aware that the world can be harsh and indifferent, and I've seen it firsthand. It's like a pretty girl who's oblivious to the world's cruelty. In the end, we're all traveling alone.
Cigarettes and a pick up truck, I'm gonna leave this town now, I got to press my luck. Ocean gonna break so slow. You know, I always had a taste for traveling alone.
I'm leaving town with just cigarettes and a pickup truck, taking a chance to see where life takes me. The ocean waves will break slowly, and it's in these moments where I realize I've always wanted to travel solo.
Writer(s): Tift Merritt Copyright: Train Penny Publishing, Bike Music O.B.O. Train Penny Pub
Contributed by Ellie E. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@xtho7999
It doesn't get much better than this. Tift Merritt, I have no idea who you are. And i don't know any of your other work but this song gets me going. Unreal piece of art. This is amazing. Thank you Tift!!
@bjscheid1
This song reminds me of a dirt road, and muddy boots. I can't get enough of her voice!!
@uinseann10
One of the great songwriters of our time, what a bunch of truly awesome songs she has written. A return visit to Ireland is long overdue.
@rachelwolf1208
What an Incredible song! Tift is an incredible talent, not just as musician and singer, but a fantastic songwriter as well. She should be way more famous, as in, have a much bigger Fan Base! I don't understand why Tift has not released any new albums in years now, I sure hope it is not due to a lousy record company, or lack of funding! She is still touring, hope to see her LIVE this next weekend, Sat, Oct 15th, 2022, just south of Knoxville, in Loudon TN.
@pennlarry
Takes me back to a coffee house somewhere in the '70s to some of the best music ever.
@kjhurst
Bought the cd yesterday--the whole album is great. Love it!
@glenharris8563
the voice of an angel can't wait to see her in nz next month
@coltonslattery1587
“Well I hope he’s had a taste of travelin alone..”
Inspirational. Thank you kindly.
@madisonkallus3082
this song is underrated
@bjscheid1
Totally my thought too