Themes of spiritual pilgrimage and journey are woven through the last few years of my work. While I’ve blogged about pilgrimage before and even compiled a list of songs on the theme, it wasn’t until this year I actually wrote a song of my own about it.

The Journey of a Thousand Miles is rhythmic walking song based on a teaching of Taoist teacher Laozi (also known as Lao Tzu), with some added text of my own. A literal translation is, "A journey of a thousand Chinese miles starts beneath one's feet." Another poetic rendering I’ve found is, “The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.”

After sharing the song at a Music That Makes Community workshop, a participant gently reframed the context for me. While it seems hopeful or even aspirational to Western readers, there’s a serious, cautionary tone in this teaching. One step can quickly lead to a thousand, maybe in a direction or at a speed you didn’t anticipate. So, take care beginning a journey!

Take a listen below and purchase a score if you’d like to use it with a congregation or choir. Drums and other percussion instruments are welcome. Keep that strong backbeat feel (on 2 and 4) and be sure the triplets don’t lose their integrity.

The journey of thousand miles begins with one step.
The journey of thousand miles begins with one step.
O though we may not know where the road will lead,
we know that Love will always guide our feet.
The journey of thousand miles begins with one step.

Text: A teaching of Laozi from the Tao Te Ching, Paul Vasile
Music: Paul M. Vasile, LovedIntoBeing Music ©2018