St. Christopher

I’ve always loved a good story and as a child, was especially fascinated with the lives of the Saints. Admittedly, while most of these stories are about being a martyr and dying a most unpleasant and usually untimely death, the stories about St. Francis and St. Christopher left their imprint on me.

Anyone who loves animals can relate to St. Francis, of course, but what some may not know is that St. Christopher is considered the patron saint of travelers. I remember carrying his medal in my pocket whenever I traveled on what I felt was an adventurous, and by that nature, risky trip. Well, most trips post some degree of risk, if you think about it. One never knows what can happen and being accompanied by the patron saint of travelers is kind of like hedging a bet. Or so I thought.

When I wrote this song, I was in a period of great loss in my life. It was almost like the feeling of being set adrift without a life preserver. Sometimes when my internal dialogue gets muddled, I find clarity in playing my guitar and seeing where the journey takes me. St. Christopher stepped into this one.

Like many of my songs, I don’t sit down with the intention of writing about a specific topic or experience. Most often the music dictates what emerges lyrically. I never really understood where this song came from until years later when my husband and I visited New Mexico for an extended period of time. I’ve always had the obvious visuals in my head of canyons and caverns for this song, but there were so many areas of New Mexico that expanded my vision of how to depict this song visually.

For example, driving by a mural of what looked like waves to me and shouting to my husband Richard, “pull over, that’s my ocean scene”! Of course there are the breathtaking vistas of mountains in New Mexico, but the dunes of White Sands National Memorial thrilled me with its expansive and stark landscape. It made my heart leap. I truly understand why New Mexico is known as the Land of Enchantment.

I hope this song carries you on wherever your journeys take you. It is my pleasure to share mine with you. 

ST. CHRISTOPHER

Wide open spaces, stretching forever
Mile upon mile for the singular traveler
The unspoken longing, a craving that drives you
A constant companion, always beside you is love

I feel the distance slowly increasing
Between what you tell me and what I believe in
Facing down demons of doubt and derision
I fall to my knees and I pray for a vision of love

St. Christopher, carry me across
This great divide, I’m weary and lost

Runnin’ from heartache as big as the ocean
Searching for something to crack it wide open
Like caverns and canyons that echo the story
Of rapture and refuge and the power and glory of love
Love, sweet love

St. Christopher, carry me across
This great divide, I’m weary and lost
This heart’s on fire, I’m tired and alone
St. Christopher, carry me home

©Crocus Hill Music 2024