Pilgrim (Small yellow arrows)

©2000 Henrik Wigestrand

Based on my brief pilgrimage along the road to Santiago de Compostela, this song is a proud (tongue-in-cheek) statement about life being a pilgrimage between heart and soul - appreciating relics even when you suspect them to be frauds, etc.
The "small yellow arrows" (små gule piler) by Virgin Mary (or so the saying goes) on trees and stumps and stones where the path splits in the forest or mountains. It was amazing to observe how discreet - and helpful - they were. The song claims that you can look for small yellow arrows to lead you the way in life, too, hence the album title. Not quite accidentally, the arrows on the cover point in lots of directions - but you'd already noticed that, evidently.

Excerpts:

Jeg har gått langs de gamle pilegrimsleder til de helligste av steder, gjennom daler, over fjell. Mange mil har jeg vandret rundt i verden, men den lengste pilegrimsferden har jeg vandret i meg selv. . . . Små gule piler som viser meg vei, Santa Maria har malt dem for meg. Hvis du ser etter, ser du også dem, små gule piler som fører deg frem. . . . Jeg har gått, og i baren har jeg ventet på en munk som kom og hentet oss til aftenbønn og sang. Tolerant, for i klosteret vi bodde spurte ingen hva vi trodde, men vi trodde mang en gang. Jeg har gått. Jeg har gått no'n strafferunder. Noen hinder krøp jeg under, noen regler har jeg brutt. Resolutt har jeg gått fra det som tynger, gått på knærne for å synge sangen her ved reisens slutt. Jeg kom frem til den hellige byen, og jeg lyttet til sølvpengers klang, Jeg så gullkalver stå på menyen, så jeg svelget kameler og sang:

I have walked the old pilgrim paths to the holiest of places through valleys and across mountains. Many miles have I walked around the world, but the longest pilgrimage has been walked inside me. . . . Small yellow arrows that show me the way, Virgin Mary has painted them for me. If you look closely, you'll also see small yellow arrows that show you where to go. . . . I have walked, and have waited in the bar for a monk to come and take us to the evening prayer and evensong. Tolerant, because in the monastery where we slept, no one asked if we believed, but we believed lots of times. I have walked, I've walked some penalty laps [a biathlon term], I've crawled under some obstacles, I've broken a few rules. Resolutely, I've walked away from the weight, walked on my knees to sing this song at the end of the journey. I arrived in the holy city and listened to the ring of silver coins, I saw golden calves on the menu, so I 'swallowed camels' and sang

Entire Norwegian version