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• 1 2025-06-26T11:02:40-04:00 “Homeward Bound” performed by BYU Vocal Point, contributed by Gregor Kossmann (2025) 4 plain 2025-06-26T11:06:23-04:00
  
  For my Scalar Presentation, I would like to submit this video. It is a music video of the song “Homeward Bound,” as performed by BYU Vocal Point:

  In the quiet misty morning when the moon has gone to bed,
  When the sparrows stop their singing and the sky is clear and red.
  When the summer’s ceased its gleaming, when the corn is past its prime,
  When adventure’s lost its meaning, I′ll be homeward bound in time.
  
  Bind me not to the pasture; chain me not to the plow.
  Set me free to find my calling and I’ll return to you somehow.
  
  If you find it’s me you’re missing, if you’re hoping I’ll return.
  To your thoughts I’ll soon be listening, in the road I’ll stop and turn.
  Then the wind will set me racing as my journey nears its end.
  And the path I’ll be retracing, when I’m homeward bound again.
  
  Bind me not to the pasture; chain me not to the plow.
  Set me free to find my calling and I’ll return to you somehow.

  The song “Homeward Bound,” originally by Marta Keen but performed by BYU Vocal Point in this selection, has been one of the most profoundly moving pieces of music I have ever listened to. I first encountered it in my sixth-grade choir, where we were learning it for a concert, and I was instantly captivated by the melodies and beautiful harmonies. I was also particularly struck by the inspiring lyrics, though I always felt somewhat emotionally disconnected as I struggled to apply the very deep sentiments described in it to any personal real-world experience. Music has always had a profound impact on my life and has been a helpful vessel for me for expressing my emotions, both as a consumer of music and as a maker. After taking this class on loss, I have found a home for this song as a particularly cathartic response to grief and loss. Without doing a full analysis of every line—which these lyrics merit—the central takeaway it conveys is that death does not necessarily mean abandonment or leaving, and it is actually not even a loss. It is the returning of the souls to an eternal home, a pointed reminder that we are not physical beings with spiritual experiences, but rather spiritual beings with physical experiences. Though it may be morbid to think about at this age, I sincerely hope that this song can play at my funeral, as my last message to the loved ones I leave behind.