NO CLOUDS / 2009
12 songs made between the fall of 2007 and fall of 2009 in Savannah, GA, Arlington, VA, Asheville, NC and Austin, TX. "No Clouds" was shaped by the towns and houses I lived in and the constant moving and settling involved, as well as a six week trip around the country taken in a small car in the fall of 2008. I wrote, recorded, mixed and mastered the songs in the rooms of the houses that I lived in.
LOST RIVER
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NO CLOUDS
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SINNERS
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01 NO CLOUDS →
THERE WERE NO CLOUDS
02 SHARE THESE HANDS →
THERE’S A QUIET PLACE INSIDE MY FOLDED HANDS
A TINY FOREST OF SECRET GEARS AND EXPLODED PLANS
WE’LL SHARE A STATE SEWN FROM REMEMBERING WITHIN OURSELVES
SPREAD OUT SO CAREFULLY IN THE CIRCLES OF OUR MINDS
WE’RE MOVING TOWARDS GREEN AND GOLD AGAIN
03 LOST RIVER →
MAUREEN HALVERSON ON VOCALS, WILSON KEMP ON DRUMS
WE COME AWAKE IN A SUNKEN FIELD FORMED IN STILLNESS AROUND US
WE RISE WITH THE SHINE OF A BELLIGERENT SUN WITH DEW ON OUR LIPS
THE MOUNTAINS SURROUND; SMOKY WAVES DROWNED IN THE GREEN OF THE WOODS
SOFT THE WIND CARRIES US UP LIKE A MAD LITTLE BIRD
DID I MOVE SLOWLY ENOUGH FOR YOU?
THE FIRE EXPLODED AND I THOUGHT BEN WAS THROUGH
WE BRUSHED THE EMBERS OFF OF OUR SHOES
AND LAUGHED AT THE NUMBER OF HOLES THAT WERE NEW
YOU HOPED I NOTICED YOU
I HAVE ALREADY FORGOTTEN WHAT IT WAS I WANTED TO
SAY SOMETHING DARLING DON’T JUST STAND THERE TRYING
HARD TO LOOK ME IN MY EYE/I HAVE ALREADY FORGOTTEN
WHAT IT WAS I WANTED TO SAY SOMETHING DARLING DON’T
JUST STAND THERE TRYING NOT TO LOOK ME IN MY EYE/
I HAVE ALREADY FORGOTTEN...
WE CAN’T FALL ASLEEP, IT’S DARK AND IT’S COLD BUT IT IS NOT QUIET
THERE’S A RIVER NEARBY BUT I CANT FIND ITS SONG BETWEEN ALL THE OTHERS
I LISTEN HARD FOR THE NOISE THAT IT MAKES
AS ITS WATER’S REPEATING ON AND ON
A LOT LIKE THE THINGS WE THOUGHT WE WOULD DO
04 I AM CALM →
WILSON KEMP ON DRUMS
IF THE NIGHT KEEPS FALLING AROUND US DARLING
YOUR EYES WILL MELT AWAY
AND YOUR THOUGHTS WILL FOLLOW THROUGH THICK AND HOLLOW UNTIL NOTHING’S LEFT TO SAY
WE’LL GROW OLD IN NO TIME AT ALL
OUR LINES WILL SHOW IN OUR FOLDS
I CAN’T UNDERSTAND WHY THE CRACKS IN THE ROAD
WOULD BE WET AT THIS TIME OF NIGHT
IT HASN’T RAINED OR SNOWED SINCE A LONG TIME AGO
BUT THE LINES ARE REFLECTING THE LIGHT
IN THE EVENING GLOWING THE RED CLOUDS
LIKE WINE ON A MAP OF UNREACHABLE HEIGHTS
WE SHARE SECRET SMILES AND STEP WITHOUT KNOWING
DIRECTLY INTO WINTER’S SIGHTS
AND WE’LL WALK ALONG THE SIDE
WITH THE CARS GOING BY
AND YOU’LL ASK HOW I FEEL
AND I’LL KNOW THAT THIS AIN’T REAL
I AM CALM AND I’M COLD
I’M ALONE WHEN I’M WITH YOU
I AM CALM AND I’M COLD
I’M ALONE
WHEN I’M WITH YOU I THINK OF HOME
05 SINNERS →
ALICIA HALVERSON ON VOCALS
THE SINNERS ON THEIR PORCHES IN THE LATE AFTERNOON
WATCH THE FIREFLIES APPEARING IN THE LONG DISTANT GLOOM
THEY SLOWLY GROW QUIET IN THE DARK TIDAL HEAT
THE'RE AS OLD AND AS BROKEN
AS THE TREES TOWERING OVER THE ROAD
THEY REACH FOR EACH OTHER
OVER PEELING PAINT AND FORGOTTEN LAWNS
IN THEIR EYES THERE’S A DARKNESS
AND IN THEIR BONY HANDS THERE’S ALWAYS A PAUSE
BECAUSE THEY KNOW THE MIDDLE
BECAUSE THEY KNOW ALL ALONG
06 OLD RIVER →
WILSON KEMP ON DRUMS, BRIT POWELL ON BASS
YOU WERE ALL READY TO STIR WITHOUT EVEN KNOWING WHY
THE LINES WE REPEAT IN OUR SLEEP WILL FOLLOW US HOME
I THINK I’M STILL DRUNK FROM THE NIGHT WE SPENT WITH OLD GRANDAD
WE BEND BETWEEN OUR COMMONWEALTHS AND YOU WILL BE KNOWN
BECAUSE WE ARE BROTHERS
WE MAY NOT KNOW EVERYTHING THERE IS TO KNOW
BUT WHEN WE CREATE THINGS
THE COLORS OF CONSTANCY BEGIN TO SHOW
BECAUSE IT IS WINTER
WE SEE THINGS WE DIDN’T KNOW WERE THERE
THE WINDOWS ARE ETCHINGS
AND THE BENCH ABOVE CAJUN IS BARE
BECAUSE WE ARE BROTHERS
WE MAY NOT KNOW EVERYTHING THERE IS TO KNOW
WE TRADED CREEKS FOR STREAMS WHEN YOU WERE STILL WAKING UP
AND FOUND OURSELVES DEEP IN THE GLEAM OF A LIGHT OF OUR OWN
WE FOUND A HOUSE THAT WOULD HOLD THE GROWTH OF A GARDEN’S GAIN
BUT I STILL REMEMBER THE FEAR AND THE FEELING OF CHANCE
07 THE NIGHT'S ELECTRIC LIGHTS →
WILSON KEMP ON DRUMS, GERALD CLARK ON TRUMPET, JOHN WALSH ON GUITAR & VOCALS
I WILL NOT STAY, I WILL NOT GO
YOU ARE WHOLE AND I AM HALF
THE NIGHT’S ELECTRIC LIGHTS ARE BUILDING US A RAFT
THE RIVER’S RUNNING, THE TREES ARE STANDING
AND WE’RE NOT DEAD
THE RIVER’S STANDING, THE TREES ARE RUNNING
AND WE’RE NOT DEAD
I HELD YOU UP TO THE LIGHT
YOUR ORGANS WERE GLOWING
I HELD YOU UP TO THE LIGHT
YOUR ORGANS WERE BURNING ALIVE
AND WE BOTH FELL THROUGH THE FIRE
INTO THE FURNACE INSIDE
08 BOX ELDER →
WINTER WARMTH INSIDE YOUR GUT
DON’T LET THE LIGHT AWAY
09 THUNDER →
WILSON KEMP ON DRUMS
THE THUNDER ROLLS AROUND
IN THE HEAT OF THE SUMMER’S CROWN
WE ARE OLD BUT WE ARE STILL YOUNG
WE ARE WISE AMONG THE FOOLISH ONES
AND THE OLD WAY IS THE ONLY WAY WE KNOW
IN THE GREEN FIELDS WHERE THE FOG BUILDS WE WILL LAY
THE LAUGHTER ROLLS AROUND
AND THE FIRE WE BUILT HAS ALL BURNED DOWN
WE ARE SPRAWLED BUT WE ARE EXACT
WE ARE ORDER AMONG THE ABSTRACT
AND THE OLD WAY IS THE ONLY WAY WE KNOW
ON THE DIRT ROADS AS THE DAY GROWS WE ARE HOME
10 AT THE HOTEL SHIRLEY SAVOY →
INSTRUMENTAL
11 GRINS →
WILL MANNING ON DRUMS, MIKE FLEMING ON CELLO
WE FOUND A TOMB AND TALKED MOSTLY ABOUT BONES
AND WHAT THEY MEANT TO US
AND THEN THE GHOSTS JOINED IN
AND TOLD US WHAT THEY MEANT TO THEM
THEY TALKED REAL LOW AND SOFT, SO YOU AND I GOT REAL STILL
SO WE COULD HEAR THEM ABOVE OUR BREATH
THOSE OLD SOULS,
THEY TOLD US THEY LEFT THEIR BONES BEHIND FOR US
SO THAT WE WOULD KNOW THAT THEY HAD BEEN HERE AT ALL
A MOURNFUL TUNE FOUND ME GRINNING, BARING ALL MY TEETH
AND I KNEW WHERE I HAD HEARD IT
IN THE GRAVEYARD WITH YOU
WE PUSHED OFF FROM SHORE AT MIDNIGHT
IN BOATS WE BUILT OURSELVES WITH THE HOODS OF OLD CARS
WE USED THE BOTTLES WE HAD EMPTIED NIGHT AFTER NIGHT
TO HELP KEEP US AFLOAT
“COME TO ME,” YOU CALLED OUT
BUT THE ROPE THAT WE HELD WAS LONG
AND THE ROCKS THAT IT FOUND WERE SHARP
EVENTUALLY I MIGHT MAKE MY WAY TO FIND OUT WHERE YOU WENT
BUT FOR NOW I’M DOING FINE
A MOURNFUL TUNE FOUND ME GRINNING
BARING ALL MY TEETH
AND I KNEW WHERE I HAD HEARD IT
ON A RIVER IN THE WOODS
BUT THAT’S ALL THROUGH, I HAVE FOUND A PLACE NOW
WHERE THE WATER AIN’T THAT LOUD
A MOURNFUL TUNE HELPED ME CLOSE A DOOR
THAT I’D BEEN MEANING TO FOR YEARS
12 FOUND RIVER/YOUNG RIVER →
WILSON KEMP ON DRUMS, MAUREEN HALVERSON ON VOCALS
THE SKY HAS BEEN CLEANED THERE’S NO CLOUDS ON THE RIVER
AND THE HERONS ON THE BANK IN THE REEDS ALL FISH WITH A FEVER
THE COLORS ARE CAUGHT BETWEEN CAUTION AND IMPULSE
BUT I STAND STILL IN THE WOODS AND I WATCH THE WATER PASS BY
I’M YOUNG AND I’M WARM AND I JUMP IN THE RIVER
I CAN SPEND DAYS BY MYSELF ALL ALONE JUST LAYING ON ROCKS
THE SMELLS AND THE SOUNDS WILL BE WITH ME FOREVER
AND I’LL CLIMB EVERY TREE THAT I FIND JUST TO SAY THAT I DID
TREES ARE FALLING OVER
I HEAR THEM COME CRASHING DOWN
IT SOUNDS LIKE TRAINS CONVERGING ON US AND ITS ALL AROUND
THE TREES ALL COME APART
AND THE EARTH MOVES AND FALLS AWAY
THERE WILL BE A RIVER THAT’S WIDE AND NEW TODAY
ITS WATER WILL REMEMBER THE TREES THAT IT TOOK AWAY
THERE WERE NO CLOUDS OR IT WAS ALL CLOUDS, I COULDN’T TELL
ASIDE FROM THE OWL YOU KILLED WE HAD A GOOD TIME,
I FOUND SOMETHING NEW
SOMEWHERE NEAR NEW ORLEANS WE CAME TO A BRIDGE
WITH A SINGLE GREEN SIGN
IT TOLD US TO CLOSE OUR EYES:
IT GETS A BIT BRIGHTER BEFORE IT IS THROUGH