One of Phil's early songs, he never recorded it on a regular LP. Maybe I'll sing it at our upcoming Phil Ochs tribute performances. I love the poetry here, and the quiet, contemplative but kind of bouncy melody. I wish that I could whistle the melody for a penultimate verse, as Phil did in his demo recording that appeared many years after his death in 1976. I settled for repeating the first verse at the end.

First Snow, written by Phil Ochs rec.  02042021

Sandy Denny asked "Who Knows Where the Time Goes?," and this is kind of an attempted answer.  The truth is, her song pretty much reaches the same conclusion anyhow, with less fuss.  I wrote this for Jo Ann when she wasn't knocked out by an earlier song I'd written, trying to write in a more minor key, since she liked a setting I'd done of a Tolkien poem in B minor.  It's partly about our times together in the summer and fall of 1973. She still wasn't blown away by this, either. She still married me.

Time Flies South

This was the first song I wrote for Jo Ann.  She didn't seem that impressed.  But she married me anyhow, a few years later, on 7/7/77. The words to the chorus were on a greeting card, and I later saw it on posters, sometimes attributed to Albert Camus.  However, this appears to be a mis-attribution.  The lyric, with some additional lines, were sung as a song at Jewish summer camps in the earlier 20th century, per some entries I found on the internet. The original author hasn't been identified.  I slightly amended the words and wrote the verses and set them to music. Jo Ann died on 3/31/2019.

Song For Jo Ann

A retelling of Hans Christian Andersen's "The Wild Swans," inspired partly by Peg Kerr's beautiful novel, _The Wild Swans_, which retold the story twice, partly set in the AIDS epidemic in New York City in the early 1980s. Partly also influenced by a class, led by TC author Brian Molloy, on "ReWriting the AIDS years" or something like that.

The Wild Swans

"Easy People" by Nerissa Nields, a cover by David Lenander

Easy People

I ran across this run through from about 5 years ago.  I kind of liked it, to my surprise. An attempt at a cover of a song, "Journey of the Featherless," from Cloud Cult's album, _Feel Good Ghosts (Tea-partying Through Tornadoes)_

Journey Of The Featherless David’s Cloud Cult Cover 2016

cover of Phil Ochs's "Hands," alternate recording to that from _We're Going to Sing It Again!_, with an additional vocalist & a different mix This is a later take than appeared on the Celebrating Phil Ochs v. 2: We're Going to Sing it Again! This has an extra singer and a different mix and was too late to make the CD mastering. Singers are (v.1) Chris Rueber, (ch. 1 & v. 4) David Lenander, (v.2 & call & response vocal on ch. 4) Ray Campbell, (v.3) Kevin Featherly, and all of our voices were mixed together on the later choruses. Greg Bohen played guitar and harmonica. Steve Janega mixed it all and recorded us.

Hands 6-26-18

One of Phil's great songs from his 1966  _In Concert_ album. The title is variously recorded as "Santo Domingo" and "The Marines Have Landed on the Shores of Santo Domingo." I've been singing this at open stages, recently, and may sing it at our upcoming Phil Ochs tribute concert. I love the way that the song mostly refrains from obvious judgements, just kind of reporting, more or less impartially, though I suppose there's some implicit comment. I also love the tension of the timing and the poetic descriptions, each verse bookended with the refrain.

Ochs’ Santo Domingo, Sung By David

A song by John Louis.  Ask him to sing it for you!  But this is me singing it.

I Wish I Remembered You

This song is by Judy Collins, from her _Living_ album, about 1971 or so.  It was a minor hit single, mainly on the "east listening" or "adult contemporary" chart.  But I knew it mostly from the album. A friend asked me if I could sing it, so I tried. I ended up shifting the key down as I had trouble singing it in Judy's key.  Now I might try it a little higher. I think of the friend for whom I partly wrote my song, "Aubade," when I sing it.

Song For Judith (Open The Door)

I wrote this song back in the 70s. Up until recently I called it "Wheel of Fortune," but there are apparently a couple of songs out there with that title, which is why--I'm sure-- a couple thousand people at least clicked on my song over the years on the YouTube video.  Probably they realize it's not the song they're looking for and click away!  Anyhow, I decided to change the title last week, and I rerecorded this song as "On Fortune's Wheel." Which is also the title of an outstanding Children's book, by Cynthia Vogt, but apart from the common use of that image, the song isn't related to the book, and was written many years before the book was drafted. But the book is wonderful, go and read it!

David Lenander 1

Popular tracks