Copyright 2020
All Rights Reserved

Lyrics & Music: Erin Wolf
Guitar & Vocals: Erin Wolf
Photo credit: Jennifer Groth 
(Photo description: James, Erin, and Ryan back in the day, sometime between '06-'07, ready to rock out at some event we made the music at in Oconomowoc, WI)

james
i know you probably don't remember
how we met in the summer of '03
we met in the woods
in the middle of wisconsin
a far cry from your roots in boston

you didn't say much
lest music was involved
then you jumped right in 
and you evolved
strumming your guitar
or beating the drums
clearly this is what you loved

we were outside
a small town called wautoma
used to be known as webb
now it's called camp lakotah
singing by the campfire
swimming in the lake
that's the story
of how i met james

james
look how far we've come
after all the years and all you've done
you started song-a-week
you welcomed people in
i'm so proud of you
my friend

and to think
we were outside
a small town called wautoma
used to be known as webb
now it's called camp lakotah
singing by the campfire
swimming in the lake
that's the story
of how i met james

we were outside a small town
little place called wautoma
used to be known as webb
now it's called camp lakotah
singing by the campfire
swimming in the lake
that's the story
of how i met james

James

Week 29 #songaweek2020. Image is my grandfather holding my daughter.
Some influences in my process of writing this one - 
"Over My Head" by King’s X - https://youtu.be/J2SYPzKzD94 ("music over my head")
"All shall be well" comes from "Showings" by medieval mystic Julian of Norwich
"I Don’t Think We’re Gonna Make It" by Rich Waring - https://soundcloud.com/rich-waring/i-dont-think-were-gonna-make-it
An actual dream I had. 
An actual fight I had.

I was interested in the concept of "the end." There's the cliche doomsayers waving "the end is near" signs; and then there's this sense of transcendence people sometimes experience, "thin places" where the beyond/unknown feels somehow close and comforting. Two of numerous ways we experience our consciousness of mortality.

Would have loved to fill this out a lot more instrumentally, just not time/bandwidth for it this week.

	E			G#m		A
There’s sunshine behind the gray sky
There’s monsters under your bed
there’s visions that blind the mind’s eye
There’s music over your head

A
This is not the end
	F#m			A		  E
But I feel like I can see it from here

I dreamed I saw my grandfather smiling
I felt he held my hand through the haze
I woke to find the blessed sun rising
I spread out my hopes for [in] a new day

This is not the end
But I feel like I can see it from here
This is not the end
But it feels like I just felt it draw near

There’s more between you and me than this fight
There’s love and life [fire and ice] and mystery
There’s nothing like the dark to see the starlight
There’s something about your arms wrapped around me

F#m		    A			      E
all shall be well and all shall be well
All shall be well, all shall be well

This is not the end
But I feel like I can see it from here
This is not the end
But it feels like I just felt it draw near
This is not the end 
But I feel like it keeps singing in my ear

The End

"Longest Road You'll Ever Walk" (#355-375, 200505-200717)

Co-written with Chris Wyatt.

Artwork by "beguima", two sisters and a brother from Barcelona: www.society6.com/guillemvillaro

She swore she would never leave you
But here you are all alone
Nothin' more than a memory
And no strength to carry on

You moved mountains to have her
Damn near 1500 miles
That all crumbled when she left you
In the middle of the night

After seven years together it finally fell apart
Coulda' seen it comin' you weren't listenin' at all
It's a lonely highway from your head to your heart
The longest road you'll ever walk

If you knew that it was over
Could have kissed her one last time
Begged for one more sunrise
Tried to change her mind

Here you are with all the pieces
Scattered all around the room
Trying hard to find a reason
God I hope you find it soon

Lookin' back now it's clear I couldn't tell
Ain't no sense to sit here talkin' to myself
Need to face it I'm losin' my best friend
And I'd do it all again

Week 29a - Longest Road You’ll Ever Walk (200717)

"Don't Threaten Me" (#378, 200719)

Seems like today everything's a competition
From money and careers to huntin' and fishin'
If you're comin' after me I got a warning for you
When my back's against the wall I know exactly what to do

So don't threaten me because I'll kill you with kindness
Tell dad jokes 'til you're laughin', hug you 'til you're cryin'
As soon as you think I'm about to let up
I'll say somethin' sweet and you'll feel like a million bucks

Everybody wants to be a big deal
Top dog big cheese king of the hill
Doesn't seem to last though when we step on each other
So check it out if you come at me you'll see my true colors

Oh don't threaten me man I'll kill you with kindness
Tell dad jokes 'til you're laughin', hug you 'til you're cryin'
As soon as you think I'm about to let up
I'll say somethin' sweet and you'll feel like a million bucks

Here's an idea what if we work together
And rise above the rest in any kinda' weather
Show 'em how it's done they might learn a thing or two
But if not I'm gonna' tell 'em the same thing I told you

Week 30b - Don’t Threaten Me (200719)

Copyright 2020
All Rights Reserved

Lyrics & Music: Erin Wolf
Guitar & Vocals: Erin Wolf

This is a follow-up of sorts from my 2019 offering, "Hold Her for You" (https://soundcloud.com/erinwolf/hold-her-for-you), which was written following the death of my friend, Nick, in October 2019. Grief is a weird and complex companion. 

nine months you've been gone
somehow life keeps moving on
thunder and sun
i can hear one

5-4-3-2-1
that refrains still goes on
i kept my word and i still do
holding her for you
holding her for you

tonight tears run down my face
i can feel your spirit in this place
you don't threaten me
if anything, with you, i find peace
if anything, i find peace

i know that you 
are beyond the veil
that i'm not yet meant to cross

i know that you
you are home

Nine Months In...

Don't look away
Forget all the fire

Hold me on the way home
The cross won't count for nothing

I didn't want to be one
Laying all the way down
Keeping all the words in
Letting all the ghosts out

Don't walk away
Every time you're tired

Forget all the phone calls
Let's make it count for something

I didn't want to be one
Laying all the way down
Keeping all the words in
Letting all the ghosts out

So forget what I said
About leaving it behind

I didn't want to be one
I didn't want to be the one

There's a million singing that
And there's a million shouting back
It's either none
Or a million and one

I didn't want to be one
Laying all the way down
Keeping all the words in
Letting all the ghosts out

So forget what I said
About leaving it behind

I didn't want to be one
I didn't want to be the one

I didn't want to be one
I didn't want to say yes
I didn't want to be one
I couldn't let there be less

(then Kiwi barks softly)

Million and One - Song a Week 2020, Week 30

Week 30 #songaweek2020. For Julia's mom Rebecca Tindall, who retired this week! This is a list my dad and I compiled of jobs she’s had over the years. It may seem like a lot but I don’t think it’s exhaustive!

Photo is of my mother in 2013, by Tara Berg (TGB Photography)

Waiting on the truckers at the Hilltop Diner
Ironing some woman’s husband’s underwear
Making cases for the pill at the plastics factory
Baking shoo-fly pies and cutting college boys’ hair

Working like you mean it for fifty years
I propose to raise a hundred thousand cheers
Hip hip hip (hooray!)
Hip hip hip (hooray!)

Detective’s secretary, pastor’s wife
You supervised the laundromat and raised two kids
you processed appraisals, and some data for the glass plant
Taught yourself to be a church organist

Working like you mean it for fifty years
I propose to raise a hundred thousand cheers
Hip hip hip (hooray!)
Hip hip hip (hooray!)

Receptionist for engineers
Who smoked cigars while you were pregnant
Sewing sleeves on menswear 
working in the mail room 
Office work for school and church, real estate and college
And one insurance company that hired you three times

Working like you mean it for fifty years
I propose to raise a hundred thousand cheers
Hip hip hip (hooray!)
Hip hip hip (hooray!)
You could write a book on how to persevere
Go on and do whatever’s next, push those frontiers!

Working Like You Mean It

"Help Somebody" (#379, 200719)

 * Co-written with Pete & Pat Luboff * 

Ever get a feeling like everything is wrong
Everybody joined the club and you just don't belong
You're cold and lonely on the outside looking in
When it all feels like it's over where do you begin

Help somebody it'll turn your world around
Help somebody get your feet on solid ground
When you're down and out and upside down reach out to someone else
Help somebody and you help yourself
Help somebody and you help yourself

Got a God shaped hole and I can't fix it with food
Can't fill it up with money or drown it in booze
I dreamed someone could love me and make it all okay
Never knew there was a way out 'til I heard somebody say

Help somebody it'll turn your world around
Help somebody get your feet on solid ground
When you're down/out upside/down reach out to someone else
Help somebody and you help yourself
Help somebody and you help yourself

Maybe you think I've got it all together
Don't believe what you think you see
Because we could both get to feelin' better
If you'll help somebody like me

Week 30a - Help Somebody (200724)

Me, I never seem to see
Those creatures creeping up on me
Mostly in reality 
it's just my personality again
What if there are people peeping
That could give me trouble sleeping
And sluggish like a drunk
I’d be more vulnerable to monkeys on my back
But when I see them, I’m free….

Same old monkey, always worrying
Sometimes quietly, sometimes loud,
It's ok, monkey - I will handle it
You can put your burdens down now

If i leave it 
What will happen?
They might think I'm dot dot dot
Think I'd better make it better
Act in time to stop the rot
Unless it’s inside me?

Same old monkey, always worrying
Sometimes quietly, sometimes loud,
It's ok, monkey - I will handle it
You can put your burdens down now

Someday it'll all be over
Someday I won't be this monkey man
But I don't really think that 
someday it will be over - this is who I am 
I will end as I began
Same old same old

Same old monkey, always worrying
Sometimes quietly, sometimes loud,
It's ok, monkey - I will handle it
You can put your burdens down now

Ok Monkey

song a week wk30

sometimes I forget to breathe

SAW wk30 sometimes i forget to breathe

"I Can't Believe It's Not" (#382, 200802)

Something about your smile
Darker than the rest
The anger in your eyes
Always hurt the best

Better hold on tight
To the pain I know
Never safe inside
Never could let go

I'd give you everything
To have you back again
One more night together
We could stay forever

Show me some kinda' sign
Before I'm out of time
And the door is finally locked
I can't believe it's not

Nothing could have stopped
What you meant to me
All those aftershocks
Brought me to my knees

I'd give you everything
To have you back again
One more night together
We could stay forever

Show me some kinda' sign
Before I'm out of time
And the door is finally locked
I can't believe it's not

Did I dream it did I fall in fantasy
Did I carve you from the earth
Did I leave behind my sense of sanity
Did I waste until it hurt

Week 32 - I Can’t Believe It’s Not (200802)

Nashville songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, Godin Guitars Official Artist and Founder of www.songaweek.org.

His catalog of 500+ titles includes collaborations with hit writers Mark Narmore, Elliott Park, Steve Dean, and Pete & Pat Luboff, among others internationally from England to Australia.

Redding's music has landed cuts by numerous recording artists including Dan Whitehouse, Emma Gale, and David Easterling.

Week 30a - Help Somebody (200724)

James Tristan Redding