When I woke to the ash gray morn
White was filling up the tops of trees
Groan and ugh and roll back face down
Send best wishes to my back and knees

I’ll stay here until the flowers break the ground
I’ll stay here until bird children take wing

Curse the shovels and the mismatched gloves
Curse the drudge of the muck and leaves
While my mug fogs the window panes
Watching snow drop just makes me seethe

I’ll just lie here with my dreams of Spring in my head in my bed
I’ll just lie here with my dreams of Spring in my head in my bed

=====

Written, performed, and recorded by Joshua David Thayer at Brave Tiger Studio.
Mixed by Bradford Swanson.
Mastered by Mark Alan Miller at Radio Valkyrie.

Released on Brave Tiger Records, January 17, 2024.

Bird Children

Written, produced, and recorded by Joshua David Thayer at Brave Tiger Studio, Medford, MA
Production assistance by Bradford Swanson
Drums recorded by Monte Arnstam at 1357 Recording Studio, Greenfield, MA
Mixed by Mark Alan Miller at Radio Valkyrie, Easthampton, MA
Mastered by Jonathan Wyner at M-Works Mastering, Somerville, MA

—————

Joshua David Thayer: Electric bass, fretless bass, upright bass, acoustic guitars, classical guitar, resonator guitar, mandolin, ukulele, banjo, electric guitars, tenor guitar, baritone guitar, keyboards, synthesizers, shakers, tambourines, maracas, glockenspiel, drum programming, string arrangements, voices

Jason Smith: Drums

—————

Dedicated to the memory of Walter David Thayer (1948–2023)

—————

At the same time each day
The cold winds blow
And they hollow your bones
At the same time each day
The cold winds blow

And they empty your soul

At the same time each day
The train wheels roll
And they rattle your bones
At the same time each day
The train wheels roll

And they give you control

It’s a feeling like a tempest
But you won’t let go
You’ve always got to own it
It’s a feeling like a tempest
But you won’t let go
You’ve always got to own it

In the same way each year
You’re pushing stones
And they just roll back down
In the same way each year
You keep pushing those stones

And you’re starting again

It’s a feeling like a tempest
But you won’t let go
You’ve always got to own it
It’s a feeling like a tempest
But you won’t let go
You’ve always got to own it

Tempest

Written, produced, and recorded by Joshua David Thayer at Brave Tiger Studio, Medford, MA
Production assistance by Bradford Swanson
Drums recorded by Monte Arnstam at 1357 Recording Studio, Greenfield, MA
Mixed by Mark Alan Miller at Radio Valkyrie, Easthampton, MA
Mastered by Jonathan Wyner at M-Works Mastering, Somerville, MA

—————

Joshua David Thayer: Electric bass, fretless bass, upright bass, acoustic guitars, classical guitar, resonator guitar, mandolin, ukulele, banjo, electric guitars, tenor guitar, baritone guitar, keyboards, synthesizers, shakers, tambourines, maracas, glockenspiel, drum programming, string arrangements, voices

Jason Smith: Drums

—————

Dedicated to the memory of Walter David Thayer (1948–2023)

—————

It’s just another one of the days 
That I don’t know what to do
It’s just a list of the ways 
That I will crack right through

If I can’t save me, there’s no hope for you
‘Cuz it seems like I’ll just punch, crumble, and crawl

Feels like I would rather just mess 
Around than start flowing past
While the feels are sticking around
I’m just gonna let them last

If I can’t brave me, there’s no hope for you
‘Cuz it seems like I’ll just punch, crumble, and crawl

And I see a future sense of grief
And I need a sleep, a peace, a new dream to believe
To get me through to tomorrow

It’s just another one of the days
That there’s a hole hanging round
It’s just a void in the ways
That we can help things stay sound

I know I can’t change me, won’t take a rest at all
Still it seems like I’ll just punch, crumble, and crawl

Trust yourself and trust in others
Believe that they care about what you do
Trust yourself and trust in others
Believe that they care about what you do
Trust yourself and trust in others
Believe that they care about what you do
Trust yourself and trust in others
Believe that they care about what you do

Punch, Crumble, And Crawl

“Pick Up the Fight” is one of the most forceful and charged songs on So Little, Close to Nothing. Built on stomping rhythms and razor-edged guitars, the track channels the feeling of being kept small, beaten down, or dismissed by forces larger and more corrupt than you, who manipulate everything to their own advantage. The song moves from frustration to clarity, from exhaustion to resolve, recognizing that waiting for fairness is futile. Change only happens when you seize it.

Lyrically, it’s a blunt confrontation with systems of greed and power: being “kicked in the guts,” “dragged through the mud at night,” and realizing that “too much is enough.” The repeated call — time to pick up the fight — becomes both mantra and ignition point. Musically, it mirrors that arc: tense and grinding in the verses, then erupting into a cathartic, anthemic release in the choruses.

Where other songs on the album explore introspection, memory, or internal shifts, “Pick Up the Fight” is outward-looking and defiant. It’s the moment where acceptance turns into action — a reminder that resignation isn’t the only path forward, and that pushing back, even imperfectly, is its own form of survival.

The album this comes from — "So Little, Close to Nothing" — will be released on December 5, 2025.

——

Lyrics:

There should never be a demon man
Let to stretch his claws into the rules
Yet he slipped past us unaware
Played us like a trusted clutch of fools

Still he hobbles us with shattered spines
Rancid tongues that snatch up every crumb

We’ve been kicked in the guts
We’ve been dragged through the mud at night
Well too much is enough
Time to pick up the fight

There will always be a demon man
Shucking oysters onto golden thrones
The waste and greed are right there in plain view
As they spit us out and crush our homes

We’ve been kicked in the guts
We’ve been dragged through the mud at night
Well too much is enough
Time to pick up the fight

There should never be a demon man
Let to stretch his claws into the rules

We’ve been kicked in the guts
We’ve been dragged through the mud at night
Well too much is enough
Time to pick up the fight

We’ve been pulled by the wrists
We’ve been grasping for more fresh air 
Well enough is too much
Time to show them who cares

——

Joshua David Thayer: Bass guitar, electric guitars, acoustic guitars, baritone guitar, tenor guitar, keyboards and synths, percussion, vocals // Recorded at Brave Tiger by Joshua David Thayer

Jason Smith: Drums // Recorded at 1357 Recording Studio by Monte Arnstam

Mixed by Mark Alan Miller at Radio Valkyrie
Mastered by Nick Zampiello at New Alliance East

Pick Up The Fight

A song for my Great Grandmother, who marched against imperialism. 

Bunty Singh (sarangi). Produced by Josh Cohen at Black Hat Music in Medford, Massachusetts. Photo by Saraswathi Jones, Taj Mahal in Agra, U.P.

Lyrics:
The jewel in the crown 
she is sparkling, proud
she is weighing her options 
they are weighing her down                                          
the jewel in the crown 
dreams in sepia brown
fields of saffron and mustard and a singular sound

And one day, it will come
Vandemataram

The jewel in the crown
spinning cloth for the gown
she will wear as she marches 
to the sea from this town
the jewel in the crown 
doesn't know what she's found
does she dream of rebuilding
or of tearing it down

And one day, it will come
Vandemataram
Vandemataram
Vandemataram       
Vandemataram

Jewel In The Crown

Joshua David Thayer has been a performing musician for 35 years, primarily as a bass player for bands including Love Minus Zero, Fancy Trash, Hadley Transfer Station, and Slumberland. He has also performed with artists such as Mark Mulcahy, TW Walsh, Dennis Crommett (Winterpills), Joshua Crane, and Treefort and shared stages with 4 Non Blondes, Juliana Hatfield, The Jayhawks, DeVotchKa, Jesse Malin, and many more.

Pick Up The Fight

Joshua David Thayer

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