Don (Zorro of Sorrow) McCarthy– electric guitars
Nathan McCarthy– bass
David Partridge– vocals, keys, percussion
Guest alien– Peter LeBlanc– cello
Produced in Nova Scotia by David Partridge
Words and music by David Partridge

The WobblySaucer aliens know you won't get far in the universe on the power of a few light bulbs. They're nice hanging from the trees, though...

STRING OF LIGHTS 
We all hang tight to our tether
On nights when the dark seems immense
An owl’s call seems like mocking laughter
That’s when you might feel like that string of lights.

This lonely string of lights barely illuminates the trees
Outshone by the rays of a fulsome moon
It sways, halfhearted on the breeze.
The back porch lamp is much the same flickering, hazy moth cocaine 
Alluring to things with powdery wings– the ritual’s always been the same.

The lonely string of lights– each wire, each filament, each reed–
Existed before in a hardware store
With other things nature doesn’t need.
It hangs, as if perhaps it sinned, flickering and woozy on the wind
Measured in lumens, created by humans– that’s where the paradox begins.

We all hang tight to our tether
On nights when the dark seems immense
An owl’s call seems like mocking laughter
That’s when you might feel like that string of lights.

The wind seems to have a lot to say. Lights sway as if they know its tune
And if you get caught in a parking lot
The lights on poles are not immune.
They hum & buzz on stormy nights, faultering, interrupted lights 
They can’t defend us, the dark is relentless– it’s nature, you cannot win this fight.

We all hang tight to our tether
On nights when the dark seems immense
An owl’s call seems like mocking laughter
That’s when you might feel like that string of lights.

This lonely string of lights barely illuminates the trees.