THERE'S A WORLD OF WONDROUS RADIANCE ----------------------------------------- -- Katerina ----------------------------------------- G C G G G Em Katerina's husband died a few days ago G Em He worked every day of his life G And every hard earned cent Em To the doctor's all it went G Em Katerina has been sick for some time So she musters up the energy and what's left of the cash For a party, for her husband dead and gone And the future is uncertain As she stares through tattered curtains The show, the show must go on C G So put your fancy silverware on the table C D7 And your plates from your wedding day G Em And they will see, oh they will see C D7 G That things weren't always this way Katerina's father was a military man He prospered in them good ole days When people were more decent Than they seem to be of recent But it's easy to be decent when you're paid Katerina's children liked their grandpa's house It was bigger and much nicer than their own And when he finally passed The inheritance didn't last And reputation can't buy food or clothes Recant the tired stories over and over again The only remnants of what you had And they will see, oh they will see That things weren't always this bad Katerina looks about the party and her guests Everyone is singing the same song He can't pay his bills And she's hooked on the pills And there's a man there that doesn't quite belong He's the richest man in town and he's boisterous and rude But he offers to pay for the funeral But the promises he speaks Are not the promises he keeps But he's the only one making promises at all He called her daughter a thief and a whore But he promised to turn back time And they will see, oh they will see Why she walks that line Katerina's party's going pretty well so far She subdues he cough behind her finest dress And the medicine's running out But what she's worried about Is running out of wine for all the guests And when they finally leave she is alone with her thoughts Worrying and wondering what comes next And people from the city They say isn't it a pity Katerina doesn't know what is best So put your fancy silverware back in the drawer And your plates from your wedding day And they well see, oh they will see That things weren't always this way ----------------------------------------- -- Knock In My Car ----------------------------------------- C G C There is a knock in my car C G C They say these things happen with time F C G No need to worry, just keep a careful eye C E7 F On the slow deterioration as things all fall apart C G C There is a knock in my car I don't know where it came from Somewhere between the wreck and the breakdown that's to come My constant reminder that things just are the way they are There is a knock in my car There is a knock in my car Funny how some things aren't built to last TIme doesn't heal all wounds, and all things do not past My solemn companion so long as it will start There is a knock in my car ----------------------------------------- -- Maple Tree ----------------------------------------- D Bb D Bb D Bb D Bb I don't want to be the old maple tree D Bb A That used to stand outside my window D Bb D Bb Strong on the outside, rotting from the inside D Hushed debate on when I finally go G You can be a shady tree swaying in the summer breeze D Bb A D For a hundred seasons G Till all they see A is a liability and they start searching for the reasons Bb A D To cut you down I don't want to be the man, telephone in his hand Waiting to make that fatefal call Wringing those hands that never worked the land Instead going straight to the saw How many times Could you have tried To stop the rot before it took root But in your absence You convince your conscience its in the tree's best interest too To cut it down I dont want to be the guy, chainsaw at his side That came to the yard on that day To do the dirty work, that other's gladly shirked It'd be inconvenient any other way I want to water the ground Let it seep way down And fortify the roots that run deep And if I fall flat I pray the lord that they call me on my hypocricy And cut me down ----------------------------------------- -- Old Socks ----------------------------------------- An E7 Old socks drying on the line F Brittle and riddled with holes Dm Heels stomp through the thin cotton E7 Am And proceed to wear the soles Oh free and abundant power of the sun That fades all colors except the stains Threads unravel one by one Till only tired rags remain They were elastic and whole They were flawless and bright It's a goddam horror show Watching socks dry on the line F And what are we to do with those C Who are too far gone to save F The ones that wore them out C Will now decide their fate F I don't want to throw them away E7 I don't want to throw them away They were elastic and whole They were flawless and bright It's a goddam horror show Watching socks dry on the line They were elastic and whole They were flawless and bright It's a goddam horror show Watching socks dry on the line ----------------------------------------- -- The Basement ----------------------------------------- D G Come speak with me a while in the basement A A7 D Come creeping down the creaky wooden stairs D G Let your eyes adjust to the newfound dimness A A7 D D7 Fill your lungs with the cool and musty air G D It's comforting at first, the quiet and the dark G D But my presense is unnerving and strange F#m G You never plan to stay long, but I cannot let you leave A A7 D Don't go upstairs stay down here with me This is the dominion of your childhood imagination Where you and your siblings used to romp and play Down here you don't have to worry about breaking things Everything is broken in some way I remind you that I didn't always sit here My throne was just the old couches from upstairs You find that you're forgetting the times before we'd meet Don't go upstairs stay down here with me We got that old TV and the old video games You can read the books on the shelf you've already read We get a few AM stations down here clearly And it's better than listening to the voices in your head Distraction turns to mindless consumption I've got a skipping record we can listen to for hours Embrace the numbing feeling, I think it's just the thing you need Don't go upstairs stay down here with me Up there they've got murderes with broken badges You got their accomplices beating the shit out of peaceful folk There's a hundred thousand people coughing to death While keyboard jockeys claim that it's a hoax I'll whisper the words of cruel and thoughtless people We can board up the windows that let a little light in You'll argue for compassion, I'll convince you of defeat Don't go upstairs stay down here with me Where we'll contemplate the morality of fences And compare ourselves to broken old machines We'll sip the beers that leave us worse off than they used to And pontificate on what it all means Your words will echo off bare concrete walls And settle like nothingness with the dust on the floor I'm mocking you and laughing, you know I'm not unique Don't go upstairs stay down here with me You shout you find our conversation tiring And you stumble to the stairs an empty shell You're a little more broken, after every time we speak Don't go upstairs stay down here with me ----------------------------------------- -- Notes ----------------------------------------- """ There's a world of wondrous radiance Beyond the cadence of the mania Beyond the jaded and hysterical Barriers we built to prepare for failure These ailments are stalemates I'm wailin I'm reaching to speak to the people I'm seeking to reason with evil I'm breathing and bearing my teeth """ - "There's a World" by Scott "Steel on Stone" Williams I wrote most of these songs before I heard Scott's song, and I heard Scott's song before the Covid-19 pandemic of 2020. It was a concept I had long thought about, deriving meaning from mundane objects around the house, but really started to resonate with the events of 2020. For as long as I can remember I've been emotionally attached to inanimate objects. Just last night I had a conversation with my mom about by beloved teddy bear, and corrected her for using the past tense. (I can say things like this in the notes because nobody reads them.) I'm a meticulous saver of original packing and boxes, in a futile attempt to shield beautiful things from the ravages of time. I think at some point I will have to stop writing songs about bridges, roads, buildings, socks, and trees. I'm pretty sure that when good songwriters consider songs gimmick or novelty songs, these are what they are talking about. But I didn't write these songs for a laugh, in fact many of them have real and important purposes. If I can imagine the many sides (with the generous help of Dostoyevsky) of the Katerina funeral scene in Crime and Punishment, maybe I can will myself to see another side of the Katerina's of the real world. If I can accept the fact that there's something not quite right with my car engine, and face the incessant knocking, maybe I can be alright with the thoughts that keep me awake at night. If I can remember the way I treated my favorite tree in my front yard, maybe I'll be less likely to treat people in the same fashion. If I can see the deterioration of time in a pair of too far gone socks, maybe I'll cherish the times that feel like a brand new pair of socks on Christmas. And finally, if I can identify the times when the One In the Basement coaxes me down there, maybe I'll be less likely to stay so long. I hope you enjoy these songs, I had fun recording them in a more live fashion. Special thanks to my early listeners, Kim, Alex, Warren, Tommy, Scott, Stephan, and Joe.