LONG DAY IN THE MILKY WAY (2020)

Produced by KD

You don’t have to believe in anything mystical to feel the molecules around you shift just a little when you listen to Kris Delmhorst. Her songs transmute like breath turning to mist on a cold, clear night; the inner made visible. Her voice holds memories, like smoke lingering in a sweater from last summer’s campfire. Twining through every layer of consciousness, her music weaves together the magical and the mundane with the strange logic of dreams.

Called “bold and brilliant” by the Boston Globe and “transcendent” by the LA Times, Delmhorst is a veteran of the indie Americana world, with vivid songwriting, soulful delivery, and adventurous arrangements that stretch the limits of genre. She’s been compared to artists as various as Anaïs Mitchell, Lucinda Williams, and Juana Molina - though she cites Rickie Lee Jones, in all her fearless joy and complexity, as an artistic north star.

With Long Day in the Milky Way, her eighth album, Delmhorst takes a surefooted stride forward, offering the purest distillation yet of her musical sensibilities. Lush with layered vocals and immersive instrumentation, it finds the gifted lyricist at the height of her craft and working with a strong sense of purpose. World-weary but hopeful, the songwriter responds to a time of global anxiety with a missive straight from the chest. Delmhorst invites the listener to look both out and in, to take in the full kaleidoscope of life’s contradictions - persistence, frustration, heartbreak, love - and to locate the grace within the struggle, the beauty in the dark.

CREDITS

Recorded by Sam Kassirer at Great North Sound Society, Parsonsfield ME
Mixed by Sam Kassirer at MEFFA, Medford MA
Mastered by Alex McCollough at True East, Nashville TN
Design by Matthew Fleming
Produced by Kris Delmhorst

KD - vocals, acoustic & electric guitars, Wurlitzer, piano, cello, kalimba
Rose Polenzani, Rose Cousins, Annie Lynch - backing vocals
Dietrich Strause - piano, Rhodes, acoustic guitar, trumpet, valve trombone, vibraphone
Sam Moss - electric guitar, violin
Màiri Chaimbeul - harp
Jeremy Moses Curtis - electric & upright bass
Ray Rizzo - drums
Sam Kassirer - Wurlitzer on 3, Hammond B-3 on 12

All songs © 2020 Kris Delmhorst except:
"Nothing 'Bout Nothing" ©2020 Kris Delmhorst/Dave Godowsky
"Bless Your Little Heart" ©2020 Kris Delmhorst/Hazel Foucault
"The Horses" ©1989 Rickie Lee Jones/Walter Becker

TRACKS

1. Long Day in the Milky Way 2. Golden Crown 3. Hanging Garden
4. Secret Girl 5. Horses in the Sky 6. Skyscraper 7. The Horses
8. Flower of Forgiveness 9. Nothing ‘Bout Nothing 10. Crow Flies
11. Bless Your Little Heart 12. Call Off the Dogs

LYRICS

WIND’S GONNA FIND A WAY

Long day in the Milky Way, hammering my heart against a heavy door
All doubt round about, any use to wonder what the pounding’s for
Don’t worry ‘cause ooh, wind’s gonna find a way
I don’t need no radio, gonna listen to the branches sigh
I know all there is to know about the history of decline

All night chasing fireflies, try to get one more before the dawn
Lord knows it’s a tiny glow to ever light the way for someone further on
Don’t worry ‘cause ooh, wind’s gonna find a way
Don’t want to see no video, I remember every shade of your eye
No one ever really knows about the mystery of desire

Keep on pushing and you find a way through
Keep on pushing and you find a way

No shame in the long game, look around and see that time is all we got
Slow hands in the shadowlands, patient fingers working at the patient knots
Don’t worry ‘cause ooh, wind’s gonna find a way
Can’t you feel the undertow, wants to pull you to the deeper sea
I found out long ago about the power it has over me

Keep on pushing and you find a way through
Keep on pushing and you find a way through
Keep on pushing and you find a way through
Keep on pushing and you find a way

GOLDEN CROWN

I’m gonna let all the light in my eyes shine on you
I’m gonna let all the light in my heart shine on through
I’m gonna let my, I’m gonna let my
I’m gonna let all the light in my eyes shine on you

Nobody can take away the song that I made for you
Nobody can take away the love that I gave to you
No one can take it, no one can take it
Nobody can take away the love that I gave to you

Someday I’m gonna see you finally wearing your golden crown
Someday I’m gonna see you showing your glory all around
I’m gonna see it, I’m gonna see it
Someday I’m gonna see you finally wearing your golden crown

HANGING GARDEN

Meet me under the northern - meet me under the northern
Meet me under the northern star
Keep me right on your corner - keep me right on your corner
Let me always know where you are

I really don't care where we land
I really don't care where we stay to make our stand
In our hanging garden, hanging garden
Falling from the ground
Going up and growing down

Come see, sky’s getting brighter - come see, world’s getting wider
Brighter and wider, the farther we climb
Sweep me higher and higher - sweep me higher and higher
Help me to twine up and circle the sky like a vine

I really don't know how we fly
I really don't know how we're standing on the sky
In our hanging garden, hanging garden
Falling from the ground
Going up and growing down
I know - stranger stranger in a strange land

Just keep holding onto my hand
Look around its a world of wonders
Earth is above us heaven is under
See all the life that here that’s moving
See all the buzzing and blooming
Right as the rain and upside down
Way up here we could be anything

SECRET GIRL

Secret girl, I see you
I was a secret too
Walking down the shady side, 6th avenue
Secret girl, are you lonely
I was lonely too
Spice tea and a cigarette, keep the wall behind you
But somewhere way down the lifeline (who’s gonna know you?)
Someday you’re gonna stand in the light of the day (who’s gonna know?)

Lightning blue on the windows
Thunder low inside your mind
City full of strangers makes a secret feel alive
Oh my girl, you’re a memory
Curled up inside the moon
Your pocket full of mascara gonna hide you
But somewhere over the skyline (who’s gonna know you?)
Way beyond all of the lights and the city steel (who’s gonna know?)
Past the end of the streets and the power lines (who’s gonna know you?)
Somewhere everything gonna be revealed (who’s gonna know?)

Secret girl, would you see me
Let me in your screen door
Seems like nobody’s a secret anymore

HORSES IN THE SKY

It started as a whisper (We all know, we all know)
Started as a passing word (We all know the way)
A little static in the signal (We all know, we all know)
Shadow of a passing bird (We all know, we all know the way)

Then it grew into a rumble (We all know, we all know)
Grew into a steady drone (We all know the way)
A little tapping on the ceiling (We all know, we all know)
Never leaving you alone (We all know, we all know the way)
Horses in the sky roll on by
Don’t you close your eyes, watch em fly

And now it is a fever (We all know, we all know)
Now it is a raging sea (We all know the way)
Never leaves your body (We all know, we all know)
Never gives a moment’s peace (We all know, we all know the way)

Lightning on the sea, flashing green
Don’t forget to see what can be
Horses in the sky roll on by
Don’t you close your eyes,
Watch em fly, watch em fly
Watch em fly, watch em fly

SKYSCRAPER

Skyscraper, rainmaker, nametaker, why you wanna be so tall?

Half of what is here is underneath the ground
Why believe only what you see?
Skyscraper, rainmaker, rootshaker, why you wanna be so tall?

Oooh you could be an open door
Ooh what are you waiting for
Skyscraper, rainmaker, coalraker, why?

You take the places where the light came through
You take the places where the light came through
Skyscraper, rainmaker, heartbreaker, why you wanna be so tall?

THE HORSES

You will fly, way up high where the cold wind blow
Or in the sun, laughing and having fun with all the people that she knows
And if the situation keeps us separated, that don’t mean the world’s gonna fall apart
And you will free the beautiful bird that’s caught inside your heart
Can’t you hear her?
She cries so loud
Casts her wild note
Over water and cloud
That’s the way it’s gonna be, little darling
You’ll be riding on the horses yeah
Up in the sky, little darling
And if you fall I’ll pick you up

You will grow, and until you go, I’ll be right there by your side
And even then, whisper to the wind, she’ll carry up your ride
‘Cause I hear all the people of the world in a little bird’s lonely cry
See them trying every way they know how just to make their spirit fly
Can’t you see him?
He’s down on the ground
He’s got a broken wing
He’s looking all around
That’s the way it’s gonna be, little darling
We’ll be riding on the horses yeah
Way up in the sky, little darling
And if you fall I’ll pick you up

Look over your shoulder, I’m right behind you
‘Cause you know i was young once too
And when i was young, when I was young
When your mama was young I heard she was a real wild one

FLOWER OF FORGIVENESS

Standing on the corner just begging more time
I won’t miss it you can have some of mine
Flower of forgiveness ain’t hard to grow
You can find it blooming by the side of the road
By the side

How we gonna carry all the things that we know
A pound of feathers or a pound of stones
That shit gets heavier further you go
Can you leave it lying by the side of the road
By the side

When your deal stops working gotta find a new way
What’s it gonna cost you what’s it gonna pay
But you put away your troubles when it’s time to play
You can count your nickels by the light of the day
By the light

Can you tell me there’s time enough, can you tell me there’s space enough,
Can you tell me there’s light enough, can you tell me there’s grace enough,
Can you tell me there’s time enough, can you tell me there’s space enough,
Can you tell me there’s light enough, can you tell me there’s love enough, grace enough,
To see us through

A few more exits and we’ll be home
Eyes on the line boys, steady as she goes
We sang every song anybody’s ever known
Gave em to the ghosts by the side of the road

NOTHING ‘BOUT NOTHING

Tell me where did you get the idea that this story’s about only you
The indestructible body of time just continues to roll right on through
Turning and turning the wheel going faster
You’re asking a question we’ve already answered
The master of all always ends up the master of none
Put your head down lower than your heart
Throw a little light out in the dark
Because you don’t know nothing ‘bout nothing
You don’t know nothing ‘bout nothing
You don’t know nothing ‘bout nothing

Insult to injury, missing the mystery, omnisciently without a clue
Guess you’re kicking infinity to the periphery too
Using up all nonrenewable mercies
Charging like Custer, cursing like Xerxes
You can beat up the seas but the truth always gets the last lash
Put your head down lower than your heart
Throw a little light out in the dark
Because you don’t know nothing ‘bout nothing
You don’t know nothing ‘bout nothing
You don’t know nothing ‘bout nothing
But I’ll tell you one thing

Nothing knows something
Something ‘bout you
Something ‘bout you

No you don’t know nothing ‘bout nothing
You don’t know nothing ‘bout nothing
You don’t know nothing’ bout nothing
You don’t know nothing

CROW FLIES

On a clear day, I can see you from here
Almost reach out and touch you, you seem so near
Some things are further than they appearIs it a matter of inches or a matter of miles
Is it a matter of minutes or hours or days since you smiled
It’s not a matter of fact it’s a matter of pride
But as the crow flies
It’s such a straight line
I’d be there in no time
As the crow flies

The going ain’t easy, the footing is bad
Ain’t no points on the compass, ain’t no lines on the map
And sometimes you wind up in the place you began

Nothing’s familiar, nothing’s to scale
You’re losing the blazes as the light starts to fail
It’s a dead reckoning on a cold trail
But as the crow flies
It’s such a straight line
I’d be there in no time
As the crow flies

If i could spread my wings
If i could rise above
I’d ride the clear blue sky all the way to your love
As the crow flies

BLESS YOUR LITTLE HEART

It’s not time yet
For anything like that
There's no hurry
Nothing needs to be done
It's still early
Theres a lot to understand
Bless your little heart, its easy

Don’t you worry
Just keep singing that old song
It don’t matter
No one’s waiting on you now
It’s not serious
Nothing flying on bony wings
I know how you work, i know how you try
But it is easier than it seems like

Hear them hoot owls
In the hills outside your room
Hear them sparrows
When the morning comes again
Bees are sleeping
Underneath the flowers now
Bless your little heart, i know how you try
But it is easier than it might seem like

CALL OFF THE DOGS

Walk down through the melting snow
See the river overflow
There’s only so much she can hold
There’s only so much
Why you wear that armor for
Kept it from some ancient war
Maybe you don't need it anymore
Maybe you don't need it
Call off the dogs, call off the dogs, call off the dogs

You ain’t got no secret curse
Ain’t no better ain’t no worseJust another leaf hanging on the tree
Just a little leaf hanging
Leave the story you can’t shake
Leave your pile of old mistakes
You'll find a new one you can make
You'll find a new one
Call off the dogs, call off the dogs, call off the dogs

Only have the time you steal
Heart thumping like a broken wheel
And we all know how you feel
Yeah we all know
Call off the dogs, call off the dogs, call off the dogs

See all the melting snow
See the river overflow
Learn how to let it go
Only so much you can hold
Just keep the wind behind you
Just let the sound remind you
Love knows just where to find you
Love knows just where to find you