SONGS FOR A HURRICANE (2003)

Produced by Billy Conway & KD

KD’s second collaboration with co-producer Billy Conway (Morphine, Twinemen) Songs for a Hurricane is the darker, more electric cousin to 2001’s Five Stories. Again working at Hi-n-Dry Studio in Cambridge, MA (the loft and studio space of the late Mark Sandman), the team chose a smaller sonic palette to create a spacious landscape for the songs to move through. Hurricane’s musical crew includes Conway on drums, Andrew Mazzone on bass guitars, and Julie Wolf on all things with keys. The electric guitar duty was shared amongst Mark Erelli, Jabe Beyer, Kevin Barry, and Steve Mayone. Kris played bowed instruments here & there. Everyone sang at some point or another. Taken as a whole, the songs are a many-faceted meditation on loss, grief, liberation, and change.

CREDITS

KD - vocals, acoustic, electric, and baritone guitars, cello, fiddle
Billy Conway - drums, percussion, vocals
Andrew Mazzone -4 and 8 string electric bass, baritone guitar
Julie Wolf - piano, organ, wurlitzer, xylophone, accordion, melodica, vocals
Jabe Beyer - electric guitar, vocals
Kevin Barry - electric and lap steel guitars
Mark Erelli - acoustic and electric guitars, vocals
Steve Mayone - electric guitar
Jennifer Kimball - vocals
Catie Curtis - vocals
Dana Colley - vocals

Recorded by Paul Q Kolderie at Hi-nDry, Cambridge, MA
Additional recording by Billy Conway, Dana Colley, Jason Raboin, Ken Schopf, & various passers-by
Mixed by Paul Q. Kolderie at Camp Street, Cambridge, MA
Mastered by Dave Locke at JP Masters, Boston, MA
Design by Jabe Beyer (aka Charlie "The Bubble" Palantino)

LYRICS
 

WAITING UNDER THE WAVES
(Key of Am)

Am
I’m losing my faith again, losing my open hand,
Am
losing my how & why, losing my great divide,
Am G F
and in this world where we are, who can say what’s going too far?
Am G F E
you punch out the windows baby, I slash all the tires.

Am G F G
I’m feeling that undertow, like maybe it’s time to go,
Am G F G
it’s getting so sick & thin, getting right under my skin,
G7 C G F G
and in this song that we sing, who could ever point to one thing?
Am G F E
you are still in hiding baby, I am still on fire.

Am F
waiting under the waves,
Am F
waiting under the waves,
Am G D/F# F
waiting under the waves to be saved,
Am G D/F# F
and I am sorry that we’re sinking but we’re sinking just the same.

I’m losing my faith in you, losing my balance too,
how does it get so wrong, how can it all take so long,
and in this time that we live, who could find a way to give a damn
that we are drowning in two separate stormy seas?

waiting under the waves, (2x)
waiting under the waves to be saved,
and I am sorry that we’re sinking but we’re sinking just the same.

F G Am G
darling do you ever wonder if we two could both slip under?
F G A
learn to sink and learn to swim and breathe again?

all these tears that we cry, and who can say if we will live or die,
stand or fall, live in love or none at all? waiting under the waves.

EAST OF THE MOUNTAINS
(Key of E – Capo 2) (Double drop D)
D-A-D-G-B-D

D G D
east of the mountains and west of the sea
D A D
my love lies weeping for me.
D G D
now I’m west of everything, out here on my own,
D A D
weeping for the only love I’ve known.

C G D C G D
well I started out in greenburg, started out in love.
C G D
started thinking nothing could go wrong.
C G D C G D
but every day my sisters turned a deeper green,
C G D
and I should have known it couldn’t last for long.

they took me to the railroad, put me on a train,
said don’t even bother to complain,
just say farewell to spring street, girl, say farewell to me
and your lover’s face that never more you’ll see.

now out here on the prairies the wind is cold and mean,
and at night it wails and whistles round my place,
and I’ve tried a lot of company, tried a lot of booze,
but I never ever could forget his face.

now east of the mountains and west of the sea
my love lies weeping for me.
now I’m west of everything, out here on my own,
weeping for the only love I’ve known.

YOU’RE NO TRAIN
(Key of D – Drop D tuning DADGBE)

D
well a train blows a whistle before it pulls away,
G D
but no word or warning do you say.
A G F D
one minute right beside me, another you’re a thousand miles away.

well I felt such a shaking and I heard such a whirr
and I swore we were moving fast enough to blur.
then I opened up my eyes and found that we’re right back where we were.

Bm G A
baby you’re no train, you’re the track.
Bm G A
always running away, always running back.
Bm G A
baby you’re no train, you’re the steam blowing by.

how I longed for the journey, and those far distant lands,
I believed all your promises and plans.
now I’m standing at the station with a lonely ticket in my hand.

baby you’re no train, you’re the track.
always running away and running back.
Bm G A G – F
baby you’re no train, you’re the silence behind.
D G D G
so roll on roll on roll on roll on.

BOBBY LEE
(Key of Bb – Capo 3)

Em C Am C
late morning midnight, sunny tuesday gloom,
Em C Am D
silence under shutters, stillness in the room.

G D C G D C
bobby lee, bobby lee, this cave’s too dark for me. I gotta go out where the wind can find my face.
G D C G D C
I just hope that you’ll see eventually that I was only trying to roll the stone away.

the years and the seasons, the tide and the breeze,
they come and bring their changes, so you call them all your enemies.

bobby lee, I don’t think I can breathe, and the walls get closer every single day,
and yeah it’s true I’m gonna leave, I just hope you can believe how hard I really tried to roll the stone away.

Am C Am C
sorrow comes a knocking, but you won’t let her inside.
Am C
so she goes away with joy her little sister.
Am C D
but she’s looking back in her tracks, a tear in her eye.

bobby lee, bobby lee, I believe it’s killing me, and I got no other words that I can say.
but I pray every night that someday you might find a way to roll that stone away
bobby lee, bobby lee, you meant the world to me, and I miss you more than I could ever say.
but I tried for so long, and no one is that strong. I think it’s you who’s gotta roll the stone away.

WEATHERVANE

well the tree lie down beneath you
the grasses bow & sway
the sands rise to meet you
the ocean it makes way

and you move through your directions
and i turn my face away
the grasses rise to meet you
the ocean it makes way

well i too can more the prairies
i too can move the sea
i’m gonna take that motion
take it right inside me

i’m gonna rattle at your windows
rattle at your doors
rattle at your shutters
show you what they’re for

no more weathervane, i’m gonna be the wind.
no more spin around, spin around, spin around but always face away
no more weathervane. i’m gonna be the wind.

JUICE + JUNE
Key of D – Capo 2

C F C F
look at how the twilight’s fading, all the nightbirds serenading,
Dm G C G7
and I’m helpless to that thin & hopeful tune, you know

C F C F
the lightning bugs & the whiskey make tonight a little risky
Dm G C C7
I might stare at you and so I’ll keep my eyes a little low

F G C E F G G7
I know there’s so much in the way, but I just want to stay right here anyway

because in the night the church bell’s ringing, and now my foolish heart is singing
though god knows I’ve told it time & time again to be slow

(solo over verse)

I know it’s only juice & june that makes me sing this tune, and it’s all too soon,

but if the night was never-ending, there’d be no more sense pretending
Am-G-F
and perhaps there’d be no space between our hands at all
Am G F Fm C-F-C-F
then perhaps there would be nothing else to do but fall
C-F-Fm-C
just fall

HUMMINGBIRD
Key of Eb capo 8

Em G Em G
here in the dark, I won’t even make a spark.
Am G D/F#
you’re the only one who’s never seen
Am G D/F#
the way I can light up in shades of gold and green.
C G D C G D
I’m just a little firefly, I want to shine for you but I’m too shy,
C G D/F# Em
so when you come around I hide my light.
C D G
but when you go away I shine for you all night.

out there in the sun, I’d open up for anyone.
you’re the only one who closes me
because I want to be the brightest thing you’ve ever seen.
I’m just a little dandelion, I want to blossom but I’m scared of trying,
so I hide my head when you come into the room.
Em-D/F#-G
but when you go away I come right into bloom.

G Am D
and I can’t look down, I’m way too high,
Am F-C-Em-G
and I can’t look up, into your eyes.

well I never was afraid to sing out loud, in front of anybody, any crowd.
you, you make me lose my nerve
feel like something more than I could ever deserve.
I’m just a little hummingbird, I want to sing but I can’t find the words,
so when you come around I just go still
but after you move on, when I know you’re gone,
then I sing for you the way I always will.

HURRICANE
(Key of G)

G C G-C-G
babe, you always were a hurricane,
C F C G-G-G
the way that first you’d rage and then you’d rain.
C F C F C G -D
and all the calm there in your eye, just felt like a lie, it always changed.

G C G-C-G
you could see it coming on for miles,
C F C G-C-G
ripping up the trees and fencepost stiles,
C F C F C G-D
the wind turns warm, the sky goes green, that’s the wildest world I’ve ever seen.

Em C G D
so blow me down, blow me down and leave me lying in your wake.
Em C G
lay me low, lay me low in your old way.
Em C G D C D
let it rain, let it fall, shake the pictures off the wall and roar away, roar away,
G
hurricane.

I’ve always kept the company of clouds.
I like my lightning bright, my thunder loud.
I was never one for bluer skies, all that bright sun droning in my eyes.

so blow me down, blow me down and leave me lying in your wake
lay me low, lay me low one more time
let it rain, let it pour, spin me round a little more and roar away, roar away,
hurricane.

Em C
the sensible people run, but I’m holding out my tongue,
Am C Am C
for just a taste of rain, electricity, I want to feel that change washing over me,

so blow me down, blow me down and leave me lying in your wake,
lay me low, lay me low just one more time.
let it rain, let it pour, blow the hinges off the door and roar away, roar away,
hurricane.

COME HOME ON THE TRAIN

you left here on your dirty feet
but you’re gonna come home on the train.

you left here on your shoe leather
but you’re gonna come home on the train.

you left here on your limousine
but you’re gonna come home on the train.

when you left here you were putting on airs
everyone looked & everyone stared
but there’s gonna come a day when no one cares
when you climb up on that train

no matter what you bought or sold
the only thing you’ll have to hold
is the love you’ve loved and the truth you’ve told
when you climb up on that train.
we’re all gonna catch that train.

TOO LATE’S COME + GONE
(Key of D – Double drop D tuning DADGBD)

G D
good friday came early, some might say that’s just as well
G D
it’s a wreckingball afternoon, leave everything where it fell
G A
and the things that were said still ring in your head.
Bm A G
you’d give anything to be wrong
D A G D
but there’s no turning back, too late’s come + gone

now it’s somerville avenue rain and the night’s coming down
and you’re looking for someone to blame in an innocent town
on the road all alone, getting further from home,
every step that you take feels so long
but there’s no turning back, too late’s come + gone

i remember the light in your eyes put the neon to shame.
and the smoke hidden deep in your throat when you’d whisper my name.
oh the road is so rough, it’s all been enough,
i got no idea how we go on.
but there’s no turning back. too late’s come and gone.

A – G – D
hallelulia.

WASTED WORD
(Key of G)

G C
every little wasted word, every little wasted smile,
D G
every little wasted year, every little wasted mile,
G G
we’re gonna leave them all right here, we’re gonna leave them all behind,
D G
every little wasted word, I think I’m gonna make them mine.

funny way about this life, things tend to come around.
like every time you pull me up, then you let me down.
one day we can dance on air, then we’re back down in the street again.
just like every time the tide rolls out, the tide rolls back in.

C G
very little wasted word, every little wasted smile,
D G
every little wasted year, every little wasted mile,
C G
we’re gonna leave them all right here, we’re gonna leave them all right now,
D G D-C-G
every little wasted word, we’re gonna make them true somehow.

I guess we know that I lost you, I guess we know you lost me too.
and then I guess we know we both did things we never really thought we’d do.
so baby don’t you dry those tears, why don’t you just let them flow,
and then we’ll take all those years and just let them go.

i loved you til i couldn’t stand, loved you til i couldn’t see,
and then i loved you til i couldn’t find my way back to me
so i’m calling it a lovely time, calling it a lovely day,
and then i’m calling it a lovely place to just walk away

every little wasted word, every little wasted smile,
every little wasted year, every little wasted mile,
we’re gonna leave them all right here, we’re gonna leave them all right now,
every little wasted word, we’re gonna make them true somehow.

SHORT WORK
(Key of C – Capo 5)

Em D/F#
pinch me won’t you pinch me, I think I’m stuck in some bad dream
G C
where all the things I thought I know, they’re not quite what they seem
Em D/F#
‘cause weren’t you the one who pleaded, and begged for me to stay,
G C
told me you can’t live without me, and then you walked away, you made

G Am
short work of a big dream, you made
C D
brown leaves out of all my summer green, you made
G Am
mincemeat out of my pride, now youre
C D G-D/F#-Em-D/F#-G (2x)
leaving and you’re even making short work of goodbye

spare me won’t you spare me, can’t you spare me that routine
‘cause there ain’t nothing in that bucket gonna make this mess come clean
no I never could forget the way you turned so cold
and the silence that you kept, and all those lies that you told when you made

short work of a big dream, you made
brown leaves out of all my summer green, you made
mincemeat out of my pride, now I’m
leaving and I’m even making short work of goodbye

so go ahead, ask me please to take you back, on your knees
you can beg once again, say you just want to be friends,
you can rage, you can cuss, throw a tantrum, make a fuss,
you can cry, you can swear, go ahead, I don’t care, cause you made

MINGALAY

hail ya ho boys, let her go boys
turn her head round into the weather
hail ya ho boys, let her go boys
sailing homeward to mingalay

what care we how wild the minch is?
what care we for windy weather?
for we know boys, every inch is
bringing us closer to mingalay

well our hearts they shook inside us
on the night of the hurricane
now the stars come out to guide us
guide us home to mingalay

we are waiting by the harbor
we’ve been waiting since break of day
we are waiting by the harbor
ere the suns sets on mingalay

so hail ya ho boys, let her go boys
turn her head round into the weather
hail ya ho boys, let her go boys
sailing homeward to mingalay

All songs ©2003 Kris Delmhorst/Big Bean Music (ASCAP)