October First

I know I'm technically posting this on October SECOND, but I don't care. I'm still going to pretend this was posted early enough to be on the same date as the song title...

Last year, I was living temporarily in Guthrie, KY (near the border of Tennessee, about 45 minutes from Nashville). I was there with "E for Explosion." We stayed in Guthrie in between tours and had a lot of down time.

In Guthrie, we didn't have cell phone service, the internet was slow and spotty, and it was too hot and humid during the day to do anything outside. So most nights, I'd take a late walk down a 1 - 1 1/2 mile sidewalk/bike trail to the grocery store (to buy a coke from the vending machine).

These nightly walks were about all I had. But I have to admit, there is hardly anything creepier than a cornfield at night. And with all the Guthrie folklore and ghost stories (Flea Market, the Bell Witch, The "Beast"), it made it even worse. With my iPod, I was usually able to ignore the fear enough to make it there and back.

Anyway, now to the song...this is about one of the night walks on 10/01/08. It was just a particularly bad night. But due to the circumstances, I felt reckless as opposed to scared like usual. That's what the song is about...

I took some pictures on one of the walks and put them in this slideshow with the rough instrumental demo of "October First"...I'm hoping the imagery can help enhance the story in the song.

Lyrics:

Follow the trail

The bike path I have walked along 100 times this year

I want you to know that I feel no fear

But the fields have been cut down since I was last here

Continue on the shoulder

Heading for the stateline

I'm not sure what I expect to find

But I want you to know that it's cold for the first time

It's time to turn around now

Because nothing turned out the way I had not planned

Caution lights flicker behind me

My shadows dance on the road

...which one am I?

I want to stare death in the eyes

I want to look down on that great "beast"

I want to laugh in its face and say

"There's nothing left for you to take from me."

Standing in these empty parking spaces

The only places that I can be reached

I need to hear a voice

I need a comforting noise