Thesis & Antithesis: About Twilight

Rob has provided some commentary regarding the songs that appear on Twilight for those of you who wish to delve a bit deeper.

The opening track is Jewel of Texas a song about the Galveston Hurricane of 1900, the deadliest natural disaster in the history of the United States. It is based on family lore of an Irish ancestor of mine that was presumed killed in the flood, and also some historical references to Isaac Kline, Head of the US Weather Service at the time. It is a cross between a waltz and a reel, thus the Irish-American flavor. Jennifer Hutt provides fiddle accompaniment.

Mulberry Bush is a bawdy variation of children’s song Pop Goes the Weasel. The monkey and the weasel loosely represent George Bush and Osama Bin Laden respectively. Poller is a corruption of ‘Apollo’ and a reference to the space mission of the same name, among other things.     

Bamako Express is based loosely on an account of Samuel Charters in his book Roots of the Blues of a train that runs from Bamako, Mali to the Senegalese City of Dakar. The train stops randomly in the desert and becomes a moving market where all manner of goods are exchanged along the route through the windows of the train. Our friends from the band Madagascar join us on this number as well as Beth Varden of Cicaeda. It features accordion and bowed saw and is quite a lively number. 

Easy Come, Easy Go is about a girl I dated a while back. She was from West Virginia, thus the mountain imagery. The snow represents the darker habits that followed her. It was those same habits that eventually carried her out of my life. ‘Bus stop blondes’ are girls that come to the city seeking opportunity, but instead fall prey to iniquity.

Saratoga is an instrumental track named for one of the most decisive victories of the American Revolutionary War. In the battle, General Benedict Arnold defied orders, wheeled his horse and led the Federal troops to a courageous victory over the English and German forces. He was wounded in the leg and dubbed “the Hero of Saratoga.”

Hostage Honey is the song from which the album title is derived. It alludes to Ragnarok, the Norse Cataclysm, in the lines, “And all dogs of twilight glide into that dark and distant age”. It is about breaking free of dependent relationships. We did not plan to record this one, but our engineer caught us fiddling with it between takes and asked, “Can you guys play that one more time?”

The King’s Assassin is a reworking of the Tristan and Isoldt tale as told from the assassin’s perspective. In this version no sword separates the couple in their grotto and the assassin slays Tristan. The assassin is so taken with the beautiful Isoldt that he runs off with her instead of returning her to the king. The story is Americanized as well. Our folk heroes carry pistols, not broadswords.

John the Revelator is an adaptation of the traditional gospel blues number of the same name. Lyrics are adapted in the spirit of Blind Willie Johnson, Son House and others. While it is the only traditional song on the record, it is also the only rock arrangement. It features three part call and response vocals and has been highly regarded by all many a soul. It is the second cataclysm song on the record and denotes the beginning of the second half of the album.

Fine Fraulein is a mock beer hall song. I was watching a World War II movie and was inspired by a speech given by a surrendering Austrian commander in the film. The central character in the song is an American soldier making his way across Europe at the end of the 2nd World War. He favors Italian women over German, but really longs for his Irish-American sweetheart back home. I wrote it to rebuke a Nordic featured woman that I was associated with at the time.

Gunny Shiloh is a rowdy romp through the banditry that existed at the end of the American Civil War. The central character is a Missouri ruffian who regrets his Robin Hood ways and swears off “poaching” repeatedly. The guitar mimics the old gospel blues line, “You can hide from the devil, but you can’t hide from God”. Members of Madagascar join us on assorted percussion as well.

All the Tea in China is an expression I heard alot growing up. The bones of McCoy Tyner are obviously his piano keys. Enithanrmon is a reference to William Blake’s concept of Eve in the Book of Urizen. Walker plays drums, Bergander plays my 1955 Gretsch Jet Mainliner lap steel guitar, and Dave plays the keys.

Heloise, Please is another mutated medieval romance, that of Heloise and Abelard. Abelard gives in to Heloise’s concept of love and thusly no castration occurs in this version. The landscape has been transformed to that of the Gulf Coast of Mexico. Saint James’ Thunder is that of the Boanerges (Sons of Thunder), the primordial twins that brought fire to many cultures of the ancient world and even make a cameo appearance in the New Testament as the desciples James and John. The title is a play on the Basement Tapes song, Please, Mrs. Henry.

Ginx Blues is an original adaptation of Charlie Patton song of similar name. The lyrics are entirely original, but the words are delivered in Charlie’s unique stutter-step fashion. This is a roaring rockabilly roadhouse number and I do my best vocal screeching on this one. This is all raw live energy, we did not mix it. It is aptly designated as the 13th track.

Buttercup Maidens is two parts third person allegory, one part first person narrative. The allegory is a story of a buzzard and snake (figures from Aztec tradition) who become disillusioned with the political and social climate of the Southwest during the Reconstruction. The snake longs for a better life and finally heads to the Pacific Ocean in search of an escape. The narrative portion is about a man who finds solace in honest work aboard a ship and comfort in the arms of Polynesian (Buttercup) maidens. We are once again joined by our good friends  Madagascar on this number.