THE THREAD | Peace to you

When everything shut down last spring, I had to abandon some plans I'd made for the year. I lowered my standards, adjusted my expectations, etc. Know what I'm talking about?

But in the midst of the shifts, I started writing songs again. For the first month or so, I couldn't stop. 

I'm doing things backwards here. Usually you wait until you have a well-polished album to launch, or you have a well-practiced band to perform a show. You usually hold the raw demos back. 

But hey, we're living through a pandemic. Backwards and upside-down is all we've got. I've been making some music and I want to share it.

So here's the first song I'm sharing (via SoundCloud):  PEACE TO YOU

I wrote this song during a long drive through northwest Missouri after my sister called me to ask how I find it possible to pray these days. How do you sing a hymn when can't believe the words anymore? How do you get your heart aimed outward, worshipping beyond the words? She asked hard questions, and I asked some back. But as I drove and thought about it some more, this song became one attempt at an answer.

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PEACE TO YOU

Sister, we no longer know how to pray
The wounds of our youth still get in the way
We’ll fuck up the words, we don’t know what to say
But I’ll breathe deep, peace to you
 
Sister, we no longer know when to act
We just can’t untangle our fiction from fact
The center won’t hold, the foundation is cracked
But I’ll breathe deep, peace to you
 
Sister, it’s harder to let ourselves rest
Our chests heave under this bulletproof vest
We’ve drowned in the tempest of being too blessed
But I’ll breathe deep, peace to you
 
Father, I can’t stand your generation
Your wars and your wealth led to devastation
Yet look at me now, how I fail my own son
But I’ll breathe deep, peace to you
 
Mother, the fruits of your womb raise a voice
To bless you and thank you for every choice
That helped us make one holy hell of a noise
So I’ll breathe deep, peace to you
 

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My friend Jordan Kenning recorded this and a number of other songs with me. Similar to me, the early days of the shutdown drew Jordan back toward music. Over the past seven months we've been able to workshop a handful of songs and record demos together. During a year when so many things became impossible, it's been great to figure out how to just make some music with a friend. I'm excited to share a few more in the coming months and see where these songs might end up.
 

~ ~ ~
 

What I'm listening to: Karen Koenig's Kitchen Sink Confessionals, Justin Townes Earl's Midnight at The Movies, Steve Earle's JT

~ ~ ~

Peace to you all,
Andrew


BUSKER JAR:  If you want to support my projects this year with a lil' bit of patronage, I'd welcome it. You can use my PayPal (andrewjohnsonkc@gmail.com) or Venmo (@Andrew-Johnson-45954).