Musicians
Paul Weiss — acoustic, electric and resophonic guitars, vocals
Howard Simon — twelve-string and acoustic guitar, harmonica, harmony vocals
Beaumont Beaullieu — drums, electric and upright bass
Libby McLaren — piano, organ, accordion
Curtis James — violins
Gari Hegedus — mandocello
Matt McDavid — percussion
See more album credits and acknowledgements
Lyrics
1. Dying Land
I came down out of Heaven’s Gate, I was knocking on your cabin door
You gave us our lines and our parts to play, and leave me to guess what for
I played it out like I knew I would, while she curled up to be alone
A bear man singing songs of himself
Songs of a dying land
Trouble took off with the morning sun, ’cause there weren’t nowhere to hide
They skirted the shores of the dying lake, and tried to find a way inside
The wind kicked up upon the lake, blowing the salt of our tears
We watched it all from our rocky cliff
View of a dying land
Violence begets violence when there ain’t nowhere to hide
And they ran off with their guns half-cocked, and the water rushed up behind
He played it out like he knew he would, while she curled up to be alone
A bare man singing while she flew away
Bird of a dying land
Electric guitars, lead vocals: Paul
Acoustic guitar, harmony vocals,
harmonica: Howard
Drums, bass: Beau
Organ: Libby
Shaker: Matt
2. The Boundary
They all think it happened ’round midnight
In fact it was a quarter to three
That time when Hell looked a lot like home
And the devil looked a lot like me
Love was on the knuckles of his right hand
His left was imprinted with hate
Redemption came along too early that night
Grace came way too late
I walk along the boundary
Between the light and the dark
The moonlight shone on the mountains clear
But I only had eyes for the spark
I lie in wait by your gateway
Laden with my offerings of gold
I thought to ease a path to heaven
But I had to offer up my soul
I wanted nothing more than to possess you
To hold your secrets—nothing less
I entered the garden, seeking your face
All I caught was a glimpse of your dress
I traced your steps into the canyon
To catch you unaware
But you knew me better than I knew myself
All I caught was the scent of your hair
I walk along the boundary
Between the light and the dark
The moonlight shone on the mountains clear
But I only had eyes for the spark
Here I stand by your gateway
Laden with my offerings of gold
I hoped to grease a path to heaven
But I had to offer up my soul
Now I walk along the boundary
Between the midnight and dawn
The meadowlark calls but I can’t hear
A rustle of the wind, and you’re gone
Here I stand with my burden
My offerings of silver and gold
I thought to forge a path to heaven
But I had to offer up my soul
Oh, I thought to forge a path to your heart
But I could not offer up my soul
Resophonic guitar, vocal: Paul
Drums, bass: Beau
Piano: Libby
Violins: Curtis
3. Everything’s Covered By Time
A tree once stood
Where that house now stands
The house now strangled by vines
The fields they planted
Are lost to the floods
Everything’s covered by time
Mama, she was tough
Sometimes even mean
And the sentence never fit the crime
But now I’m learning
To listen to her heart
Everything’s covered by time
Some days I miss you
Most days—not much
I never could bleed on your command
But the wounds are covered over
The callouses grown thick
Even pyramids lay buried in sand
You carried his bags
Oh, you carried his load
But he stranded you in Dayton without a dime
But he called you his “Brother”
So you ask to hear his song
Everything’s covered by time
The cover may be soft
The cover may be deep
Sometimes you may find that it lulls you to sleep
The cover may hide you
It may even bind you
No matter how careful or quiet you creep
A tree once stood
Where that house now stands
The house now strangled by vines
And the fields they planted
Are lost to the floods
Everything’s covered by time
Everything’s covered by time
Acoustic guitar, vocals: Paul
Twelve string guitar, harmonica: Howard
Drums, bass: Beau
Organ: Libby
4. Ariel
You came to me
You pried me free
Like a shell from a rock
You took the cup
I offered up, took the
Chains but fastened the lock
I cast your spell
I served you well
I held them all in your thrall
I shed my skin
And what might have been
I offered my voice to your call
Chorus:
You’re standing on the ledge
On the edge of the ocean
The water laps your fine leather shoes
I’m standing in the sand
On the edge of devotion
Watching you throw away the clues
I wanted no more
Than to settle the score
To pay for the gifts that I earned
For the slate to be clean
I needed to be seen
To have my allegiance returned
Chorus
I followed through
As I promised you
Delivered, though I knew the cost
My task is complete
But it tastes so bittersweet
To know your freedom is my loss
Chorus
Acoustic and resophonic/slide guitars, vocal: Paul
Bass: Beau
Hand drum, tambourine: Matt
5. Empty Boxes
The driveway will be empty
When you get home tonight
No one to plan the menu
No one to turn on the light
I’m tired of you knowing just where I am
Everything in its place
Plumb, square, and level, damn it,
Fixed in time and space
While you’re collecting empty boxes
And hiding them behind the door
While you’re clearing out the attic
I’m leaving you before
When we got together
A hundred years ago
You let me know you had a plan
You let me know how it would go
I guess I loved your confidence
We all love what we can’t have
You offered me my security
Now I know it’s just a salve
While you’re collecting empty boxes
And hiding them behind the door
While you’re clearing out the attic
I’m clearing out before
Before I’m too old to feel the stirring
Before I forget how to play
Before I’m locked and no longer brave
Before my eyes turn grey
The driveway will be empty
When you get home tonight
No one to plan the menu
No one to turn on the light
The driveway will be empty
No one to turn on the light
Electric guitar, lead vocals: Paul
Twelve string guitar, harmony vocals: Howard
Drums, bass: Beau
Organ: Libby
6. Whiskey
A whiskey to welcome in the morning
A whiskey to welcome me to sleep
A whiskey to smooth the edges of the hole that you left
A whiskey when I find I slide too deep
A whiskey when I struggle through the afternoon
A whiskey when I struggle out a laugh
A whiskey when my supper is cold at night
A whiskey I drink on your behalf
A whiskey when the party’s getting started
A whiskey to rise and greet her charms
A whiskey to buy my silence and hold my tongue
As I lie cold as marble in her arms
I know whiskey’s one bad companion
I know she’s no companion at all
But she can’t leave me and I’m all hers
Whiskey’s my pride before the fall
Whiskey to welcome in the morning
Whiskey to welcome me to sleep
Whiskey to smooth the edges of the hole that you left….
Acoustic and electric guitars, vocal: Paul
Drums, bass: Beau
Piano: Libby
7. Just Your Luck
I don’t give a shit no more
I don’t give a fuck
If you don’t like it, friend
Ain’t that your tough luck
I’m tired of makin’ nicey nice
I’m tired of toein’ the line
I’m tired of biting back the bile
It’s time I spoke my mind
I ain’t gonna let you yank my chain
Gonna get myself unstuck
Oh I don’t give a shit no more
I don’t give a fuck
Ever since you left me
I realized what’s true
It don’t matter how much I try
There ain’t no pleasing you
Now I see, there ain’t no point
There’s nothing left to prove
I can’t make you see my side
I can’t make you approve
You can’t see and you can’t hear
You’re mute as a god of stone
I might as well just open up
I might just cut the bone
My friends all say I’m crazy
They wonder if I’m sane
They wonder how I got this way
What’s happened to my brain
I call it how I see it
Can’t pull a punch no more
There’s nothin’ precious left to lose
Don’t care whose ox gets gored
Well, I don’t give a shit no more
I don’t give a fuck
And if you don’t like it, friend
Well, ain’t that just your luck
Electric guitars, vocal: Paul
Drums, bass: Beau
Organ: Libby
Violin: Curtis
8. I Love The End
Clouds layered like a curtain
Orange, pink and grey
Smoke lifts to the heavens
As the day falls away
Scarf wrapped ’round your neck
Bundled against the cold
So snug and warm
So free to be so bold
You tell me that we’re happy
You say it’s all in the blend
I don’t contradict you
I don’t want to offend
You say it’s in the cards
I don’t buck the trend
You love the healing
I love the end
Frost on the lawn
Trees are half bare
You deny awareness
I’m only half there
Twisting your hands
You twist in the wind
I twist the gold band
On the left hand of sin
I’m behind you at the window
As nightfall descends
We’re watching the lights
You bid me attend
You point out constellations
I’m too cruel to contend
You love the stars
I love the end
Our bodies grow still
We stretch out the night
You reach for slumber
I reach for the light
I call it a truce
You call it a peace, we
Both know it’s a draw
As our passions now cease
We go through the motions, we
Revert to old friends, we
Careen down the highway
Past fences to mend
You don’t see it coming
You don’t see the bend
You love the road,
I love the end
Oh, you love the road
I love the end
Electric and resophonic/
slide guitars, vocal: Paul
Bass and drums: Beau
Mandocello: Gari
Shaker: Matt
9. Visitors II
Lyrics by Howard Simon; Music by Paul Weiss
In the cool of the evening, watching you grieve
Wiping your face with the side of sleeve
The vigil was over, all that remained
Was a white linen shroud you could not unweave
They say, “Something is lost; something is gained
One soul departs, another’s unchained”
But these aren’t the chords of comfort you crave
Or the words that make clear what cannot be explained
The lives that we lose, the lives we can’t save
The voices that whisper and sing from the grave
They visit us often in daylight and dreams
Memories and love, the gifts that they gave
And the river that flows through the cracks and the seams
Gathers its strength from a thousand small streams
But we are no more than the sum of our past
Each is a life that renews and redeems
And we will be more than the sum of our past
Each is a life that will not be the last
Acoustic guitar, vocal: Paul
Drums, bass: Beau
Accordion: Libby
Violins: Curtis
10. Bad Chef Blues
Woke up this evening, she’s putting on her high heel shoes
Woke up this evening, she’s putting on her high heel shoes
She said, “Hey, Baby, it’s time you heard the news
“I’m going downtown, get me some spicy food
I’m going downtown, get me some spicy food
Score the daily special, fill me up real good”
What you doin’ Mama, what you saying to me?
I said, What you doin’ Mama, what you saying to me?
I’ve been working all day, now you wanna leave me be
She said, “I know you been workin’, I know you sweat and toil
I know you been workin’, I know you sweat and toil
But I need something, gonna make my gumbo boil
“You need your rest, but I need something more
You need your rest, but I need something more
Somethin’ picante, gonna blow the oven door
“Need me tamales, some chili in the pot
I need tamales, some chili in the pot
Spoon in a bowl, know how to hit the spot”
Wait a minute mama, don’t you go so fast
Wait a minute mama, don’t you go so fast
Gonna make some home cookin’, you know it’s gonna last
Gonna make my jambalaya, with okra and andouille
Gonna make my jambalaya, with okra and andouille
Too hot for you to handle, just you wait and see
Oh you woke up this bad chef, now he’s gonna serve you alone
Oh, you woke up this bad chef, now he’s gonna serve you alone
One taste o’ what I’m dishin’, you ain’t never leavin’ home
Resophonic guitar, vocal: Paul
Harmonica: Howard
Drums, bass: Beau
Piano: Libby
Tambourine: Matt
11. Point Of Departure
Her cell phone chimes
That old familiar tone
She knows she shouldn’t pick up or reply
Her bag is on her shoulder
Keys and coffee in her hand
He’s calling to say one last goodbye
But that’s not how it plays out
Another sad refrain
His bleeding heart and unrequited need
Although he bought her ticket
There’s always one more hole to fill
Another tether to keep her from being freed
Taking the rap
Taking the bait
Taking what he offered at a price
Holding still
Holding tight
Holding hope the payment will suffice
They eased him out the nest
When he was seventeen
Agreeing it was time for him to fly
They seemed to give their blessing
Helped him choose the route
It never occurred to him to cry
“Go ahead, have fun
Playing hide and seek
Just don’t wander too far away
You can spread your wings out
But keep them short and clipped”
An owl on a perch by the break of day
Taking time
Taking the bit
Taking on that gilded yoke
Holding out
Holding the line
Holding on to the words his master spoke
The Raven stands guard
Over the cooling room
Where we meet to start the end
We wipe away the blood
The sweat and stain
Prepare the spirit to ascend
There’s a painting on the easel
Stew on the stove
A book with appointments still to come
We’re left alone
With all these knotted strings
We unravel to the beating of the drum
Holding our breath
Holding on
Holding out a beacon to the lee
Taking stock
Taking leave
Taking wing like an albatross at sea
Taking time
Taking leave
Taking wing like an albatross at sea
Acoustic guitar, vocal: Paul
Drums, bass: Beau
Electric piano: Libby
Violins: Curtis
Credits
All songs by Paul Weiss, except “Visitors II” (lyrics Howard Simon, music Paul Weiss)
Produced, engineered, and mixed by Matt McDavid
Recorded at Sanctuary Sound, Sebastopol, CA
Mastered by Tom Waltz at Waltz Mastering
Front cover photo: Sunset/Sunflower River 2018 by Paul Weiss
Back cover photo: Eliezer Cohn
Inside painting: Untitled Landscape (detail) by Idell Weiss
Insert photos: Paul Weiss, Jeremy Weiss, Matt McDavid, and Anthony Ellison
Graphic design by Sara Glaser
Thanks
I am so grateful to the people without whom I never would have been able to make this album, especially:
First always, my loving spouse and bashert (soulmate) Allison, whose boundless support and love sustains me and is my raison d’etre.
Matt McDavid, whose creativity and vision is matched only by his openness and patience. You were able to see the potential in these songs, and my ability to deliver them, and built with that potential something that simultaneously reflected and went far beyond what I had imagined. You did it all with amazing gentleness and humor, and I am truly blessed by your guidance and friendship.
Beau, Libby, Howard, Curtis, and Gari, for your expressive, beautiful playing. You added so much of yourselves, and always just exactly what the songs needed.
Jack Gates, Pete Madsen and Stevie Coyle, for opening up my horizons on the guitar; Leslie Steinbock, for all your support, guidance and (yes) love; Jennifer Hamady and Garret Zieve, for your help in getting myself unstuck; my parents Idell and Otto Weiss (z”l), for encouraging (and enabling) me to pursue my music, and “prosper the work of my hands”; everyone at Frets & Refrains, especially Shawn Colvin and Patty Griffin, in whose workshops “Point of Departure” and “Ariel” were born; Ruth and Tom, for making me an honorary “Simon” on my trips upstate; James and Fawn, for giving me shelter from the storm; Amilcar Dohrn-Melendez; Alan Perlman; Catfish Keith; and Kevin Ryan Guitars, John Morton (z”l), Newcaster Guitar Co., and National Reso-phonic Guitars, whose wonderful instruments grace this album.
Libby McLaren, whose friendship, advice, mentoring, guidance and support are everywhere on this album.
Most of all, my “brother” of almost 40 years, Howard Simon. Your partnership, generosity of spirit, empathy, honesty, and willingness to listen—both to me and to my music—have meant the world to me. Without you, I never would have had the courage, much less opportunity, to make music outside my bedroom. I am deeply grateful every day for your love and companionship.
Paul Weiss
Oakland, 2024