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The Thirteenth Step (fdm140)

by Chris Anderson

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1.
Mark I 04:38
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Here it comes The hermit man is on the rise There she goes She got flowers in her eyes They’re riding on the edge of a dream And counting all their wishes away They live between a cry and a scream They’re taking it day by day She’s the captain And she’s steering you away She’s got a hundred pound anchor At the bottom of the bay She’s a mirror Reflecting you away from life She’s got a steel fist and an iron glove And she’s got a knife They’re riding on the edge of a dream And counting all their wishes away They live between a cry and a scream They’re taking it day by day -circa 1992
2.
Did You Get Enough? 03:46
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I would never try to write a thousand words to say I’m right But you never looked to me so strange And I never thought to look at all those visions that I took They’d never look to me the same I took the cause and looked for cars They’re coming at me every way Just like some old joke I told It gets stale with every day Did you get enough? Or did you just give up? What’s the difference anyway? For a time we laughed at all those silly thoughts we had But still I had to sail away I took a pause from what it was That kept me running every day Just like the wind at the end It sucks and blows us all away On the surface of all doubt, such good intent keeps walking out Into the shadows of the dark What kind of anger to you hide behind the anchors of your pride It’s not enough to light the spark I tore it down to rise again We all look different every day Just pretend you’re me so you can see It’s not enough to walk away -circa 2000 (additional lyrics written 11/29/20)
3.
A Bird Like That 06:17
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I wrote a hundred letters to the editor Claiming that everything we’ve seen has come from her I spoke in tongues, I spoke in tongues I’d never make it through your pride Such a thrill, such a thrill, such a thrill to be alive I’d never seen a bird like that - the way she flew so high And all her disappearing tricks release me from the lie I’d never seen a bird like that - she left without a trace I wandered through the trip surreal, searching for a voice without a face I took a cold hard look at everything she said And began to fight the wind inside my head I spoke in tongues, I spoke in tongues And sang out to the voice in overdrive Such a thrill, such a thrill, such a thrill to be alive I’d never seen a bird like that - the way she spread her wings And flickered at the drop of a hat in spite of everything I’d never seen a bird like that - fly, mother of all grace I wandered through the trip surreal, searching for a voice without a face I heard the distant slap of every kind of storm Behind the clap trap and the free form, free form I spoke in tongues, I spoke in tongues Her cold embrace was warmer than her hive Such a thrill, such a thrill, such a thrill to be alive I’d never seen a bird like that - the way she shed her song And fluttered like a deviant angel on the wrong side of wrong I’d never seen a bird like that give it all up after the chase I wandered through the trip surreal, searching for a voice without a face -Circa 1996 (additional lyrics written October 2020)
4.
Dancing In The Sky 06:00
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There’s a song I sang when I was just a kid I can’t remember how it went It may have been something strange Short yet sweet but so deranged Undue all that, though I can’t recall my past If I saw your face I would never notice this So strange, so strange, that I shouldn’t see it If she sang - singing to the raindrops Dancing in the sky There’s a place I’d go when I had had enough I can’t remember where it was It may have been far away Or out beyond the silent spray And besides that, I’d never see beyond my past If I saw your face I would never notice this So strange, so strange, that I shouldn’t see it If she sang - singing to the raindrops Dancing in the sky There’s a dream I had, most every single night I saw their faces in the fog I know it was so long ago But still as fresh as memories go Lost among that, well I can’t replace my past If I saw your face I would never notice this So strange, so strange, that I shouldn’t see it If she sang - singing to the raindrops Dancing in the sky -Fall 1991 (additional lyrics written October 2020)
5.
Dirty Halo 05:07
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i've got an angel in my garden running circles in a jar i keep the lid closed tight around her yeah, she won't get far she always sings about the sun and moon and stars she turns her head away from all the cars that carry us away to where we are they carry us away and we’re hanging on on the back of a dirty halo i’ve got a demon in my belly screaming blood and pantomime i just laugh it off and keep on down the dotted line he’s got a new idea some sort of wicked master plan but he stumbled and fell back into the arms of the boogeyman who carries us away to where we are he carries us away and we’re hanging on on the back of a dirty halo i’ve got a storm here in my pocket some kind of fury in my hand and i stole the keys and locked it in the shadow of these small demands it’s like a cold snap just to break it and a hot spell just to blink for the man in the mirror is a faker and he’s standing on the brink of carrying away we’re still hanging on on the back of a dirty halo -10/26/04
6.
One Fine Day 05:45
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My feet have walked for miles and miles My mind stayed home in bed My thoughts meander from time to time I wish that girl was dead I’d be better off instead My head is kinda weary Was it the poison or the wine That left me in the garden Somewhere further down the line I'll never make it back on time One fine day I’m all alone She creeps into my mind In tired words and twisted faith On one fine day My eyes have seen the glory Of the splitting of the sun It burns just like a glacier Futile fire overrun I’ll break before the day is done My hands are both in shackles Yet they’re freer than the breeze That blows the fever down Sometimes it’s better just to freeze Than to fight them for the keys One fine day I’m on the run No eyes can hunt me down Between the treads I’ll hide away On one fine day My soul has seen disparities Between the lights and lies And it counted all the ways To steal the winner and her prize And blame it all on compromise My fever keeps me twisting Like a kitestring in the wind I feel the sweat erupt And she keeps haunting me again Push me onward to the end One fine day I’ll take it back If we still have time to play When the sun has gone below On one fine day -circa 1997
7.
The Thirteenth Step 04:38
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I place my hands upon the lead glass And watch those tiny moments fade Though you were there to see it all pass You never caught the masquerade I left those shoes on the hillside Two thousand years from where I stand I could have left you on that dark ride Or shot you down by sleight of hand On the thirteenth step I washed my hands and left the garden The gate was locked from way back when Such grave mistakes have left me hardened They come to pass but never end Without a pulse they lay discarded Although regret seems so insane I led my soul through realms uncharted And held you there to entertain me On the thirteenth step I closed my eyes and let it all run And laughed at faces from the day By all accounts of every last one It was just a game I had to play Where all the pawns are pulled from the queue And all my scripts arranged by id That’s not to say I never loved you But I can’t say I ever did. -10/16/98
8.
Dancing In The Rain 04:49
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I take a walk out in the street And everyone I meet I label stupid I try and walk behind my feet And everybody says I’ve been mistreated Label me A-1 insane I feed the magistrate his shame Label me A-1 insane And I’ll see you when I’m dancing in the rain I lost my way before today My bottle says it’s all the same old story I left the check nailed to the bar I never knew I’d get so far from boring Label me A-1 insane I beat the gods at their own game Label me A-1 insane I pulled the links out of the chain Label me A-1 insane I feed the magistrate his shame Label me A-1 insane And I’ll see you when I’m dancing in the rain I pulled my head down from the clouds Just in time to see it all begin there T’was nothing but a light to seal The edges of the void that was everywhere What kind of fool would dream it Just to get behind the line but never see it It all comes down to nothing, yeah It’s time to go so you better just forget it Label me A-1 insane I beat the gods at their own game Label me A-1 insane I pulled the links out of the chain Label me A-1 insane I feed the magistrate his shame Label me A-1 insane And I’ll see you when I’m dancing in the rain Label me A-1 insane I pull the string time and again Label me A-1 insane And I’ll see you when I’m dancing in the rain -circa 1999
9.
Kyrie 05:42
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Caught between the waves again This madness that we know has reeled me in I’m spun out by the force of love It knocks me down, it knocks me down with a push and a shove This fever keeps me on the floor Sometimes we dance through broken glass A million to one against the mass I’m pounding on the door, please let me in You turn away again and again and… Nothing like a burning light to make us want to fight Kyrie – Kyrie eleison I’ve tried again to set it straight Still everything we know is in some kind of chaos state If we could get our shit together, maybe in some other time We’ll summit all the hills we always climb Kyrie – Kyrie eleison I look out for you - I’m taken by you Oh, times of trouble, come to me Don’t burst my bubble, not just yet, I need to see Just what this world means to me - now I need it most So hold me, take me, over and again Pressing thoughts and fires leave us clinging to the wall Beneath the paving stone is where you’re gonna find it all Kyrie - Kyrie eleison Dona nobis pacem -5/4/92 (8:14am) (revised and amended 9/24/20)

about

Chris Anderson's 93rd full length album release.

Sometime in the midst of the 2020 pandemic lockdown, I came across some old lyrics that had never been set to music. I was feeling a bit creative, so I tried my hand at setting that lyric to music. This is a form of writing that has always been hit or miss for me so I wasn't expecting much.

The thing about not expecting much, though, is that it is easier to be pleasantly surprised, especially when the process goes so smoothly. So I kept up at it until a lightbulb went off over my head - there was a giant plastic tub in my mom's basement filled with old notebooks from high school and college. Surely there would be lyrics in there to discover. As someone who maintains such an intricately detailed archive, the thought of a hidden trove was far too enticing. So imagine my joy when I started digging and finding lyrics everywhere. Fully written, titled pieces that were long forgotten, all the way down to random lines here and there, scribbled in the margins of those old books. Everything was extracted, sorted, titled, printed, and then I set as many of them as possible to music. More than half of them went the distance, to one degree of success or another.

At the time, I was keeping myself (and everyone I know) occupied with a series of thrice-weekly virtual performances, known as the Social Distance Tour. Over the course of 100 performances, I went through as much of my songbook as possible, and many of these newly-formulated songs were tested out during those sets. Of course, when you are dealing with such volume, there are going to be plenty of duds, but there will also be plenty of songs that move me. Those songs were eventually singled out and, once operations shifted into recording mode, the ones that really stuck with me were the ones that got the treatment.

Over the course of those recording sessions, almost 100 songs were laid down, from all corners of the catalogue. Some were re-recorded oldies, some were new songs, some were experiments, but many of them were songs from the Memo Project. It didn't take long before this album started to come together and, combined with this cover that was drawn during those lockdown sessions, a working version of the album was assembled in April 2021. It was moving in the right direction but still did not feel right. I was otherwise occupied with the five-album Boomslang saga, as well as the Music Box, so inspiration to finish this album never quite made the journey from my daydreams to reality. Every so often I would listen to it, like it, but still not feel right.

Fast forward to now. It is nearing time to start recording again and, armed with a treasure chest of 300 new songs, I imagine being quite occupied for the foreseeable future. The time to finish this album is now. Over the course of this past month, The Thirteenth Step was mixed three or four times, and mastered a few times as well. Two songs were cut from the running and it finally started to sound cohesive. I still don't think it's perfect, but I also don't think that further work would be anything more than overthinking. So this is it. The Thirteenth Step.

All but one of these songs feature lyrics that were exhumed from that big tub of notebooks ("Dirty Halo" was written in 2004 and found buried in a digital folder somewhere) and these lyrics originally date from 1991-1997 or so. Many have been extensively rewritten, or amended, but there are others that are sung exactly as they exist on those dusty old pages. Some of these lyrics I can actually remember writing - "Kyrie", in particular, will always make me think of my music theory class in 12th grade, and I have a vague memory of writing the lyric to "Dancing In The Rain", but most of these were wonderful, unexpected reunions.

This is the first of what will likely amount to several albums to come from those Memo Project songs. I often think about the version of me that wrote these songs and what he would think if he heard these songs, as they came to exist. I think he would dig them. I sure do.

-CA, 9/23/22

credits

released September 30, 2022

"produced" by Chris Anderson
Recorded and mixed in The Room, Oct 2020 - Mar 2021

CA: acoustic & electric guitars, bass, acoustic & electric mandolin, banjo, drum programming, vocals, other shit.

All songs written by Chris Anderson
(c) CA / Flying Dachshund Music (BMI)

All music composed and arranged, Aug-Oct 2020

Lyrics were written as follows:

Mark I - circa 1991
Did You Get Enough - circa 2000
A Bird Like That - circa 1996
Dancing In The Sky - fall 1991
Dirty Halo - 10/26/04
One Fine Day - circa 1997
The Thirteenth Step - 10/16/98
Dancing In The Rain - circa 1999
Kyrie - 5/4/92, 8:14am


Special thanks to my other timelines.



(p) 2021 (c) 2022 Chris Anderson / Flying Dachshund Music (BMI). All rights reserved. Thieves will be thrown down the stairs.

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Chris Anderson Alexandria, Virginia

Chris is a wildly prolific songwriter who has hovered among the outskirts of the music world for over 30 years. On his own label, Flying Dachshund Music, Chris has released 154 CDs, 96 of them being full-length albums. That's just the tip of the iceberg and there are no signs of stopping. Ever.

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