I want you to be my love
I want you to be my love
'Neath the moon and the stars above
I want you to be my love
I want you to know me now
I want you to know me now
Break a promise make a vow
I know you want me now
Like I want you
I want you to be my love
I want you to be my love
'Neath the moon and the stars above
I want you to be my love
'Cause I want you
I know all you--
All you've been through
I was born to laugh
I learned to laugh through my tears
I was born to love
I'm gonna learn to love without fear
Pour me a glass of wine
Talk deep into the night
Who knows what we'll find
Intuition, deja vu
The Holy Ghost haunting you
Whatever you got
I don't mind
Put your elbows on the table
I'll listen long as I am able
There's nowhere I'd rather be
Secret fears, the supernatural
Thank God for this new laughter
Thank God the joke's on me
We've seen the landfill rainbow
We've seen the junkyard of love
Baby it's no place for you and me
I was born to laugh
I learned to laugh through my tears
I was born to love
I'm gonna learn to love without fear
You're my water
You're my wine
You're my whiskey
From time to time
You're the hunger
On my bones
All the nights
I sleep alone
Sweet intoxication
When your words
Wash over me
Whether or not
Your lips move
You speak to me
Like an ocean
Without waves
You're the movement
That I crave
And in that motion
I long to drown
And be lost not to be found
You're my water
You're my wine
You're my whiskey
From time to time
I cry just a little bit
Just a little bit
Everyday
Get by just a little bit
Just a little bit
That way
I know, I know
I should have known
Bluer
Than the blue devils
Bluer than this pale blue angel
Bluer than all of my troubles
Love is never far from danger
I die just a little bit
Just a little bit
Everyday
Get by just a little bit
Just a little bit
That way
Let go, let go
Now that you've gone
Bluer
Than the blue devils
Bluer than this pale blue angel
Bluer than all of my troubles
Are we gonna leave here strangers
It's not the spark that caused the fire
It was the air you breathed that fanned the flame
What you think you'll solve with violence
Will only spread like a disease
Until it all comes 'round again
Was John the only dreamer?
Sleep with one ear close to the ground
And wake up screaming
When we lay our cold weapons down
We'll wake up dreaming
Obsessions with self-preservation
Faded when I threw my fear away
It's not a thing you can imagine
You either lose your fear
Or spend your life with one foot in the grave
Is God the last romantic?
Sleep with one ear close to the ground
And wake up screaming
When we lay our cold weapons down
We'll wake up dreaming
Only love can turn this around
I wake up dreaming
Everything we've lost can be found
We'll wake up dreaming
Hush now my sweet little noisy boy
There is trouble enough in the world
Pick up your feet little lazy boy
Come dance with your little girl
Spin me 'round this kitchen floor
Like a carnaval
Troubadour
I know we're only two-bit clowns
In a one-ring circus
But make me a little bit dizzy boy
Swing me on your trapeze
When I'm in the arms of my dreamy boy
It still makes me weak in the knees
Right here on this record player
Is our scratchy song
We're alone
Slide trombones like an orchestra
Full of fortune tellers
Come now my sweet little breathing boy
I'm listening hard to your heart
It's as strong as a lion's boy
Let's leave here and make a new start
I remember once you said
Lying in this bed
The past is dead
Everyday is a one-act play
Without an ending
Walking out in the freezing rain
I feel nothing 'cause I numbed the pain
I'm lookin' forward to lookin' back
On this day
Prayed last night
Dear God please no
But I was never good at letting go
I'm lookin' forward to lookin' back
On this day
Good news can be so unkind
When it's everything you have to
leave behind
I'm lookin' forward to lookin' back
On this day
In the taillights
So much hindsight
Telling me what I already know
I know
Little did I know
That I almost let you go
Until I caught a glimpse of life
without you
Little did I know
How deep these roots had grown
Until I felt the earth quake here
without you
And this ache is gonna break me love
Until you come back home
Right or wrong
There is no home without you
And these eyes are never gonna dry
I never knew how I could cry
Until I thought I'd really lost you
Little did I know that I almost let you go
Until I caught a glimpse of life
without you
You were the hand that I tried to take
You're the decision that I could not make
You're the religion that I should forsake
You were the story I tried to tell
You were the savior that tripped and fell
Beautiful dancing infidel
Who will guard the door
When I am sleeping
Who will guard the door
When I am sleeping
I'm not sleeping
You were the season that would
not change
I often was the same
Then four horseman came and stole
my name
I never saw you fall apart
I never saw you work so hard
Never saw you need no one
I am my father's son
My memory will not fail me now
Mmm firefly in the night sky
Only lights on the rise
And I need you so firefly
One satellite with a lazy eye
Caught me by surprise
With an ache in my belly
And a taste in my mouth for fire
My memory will not fail me now
Mmm firefly in the night sky
Only lights on the rise
After the killing frost
Where do you go
Firefly
My memory will not fail me now
And the rest is history
Credits:
1. I Want You To Be My Love
(Bergquist/Detweiler)
Karin Bergquist: Vocals, Acoustic Guitar
Linford Detweiler: Piano
Byron House: Upright Bass
2. Born
(Bergquist/Detweiler)
Karin Bergquist: Vocals
Linford Detweiler: Acoustic Guitar, Piano
Pete Hicks: Electric Guitar
3. Drunkard's Prayer
(Bergquist/Detweiler)
Karin Bergquist: Vocals, Piano
Byron House: Upright Bass
David Henry: Cello
Brent Gallaher: Saxaphone
4. Bluer
(Bergquist/Detweiler)
Karin Bergquist: Vocals
Linford Detweiler: Acoustic Guitar,
Backing Vocals
Byron House: Upright Bass
5. Spark
(Bergquist/Detweiler)
Karin Bergquist: Vocals, Acoustic Guitar
Linford Detweiler: Acoustic Guitar, Bass, Piano, Wurli
David Henry: Cello
Devon Ashley: Drum Kit
6. Hush Now (Stellas's Tarantella)
(Bergquist/Detweiler)
Karin Bergquist: Vocals
Linford Detweiler: Piano
7. Lookin' Forward
(Bergquist/Detweiler)
Karin Bergquist: Vocals, Acoustic Guitar
Linford Detweiler: Acoustic Guitar
David Henry: Cello
Devon Ashley: Drum Kit
8. Little Did I Know
(Bergquist/Detweiler)
Karin Bergquist: Vocals
Linford Detweiler: Piano
Byron House: Upright Bass
Brent Gallaher: Saxaphone
9. Who Will Guard The Door
(Bergquist/Detweiler)
Karin Bergquist: Vocals, Acoustic Guitar
Linford Detweiler: Acoustic Guitar
10. Firefly
(Bergquist/Detweiler)
Karin Bergquist: Vocals, Piano and Percussion
Linford Detweiler: Bass and Percussion
Pete Hicks: Electric Guitar
David Henry: Cello
11. My Funny Valentine
(Rodgers/Hart)
Karin Bergquist: Vocals
Linford Detweiler: Piano
Byron House: Upright Bass
All songs published by Scampering Songs Publishing (ASCAP) and Nettwerk Melodies (ASCAP), c/o Nettwerk Songs Publishing Ltd., except My Funny Valentine, published by Chappell & Co. (ASCAP)/Williamson Music Co. (ASCAP)
Produced by Linford Detweiler, Karin Bergquist and Mahan Kalpa.
Recorded November 2 - 15, 2004, by Mahan Kalpa, Pete Hicks and Linford Detweiler at the Grey Ghost, in Norwood, Ohio.
Mixed by Mahan Kalpa at Echo Park, Studio B, Bloomington, Indiana. Mastered by Roger Seibel at SAE Mastering, Phoenix, Arizona.
Photographs by Michael Wilson. Additional photos by Karin Bergquist.
Design by Owen Brock.
Discover much more at overtherhine.com. (Thanks to Eric King and Drew Vogel.)
Thanks to our families, friends, to those who have discovered our music and to those who are about to discover it.
To contact Over the Rhine: please e-mail OTRhine@aol.com.
For booking info please contact Ali Giampino at The Billions Corporation: Giampino@billions.com, 206.363.2316.
Management: please contact Dave Palmer. Davepalmerinc@yahoo.com.
Thanks to Spinner and Ryan Henry for all your help on the road.
Back Porch Project Manager: Mike Bailey. Thanks to everyone at Back Porch Records.
Become a friend of Back Porch and receive news about artists, concerts and new albums.
Also available from Over the Rhine on Back Porch: Films For Radio and OHIO.
Please visit www.backporchrecords.com, call 414.961.8350, e-mail your address to info@backporchrecords.com, or write to Back Porch Records, 4650 N. Port Washington Road, Milwaukee, WI 53212.
Notes:
1. Talk a bit about the band's goings-on since OHIO.
OHIO got quite a bit of good press and our fans embraced the songs, which was a lot of fun for us, especially since we were a bit unsure how a double album would be received. We threw ourselves into promoting OHIO, because we believed it was some of our best work and still do.
But a few months into our national tour, Karin and I realized that although good things were happening with our music, there was just very little energy or creativity or time left over for our marriage, and it was taking a toll on us. I think we had to learn that putting a long-term relationship on autopilot indefinitely can be dangerous if not fatal. We decided we had to pull the plug on the tour and go home and figure out if being together was something we were still committed to.
We opted to start over, reinvent our own relationship, dig deep and do the homework to see if we could make our marriage sing. We decided to redirect the same thought and energy, that we had been putting into writing and performing, toward our life at home together. We prayed alot. Our friends prayed alot. It was the beginning of a wonderful new chapter for us. And hopefully, some of what we've learned has not only made us better people, but better songwriters as well.
2. Discuss the making of the record, the decision to record at home, the sonic results and feel.
Part of the challenge of being a working musician is just being away from home so much. On the one hand, it's a real privilege to be able to perform our songs in front of an appreciative audience. On the other hand, it's difficult to establish rhythms, be rooted and build a good life at home when we're constantly coming and going. It's also a challenge to stay connected to family and friends, to be part of a community. So, we opted to record Drunkard's Prayer in our living room. We decided to keep it close to home and make a simple record that was deeply connected to this time in our lives.
We limited the palette to our piano and acoustic guitars, upright bass, some cello, a few horns and subtle textures. We didn't labor over the songs, which tend to be very personal. We've found there's often an undeniable warmth and honesty that comes through in the recordings we make at home.
3. Discuss the origin of the title.
We opted to call the record Drunkard's Prayer, which was the name of the first song we recorded for this project, a song that sort of set the tone for the record. Maybe that's why we need songwriters: when we run out of words to pray, sometimes a song will do the trick.
We decided to put a white horse on the cover, because that image has been associated with redemption. The songs on this record tell the story of two people finding their way back home after almost losing everything, each other included.
We also liked the fact that Drunkard's Prayer sounded like the name of a race horse, a long shot, a horse with little chance of winning, but the one you've got all your money on.
4. Provide a few sentences on a few of the tunes: inspiration for, anecdotal info, etc.
Born - When we came home from the tour, we bought two cases of wine and decided we were going to put a bottle on the kitchen table every evening and start talking until nothing was left. The idea was not to get piss-drunk, but to talk face to face deep into the night.
Drunkard's Prayer - Everybody wants to be drunk on the good stuff--drunk on life, love, music, the wine of God and what not. In the New Testament, when the believers were first filled with the Holy Spirit and started speaking in tongues, the onlookers thought they were drunk. It takes some of that same holy foolhardiness to attempt to be an artist, a lover, a true friend, an adopted child of God.
Hush Now - We've talked about doing a record someday with just the two of us, and we did a few songs on Drunkard's Prayer that way.
5. Anything else you'd like to have mentioned?
Quiet music should be played loud.
We are not brother and sister.
Questions: Anne Dickens
Answers: Linford and Karin
NO DEPRESSION (USA) “...slow burn ambience, enchanting melodies, languid tempos; themes of affirmation in the face of travail. Bergquist’s voice -- subtly emotive, with just a hint of earthy midwestern drawl -- is the perfect instrument.”
THE SUNDAY TIMES: 4 Stars (UK) “...intensely personal songs examine the tricky subject of staying together. Bergquist’s voice is so strong... Stunning.”
UNCUT (UK) “...feels much like a renewal of vows. The vocals of Karin Bergquist add a rich sophistication to piano-led chamber ballads and jazz-inflected folk.”
PASTE MAGAZINE (USA) “...emotive, soaring, bittersweet, this is the soundtrack to an evening at home with your oldest friends...”
ALL MUSIC GUIDE (USA) “Over the Rhine bring things back to the heart on Drunkard’s Prayer. ...tender, poetic, gracious, deeply moving. Songs like “Hush Now,” “I Want You to be My Love,” and “Bluer” are fine and varied illustrations where folk, rock and American roots music caress and kiss.”
M2 (New Zealand) “With upright bass, piano, acoustic guitars, horns, a few subtle textures plus one amazing voice, Over the Rhine’s new songs are often stunningly simple, but always fearless. One of the top albums of the year!”