Yes, I’m making this live today. Yes, I know it’s January 6th. But honestly, for me anyway, this song is about the constant struggle between living for yourself and living for someone else, between honesty and compromise, diplomacy and raw emotion, personal and political and all the other divides and chasms we try to work through in the course of a lifetime. Over and over again.

When I wrote it my heart was pounding, my palms were sweaty and I was grieving. When we recorded it, it felt like a jubilee. And therein lies the answer. Somewhere between grieving and jubilee we figure out our way forward. May we walk well.
xox s

  1. 1 Country at War Sarah Dashew 3:58

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P.S. This is the first track on the new album The Snowmass Sessions, which will be live everywhere January 18th.

Music, lyrics, vocals, acoustic guitar: Sarah Dashew
Electric guitar, keys: Danny T. Levin
Bass: JP Maramba
Drums, percussion: Michael Villiers
Tambourine: Denise LaVey
Recorded at MadDog Ranch & Studios in Snowmass, CO
Engineered and mixed by Marc Meeker
Mastered by Kim Rosen Knack Mastering

Lyrics:

Well I woke up this morning with a feeling of dread
And the words lead with love running through my head
But that line don’t work if the line’s gone dead
There are some things that I think need to be said
So I’m gonna say ’em

You used to ask me around when it was good for you
And then punch out the lights leave me black and blue
Took the last of the cash like it was your due
There are some bills you could pay if you wanted to
But you’ll never pay ’em

This was a family
This is a family no more
This was a nation
This is a country at war
You called me godless and you called me a whore
Do you remember

Well the battle lines were drawn around blood and pain
In a boxing ring covered with spit and stains
Determined to fight until the last one was slain
And when I wanted out and said never again
Instead I got christened
And you stole my car and drove it till it ran out of gas
Panhandled for more so the good times could last
Smashed it and crashed it and called it a blast
And I listened

This was a family
This is a family no more
This was a nation
This is a country at war
You asked me to stand up so you could knock me to the floor
Do you remember

The truth is I wish I didn’t have to leave
I wish it weren’t easier to be blind than to see
But if I’m gonna be self-righteous I guess that’s what I’ll be
It’s a long-standing root holding up a dead tree
That’s just rotten
And I thought about trying to write you a letter
But I did this instead and it made me feel better
‘Cause maybe some things that stay unsaid stay unfettered
And now you won’t have to crawl through the gutter to get her
Maybe this way it just gets forgotten

This was a family
This is a family no more
This was a nation
This is a country at war
I said all I had to say
I ain’t gonna say anymore

Last night I stayed up till 2 am reading Thich Nhat Hanh’s The Heart of the Buddha’s Teaching. This is a surefire sign that I am feeling panicky. Inherently I’m fine. Inherently I feel safe, secure, healthy, faithful in the ability of the world and those close to me to take care of themselves and each other, figure things out and grow.

Body and monkey mind beg to differ.

Body: Heart pound! Sweat! Don’t catch your breath! Back pain! Doom!

Mind: Yeah, doom! Totally! Doom and dismay! Panic! Totally!

Body: Yeah, panic! Awesome!

It can be a challenge to focus on the good stuff when we revel so much in bad. Man do we dig drama. (And toilet paper.)

The truth is that there is a lot of unknown. Unknown is scary. Unknown means we don’t know what’s next. When we don’t know what’s next the stock market tanks, we run out of vitamin c (and toilet paper), money streams slow to a trickle, bla bla bla.

Look, on the one hand I can look at this as a beautiful opportunity to reset, re-balance, create, spend time with my honey. I’m fortunate to be able to do this.

On the other hand, a lot of people I love depend on work that demands social closeness and that ain’t happening right now.

In the face of the unknown, here is what I do know:

I know humans are incredibly resilient. I know it feels good to think about the good of others and act accordingly. I know I love my dogs and my family. I know I’m having a good time thinking up new favorite songs to sing while washing my hands (update: “Sweet Caroline” is really fun, takes a while, and as a bonus it’s kind of ironic because it’s all about touching people).

I know it’s a good time to be kind, to remember that life is short no matter what, and we’re all in it together always.

Feel your feet in the grass. Doodle some hearts. Call somebody and tell them that you love them. Watch “I Love You Man”. Or the Food Network. Or whatever. Bake some cookies and listen to YoYo Ma play Bach on cello and weep. Whatever you need.

I’m here too. And I’ve got toilet paper if you need it.

xox s

A picture book featuring the lyrics to the song “Do You Hear The Call.”

My friend Janee has been telling me for years that I needed to write a book, and she thought it would be a children’s book, and that I should do the drawings for it.

I am a TERRIBLE visual artist. I can’t draw. I love to doodle. I’m terrible at that too.

But last year I wrote a song that felt like I did when I was a child, and the lyrics felt like a children’s book. The song itself is about the effortlessness and fearlessness that comes with being a child in search of creation and discovering the world. Kids don’t seem to mind if they can draw or sing or not, why should we? Let’s get back to that fearlessness and curiosity.

So I did it. I put my doodles to the lyrics and made a book. It felt really good and a little scary, particularly because I’m a terrible visual artist. I left some blank pages in the back so you can doodle too. Right now it’s available on Amazon, and I’ll have a direct order through my site soon.

Here’s to all the doodlers out there!!!! xox

Check the video below to preview the book!

Sarah Behind the Songs: “Do You Hear The Call”

Stories behind the songs…”Do You Hear the Call” is out now! Available on all digital services.

Order on Amazon

xox Sarah