This song was inspired by a recently-published book of letters that Henry David Thoreau wrote, called "Letters to a Spiritual Seeker." I was thinking about how often we allow society to dictate and define our identities as individuals and communities. Even we when struggle for self-definition and sovereignty, those forces are very real and formidable. I wanted this song to open the EP because it sets the tone by asking a really important question: what happens if we just get started (on the journey, a particular goal, etc.)? So often that is the hardest, scariest part. If we take that initial step, we just might find that the borders we’re taught to abide by are actually much more illusory and permeable than we think! I really believe that the human spirit is much more capacious than we often give it credit for. This song attempts to express that belief.
lyrics
Don’t let nothing come between you and the light
Don’t let nothing come between you and the light
All those magazines and ploys, and countless shiny toys
Don’t let nothing come between you and the light
When you travel to that city in the sky
When you travel to that city burning bright
Wear no nametag on your coat, ‘cause your business there is known
When you travel to that city full of light
Do you know what bread is?
Do you know what bread is for?
Do you bury the bones of reason,
Just to dig them up and gnaw on them some more?
Do you know your own bones?
When you call up all the demons in your mind
When you call up all the demons in your mind
Call your daughters, call your sons, call with kindness on your tongue
When you call up all the demons in your mind
All I ask is for you to wake me,
And whisper, “Love, you better rise
‘Cause there’s a flame on the horizon
And if we set out now we might arrive.”
So don’t let no one name the boundaries of your soul
Don’t let no one name the boundaries of your soul
‘Cause your soul goes on and on, in an avalanche of song
Don’t let no one name the boundaries of your soul
credits
from If We Set Out Now (EP),
released June 14, 2011
Scott Pryor - guitar, vocals
Jake Morrow - guitar, harmony vox
Emma Morrow - fiddle, harmony vox
Devin Greenwood - electric guitar, organ
Todd Erk - bass
Tom Bendel - drums
Ross Bellenoit - electric guitar solo
Andrew Dunn - trombone
Durham, NC singer-songwriter Skylar Gudasz makes intimate Americana delivered with dry wit and stunningly precise vocal acumen. Bandcamp New & Notable Apr 14, 2020