Song of the Week: Vail Monograph, Version 2 - March 21, 2020

Chris Thile’s Song of the Week for March 21, 2020, “Vail Monograph, Version 2” (originally from October 19, 2019). The band: Chris Thile, Aoife O’Donovan, Mike Elizondo, Jeff Babko, Matt Chamberlain, Chris Eldridge, Alex Hargreaves, Noam Pikelny. — Lyrics: “Canst thou send lightnings So that they may go And say unto thee here we are?” A rhetorical question From our Father In Heaven To Job in his suffering Here below To Job in his suffering— As we sent the first lightnings All those years ago I quoted that question by heart Then delivered the answer Full of magnets and wire On behalf of a dreamer Here below On behalf of a dreamer— “Sounds like you did this” I did but— It was the least that I could do —than I would do to serve his genius To serve his— `“Sounds like it’s time to set the record straight Nothing’s wrong with calling a good man great, but a bad man...” No, he’s not a bad man Though it’s true before we met The God of Wire was struggling to connect What he had with what he dreamt Then I applied a method to the madness And the thing began to click We were like a couple little kids ‘Cause it was clear this was it I’d take him by the hand and lead him to whatever future he had seen And pan whatever gold was in his stream Of consciousness that flowed between his heart and anything like love for the doer of his dreams “Sounds like he used you” He did but— Oh how I burned to be of use —to be of use and not be slave to A mind as— As cold and dry and barren as this one is At least when in comparison to one like his “You have a great mind” No, his is the great mind And it will never be at rest Will ever trade this moment for the next And what it has for what it’s dreamt So even if the present is exactly what he wanted it to be He’ll miss his un-manifested destiny And find a better man than me To take him by the hand and lead him to whatever future he’s been seeing And pan whatever gold’s still in his stream Of consciousness that flows between his heart and anything like love for me I send him a lightning Every now and then Saying unto him “here we are I don’t expect you to answer But I miss you dear dreamer And what we did together Here below O what we did together here”