Dorilton (2022)

Wally

I wanna tell you of a time I went to Arizona

‘Was the summer right before I turned 15

Long before the days, a hazy page, amidst corona

Swiftly planned and quickly boarded for a trip for three

Accompanied by a childhood friend and his father

A dipsomaniac who could daily quench the thirst of three

Flew to Tucson, drove to Cottonwood

To stay with a wild-eyed Englishman by the name of Wally

Wally lived on a ranch, left alone to guard his castle

Drove the snakes away to another place to let them be

Cabinets filled with tarnished relics of forgotten people

Next to the cactus that allows the pineal eye to see

As I stood along the rim above, abasked, old canyon

Gleam cascade off Rio Colorado, blinding me

And as I turned and stared upon my friend, long lost companion

The dreams we had as children, once lost, had finally come to be

We were, nearly high and dry aloft the Havasupai land

The sun had set, the tippler left, to slake his lips, and calm his head

In the dead of night, the drive zigzagged across the county line

To Yavapai, the stars shone bright, the faster we go, the faster we fly

The rumbled rush of rental car beneath my solemn figure

A trembling mess of aching flesh and mediocrity

Arrived at dawn, Wally’s rocky path felt unfamiliar

The tippler blamed his son for his lack of responsibility

The river curled around the cliff that housed forgotten dwellings

Houses of loved ones long ago pushed to the sea

Dances echo within these brick walls and granite ceilings

Broken fragments of earthen pottery scattered round your feet

Fingerprints of forgotten children left in the plaster

Dried maize and blackened rock and bark from the trees

Rattlesnakes found their way to Wally’s sun baked patio

He hoped the bites were dry, if not, he would no longer be

Lizards scurried in the sand searching for drops of water

Tailless they stride, undeterred by desert heat

And as we swerved along the interstate through Arizona

The moor was barren, shroud with wild smoke, and oh so bleak

But behind the sterile facade lay critters magnificent in tandem

And as they stride so proud, they soak in the desert heat

Land of warriors, phantom powers, and mystic men of honor

A holy home, a pious land for Wally

Soil

It was salient, the holy lamb

The shepherd’s fragile hand points towards him as he starts to walk away again

I’m your old friend, the only one who ever gave a damn

And there I walk, avoid the tread, I refuse to float until the very end

Holding you close to the Earth

Pushing you down on the turf

Pulling you down

Here it comes again, that frightening feeling that you’re near the end

And almost burnt the wooden bridge in vain before the planks begun to bend

You’re my best of friends, we stand together in the summer stench

And dream about who we’ll become and who we’ll be before our time has spent

You were shot to death, I hope you didn’t cry

And that the stupid mother fucker who pulled the trigger rots until he dies

What a waste of life, a supple bird that never got to fly

And find its own way in the world, and nest itself inside the many pines

Pressing you into the dirt

Keeping you close to the Earth

Pushing you down on the turf

Keeping you down to soil’s worth

Porcelain

Take on another life, rinse yourself off every time

Porcelain, pick your prize, the cracks you hold are hard to find

Lord knows, that every time, you sold away the swollen tears in your eyes

Take off another time, stay here for a little while

Help yourself to bread and wine, starved you look with hair so fine

Lord knows, this friend of mine, it's more than just some symptoms that she tries to hide

This is for your life

To toe the line, to take the part of you you want me to

To be the canvas of your kind

Coat yourself with calamine, it’s more than just some symptoms that you try to hide

This is for your life

Rage

Tasting the rage, through the gold of the cage, feeling cold on the stage, anyhow

Fate stayed the same. was it cool, Was it lame? Wasn’t good, wasn’t sane, anyhow

Tasting the rage, feel it go, feel it stay, feel it claw at your face, anyhow

Fate was a game, let it flow down the drain, let it go up in fire, anyhow

Hold close the fire, anyhow

Skunk

You took it all into your cherish, with cypress lines to your estate
The fortifiers all have perished, they grabbed ahold and took the bait

And I was one of them, never knew I could go so far
I was free, no wonder I never flew so high
In my dreams, I pictured birds and skunks doing their things

No one was watching them, they found a new meal as they were coming up dry
In search of anything, they found a safe way to play until they died
Just like everything we try to hide

Take all of your compensation, every dime
Bring it all to a demonstration, prance awhile
Look up, you finally made it, to the top
In all of the hesitation, the kids ate your cake and the bandits tried to break into your home

You spend your time dreaming of errands, to occupy the time you’ve gained
By rushing through the siege of herons, to eat the meat that they’ve attained

And leave them tatters, the scraps and the left behinds
Of the feast, it’s more than they’ve had for awhile
So it seems, they spend their waking hours feeling the heat

I spend my days inside, waiting for rain to muddy the dirt
And darken everything, one last attempt to try and hide
In search of anything, they found a safe way to play until they died
Just like everything we try to hide

I know what I’ve been running from
Hard to find what I was coming to
I know what out there in the left behind

Take all of your compensation, every dime
Show it off in a demonstration, pass the time
Look around at your situation, stay a while
The skunk avoids temptation, supple smile

Flowers

Crashed my bike after prom, knocked the window off of some guy’s car

Shore of Brooklyn, there were flowers in my hair

She was there that night, golden hair that shined in the light

I surrendered, too afraid to catch her eye

Come see me in the heart of December

Hold me close until the thick of July

Miss the days when we were young in September

Open armed, I’ll be waiting nearby

I knew she was right, reminiscing about when I held her tight

But I was too scared to corrupt her perfect life

It was all my fault, lord turn me to a pillar or salt

As I look back, and yearn for all I lost

Mixed and Produced by Jasper Zeray

Mastered by Joe Ippolito

Engineered by Kevin Wulf and Anthony Campbell

Published by Wulfincore

Kevin Wulf / guitar - bass - drums* - vocals - mandolin - piano

Harrison Fink / alto saxophone - baritone saxophone

Jack Horvath / tenor saxophone

Sydney Laflamme / soprano saxophone

*drums on 'Skunk' performed by Anthony Campbell

Dorilton (2022) is the third official album by New York City based composer, Kevin Wulf. All music and lyrics written and arranged by Kevin Wulf. Recorded at 98 Hemenway, Boston, Massachusetts ; College of Saint Rose, Albany, New York ; 520 East 83, Manhattan, New York ; Purchase College, Harrison, New York.

Special thanks to Jasper Zeray, for without him this album would not be possible.