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That's How: This song was finished one day last summer and recorded the next. When it was completed, we decided to make it the first song on the album, and it remained that way. I was grateful that the moment had been captured, and relieved that we had a take we liked so quickly because it was (and is) a very emotionally charged song.

All My Angels Past: I have often hiked in the mountains above where I live, places the Chumash Indian once roamed. It's beautiful up there, especially at dusk or dawn. In the evening at certain times of the year, Venus appears low over the horizon to the west, and quite prominently she shines. This song was born up there.

Musta Gone Wrong: I guess everyone's got an Uncle Frank--at least that's what people tell me when they hear this song.

Jacaranda: The blossoms of a Jacaranda tree are a beautiful purple that remind me of the height of autumn in Ohio, when the changing leaves become brilliant in reds and golden yellows. Some people complain about how "messy" these Jacaranda trees can be, but if I had a yard I'd put ten of 'em in, because I love that purple color.

From A Soldier Dying Young: Several years ago I was handed an article written by a friend of mine, Wally Chessman, about a group of Granville, Ohio eighteen year olds who in 1863 were sent to serve the Union Army to guard a railway depot in Virginia. They were ambushed by a large confederate force and either died there or in Andersonville, Georgia, where the survivors were sent. None of them returned home. Wally and I were part of group trying to save a the old Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Hall (now known as the Auditorium Theater) in Newark, Ohio. The theater was built in honor of the people from Licking County, Ohio (where Newark and Granville are located) who died in the Civil War. It is a rare gem, still intact with amazing pre-electronic acoustics and an incredible history behind it, but faces demolition. I wrote this song after reading Wally's article, and sang it at a Memorial Day concert on stage at the theater. I would truly love to someday perform there again.

Heroes and Princesses: This is a simple country waltz in which Robin's fiddle soars like the vulture mentioned in the third verse. The story, however, was not so simple.

Jathida: When we finished recording this song and I realized it was almost seven minutes, I was really surprised. It's definitely not "radio ready." I was given the option, during the mastering of the album, to cut out a couple of choruses and thereby trim the length. After a minute I said forget it. I wanted this song to last forever. Or maybe I wanted the moments with Jathida to last forever. As far as the song is concerned, I almost got my wish.

Date With A Rattlesnake: I don't mind snakes as long as I see them before they see me. But I don't recommend dating one, although it does pretty much guarantee a view from the wild side of things.

Blood Of Our Mother: This is a true story. I never knew Terry Freitas, but I met this mother two years after his death, when she shared his story with me. I was honored that she asked me to sing this song at a tree dedication for him at a Los Angeles public school he had attended. And I learned quite a bit about what's been going on in Colombia and neighboring South American countries in the last twenty years. Terry was a very brave lad.

In This World: It took me three years to write this song. I guess I had to live long enough to know what it was about.

Missiles, Mortars and Rockets: This I wrote while driving to Denver one summer. I nearly drove off the road laughing.

Try Love Instead: One of my first experiences collaborating... After I heard Tom (Buffum)'s music, I pretty much knew what the song had to be about. I didn't want to write it. I didn't want to conjure up those feelings. But I think it came out pretty good in spite of the pain involved in getting the words down.

Rudder and Sail: A friend of mine, the late Melvin Huffman, sang this song better than I ever could. He was blind from the age of two and treated horribly by his family. But he was the nicest guy and he had a huge repertoire of songs in his head that he loved to sing, and I was honored that one of my songs was in that repertoire. I learned a great deal about the joy of singing a song from Melvin, and I can still hear him singing this one.