Parker grew up on an old farm in New York’s Hudson Valley, amid apple orchards, strip malls, and liberal arts colleges, listening to The Beatles, Bob Dylan and ABBA. Later, his interest flowed to R.E.M., The Replacements, Husker Du, The Smiths, etc. … “Anyone who can write a song,” as he once put it, had a fan in Anders Parker. During his twenties, he moved to Portland, OR, bought a four-track and entered the lofty ranks of real-deal troubadours. 1996’s Man of Sin (an Anders Parker solo album released under the name Varnaline) introduced Parker’s knack for new chord structures that feel lived in, and lyrics that delicately illustrate our world’s myriad variations on the sadly beautiful and beautifully sad.
The next year Varnaline became a band, as Anders’ brother John Parker got on board as bassist. Drummer Jud Ehrbar, an old friend of both Parkers, joined on the condition that Anders help out with Ehrbar’s other band, Space Needle. 1997 saw the release of Varnaline's self-titled sophomore effort, the acclaimed second Space Needle album The Moray Eels Eat the Space Needle and the acoustic Varnaline EP A Shot and a Beer. The new trio came off surprisingly low-slung and heavy. They made Parker’s sturdy songs so rugged you could leave them in your pocket for a few days, run them through the laundry and in the morning they’d work just the same. Varnaline was compared to Crazy Horse and the Minutemen. They toured with Metallica that summer. And they earned a following in the alt-country scene. This was probably due more to Varnaline's old-fashioned musical values (e.g., songs that work) than their sideburns. By 1998’s Sweet Life, the band was proving impossible to categorize, except by saying, as many did, Damn this Anders Parker guy can write a song. Sweet Life captured Varnaline's brilliance the way glimmering ice can capture a tree. Production became as much a part of Parker’s vision as his words and melodies. The characters he sang through started conveying poignancy beyond their own comprehension. Around the turn of the century, the label that released the first three Varnaline albums folded, and the band’s rhythm section executed a graceful bow to the pull of career and family. Anders, now relocated in North Carolina, signed to E-Squared/Artemis Records, but, unlike his labelmate Kurupt, continued to work with his former crewmates.
Nonetheless, 2001’s Songs In a Northern Key was pretty much an Anders Parker solo record released as a Varnaline record. Sprawling and varied, somber and gorgeous, it earned a crop of praise for all that and, of course, its songwriting. No Depression gave it a rave, calling it “cinematic in its imagery and intimate in its feel.” Magnet honored it with a spot on its year-end list of the 20 best albums of 2001. London’s Daily Mail called it “a minor masterpiece.” In making his new album, Tell it to the Dust, Parker mastered the semi-solo approach of Songs In a Northern Key. Or maybe the first official Anders Parker album is better than the others because he had so much time. Take a guy who writes countless great songs every year and give him three years…you don’t need an abacus to calculate what’s coming.
The project was initiated with monies received upon voluntary release from Artemis (a year was long enough to wait for the chance to record a follow-up) as well as contributions from his Management Company, Undertow and donated studio time from friends and believers. Parker reunited with key collaborator Ehrbar in an old Brooklyn firehouse. The two laid down 22 songs in four days. The initial recording was by producer/engineer Adam “Red” Lasus (whose credits include work with Helium and Clem Snide, in addition to Space Needle and Varnaline). Then, Anders took it on the road, recording in sundry settings with friends one at a time, including Jay Farrar (Uncle Tupelo, Son Volt), Bo Taylor (Motocaster, Dish, Bandway), Kendall Meade (Mascott), Greg Elkins (Vanilla Trainwreck), Joan Wasser (Dambuilders, Those Bastard Souls) and John Parker (Varnaline). John Agnello, (whose credits include Varnaline’s “Sweet Life” as well as work with Dinosaur Jr. and Mark Lanegan) mixed the songs and then stepped up to offer the final piece of the puzzle by agreeing to release the album on his record label, Baryon Records.
It worked. “Tell it to the Dust” will move and please all who listen to it. Its release is a major story. Consider it the performing songwriter’s equivalent of getting shot nine times in a botched drug deal and living to brag about it. For people who like songs, big news.
The Long Way Home
Anders Parker Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
If you're looking for one
Yeah there's a way back from all this it's easy as
Just get to thinking
That you're already dead
Now you're living
Beyond the confines of your head
Facing fear, treachery and slaughter
Say goodbye to all the plans that you have made
Say goodbye to all your promises
Say goodbye to the face you're looking at
When you're standing at your mirror
Thinking of a way
Well you can free yourself
From all of your desires
And you can be at peace
Never bothered or hassled
They say the living
All one day must die
But those philosophers
Won't look you in the eye
As they watch you leave and think
Those poor bastards
Say goodbye to all the plans that you have made
Say goodbye to all your promises
Say goodbye to the face you're looking at
When you're standing at your mirror
Thinking of a way back home
The lyrics of Anders Parker's song "The Long Way Home" explore the concept of finding a way back to oneself and a sense of peace amidst the struggles of daily life. The song suggests that the path to finding this inner peace requires a shift in perspective and a detachment from worldly desires. The opening lines, "Well there's a way back home, If you're looking for one, Yeah there's a way back from all this it's easy as," convey the idea that finding one's way back home is possible, but it requires active searching and a willingness to let go.
The subsequent lines, "Just get to thinking, That you're already dead, Now you're living, Beyond the confines of your head," suggest that by accepting the mortality and impermanence of life, one can transcend their own limitations and experience true freedom. It is through facing and overcoming fear, treachery, and slaughter (symbolizing the hardships and challenges of life) that one can break free from the constraints of their own mind.
The chorus further emphasizes the need to let go of attachments and expectations, bidding farewell to plans, promises, and the image reflected in the mirror. This signifies a departure from societal expectations and personal illusions, allowing for a deeper connection with one's true self. The lyrics imply that by shifting focus away from desires and external pressures, one can find inner peace and a way back home.
In summary, "The Long Way Home" by Anders Parker encourages listeners to seek a path back to themselves by embracing the idea of detachment and letting go of worldly desires. It suggests that by changing perspective and embracing the transient nature of life, one can find peace and liberate themselves from the confines of their own mind.
Line by Line Meaning
Well there's a way back home
There is a path leading back to the familiar and comforting place you call home
If you're looking for one
If you are actively searching and seeking for it
Yeah there's a way back from all this it's easy as
Indeed, there is a route to escape from all these troubles and it is quite simple
Just get to thinking
Simply engage your mind and start pondering
That you're already dead
Consider yourself as if you have already perished
Now you're living
Now you are truly experiencing and embracing life
Beyond the confines of your head
Moving past the limitations and constraints set by your own mind
It's really hard to spend your day
It is undeniably difficult to pass your time
Facing fear, treachery and slaughter
Confronting and enduring intense feelings of fear, deception, and violence
Say goodbye to all the plans that you have made
Bid farewell to all the carefully crafted intentions and expectations you had
Say goodbye to all your promises
Leave behind any commitments or obligations you had made
Say goodbye to the face you're looking at
Let go of the image or reflection of yourself that you currently see
When you're standing at your mirror
While you find yourself in front of a mirror, contemplating
Thinking of a way
Reflecting on a possible route or solution
Well you can free yourself
You have the capability to liberate yourself
From all of your desires
Release yourself from the grasp and influence of your wants and cravings
And you can be at peace
In this state, you can achieve tranquility and serenity
Never bothered or hassled
No longer being troubled or agitated by external factors
They say the living
It is often said that those who are alive
All one day must die
Will eventually meet their demise in the future
But those philosophers
However, those wise thinkers and ponderers
Won't look you in the eye
Avoid direct confrontation or acknowledgement with you
As they watch you leave and think
While observing your departure, contemplating
Those poor bastards
Expressing pity or sympathy towards those individuals
Say goodbye to all the plans that you have made
Bid farewell yet again to all the meticulously crafted intentions and expectations you had
Say goodbye to all your promises
Once again, abandon any commitments or obligations you had made
Say goodbye to the face you're looking at
Continuously let go of the image or reflection of yourself that you currently see
When you're standing at your mirror
Repeatedly finding yourself in front of a mirror, contemplating
Thinking of a way back home
Reflecting time and again on a possible route or solution leading back to the place you call home
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: Anders Parker
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind