“I had ridden the trains a little bit in the past for a day or two but I had never done it for weeks at a time,” Stokes says. “I discovered an America that I knew was out there but had limited experience with. There's all kinds of people out on the rails: people simply trying to get from point A to B, people running from whatever they left behind, people with nowhere else to go. You get to see a part of America that only the trains go through -- remote stretches without any sign of mankind." It was out on these long isolated stretches and in the inner city train yards that Stokes found the inspiration for his solo debut, titled SIMMERKANE II.
At a time when the term Indie-rock refers more to a guitar sound than doing anything truly independent, Stokes is an artist who has genuinely lived the credo. Unassisted by a major label, his band Dispatch arose from the college circuit to become an international musical phenomenon. With only a celebrated live show and a series of self-released albums the band was not only able to sell out Madison Square Garden several times but attract 110,000+ fans to a Boston concert.
While riding the rails, Stokes made a designated stop so his band, State Radio, could play an anti-war concert at the Denver Coliseum with Rage Against The Machine. It is a DIY social consciousness that Stokes came to early in life - growing up as a pacifist, working in Zimbabwe after high school and eventually co-founding the Elias Fund, the Dispatch Foundation, and now Calling All Crows. In 2008, Stokes was honored as Humanitarian of the Year at the Boston Music Awards.
Simmerkane II, a proper follow-up to the State Radio EP (Simmerkane I), is a marked evolution in the musician-songwriter’s creative journey. Produced by John Dragonetti (of The Submarines), the album features background vocals from Carly Simon, Matt Embree (Rx Bandits), The White Buffalo, Blake Hazard (The Submarines), and Sierra Leone's Refugee All Stars. The sound is an engaging mix of Americana, country, folk and rock in the service of some undeniably evocative lyrics. The songs tell a loose narrative of travel, love and loss, like some re-imagined rock-n-roll odyssey.
The journey begins with “Adelaide,” a fuzzed-out melodic folk rocker containing the prophetic line, “We left Worcester with our boots and our bags - and America undressed herself in front of our eyes.” Next, listeners venture into the “Crowbar Hotel” to discover an underground world populated by hard luck outsiders: “We are sold to the highest bidder, we are down to our very last crumb - May we invite ourselves to dinner, ‘cause we might just have to make a run.” The song “Back To The Races,” has Stokes reflecting on past mistakes and longing for the childhood farm while still seduced by the excitement of the journey and a new love. The symphonic rock-n-roll charges ahead before dropping down for the intimate lyrical refrain “Back to the races - and on with the day.”
The two-disc deluxe package includes three bonus tracks with Sierra Leone’s Refugee All Stars, a musical ensemble of refugees from Sierra Leone’s 1991 civil war. Stokes, who did humanitarian work in Zimbabwe as a youth, has been a longtime fan of the All Stars. The tracks include a lilting African-tinged folk song called “Coffee And Wine,” a reflective reggae track titled, “All My Possessions (Ode To Troy)” and “Don’t Have You” – a heartfelt ballad that eventually erupts in celebration with the All Stars’ backing vocals and percussions carrying the weight of their troubled history and eventual transcendence. “It was such an honor to work with the All Stars,” Stokes explains. “The songs we did were kind of folk songs and one reggae song, so they were a bit out of their element trying to adapt to the folky farm kid and his songs. But you can hear their history in their singing and playing and it adds this amazing power to the songs.”
Simmerkane II is an ambitious album about discovery, loss and moving on. What begun as a journey across an unseen America becomes a moving musical tribute to the resilience of the human heart. “The album was initially inspired by the freight train trip with my brother and that vast underworld that exists out there,” Stokes explains. “But then it’s also about growing up on the farm and losing loved ones; a young man learning about life.” In his spare time, Stokes can still be found hopping trains with his beloved travel companion, Lefty.
Ichabod and Abraham
Chadwick Stokes Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
His sleeves were always too short
But at least it meant he could always see his watch
And often he checked the time
And it would be stopped
He always thought it was broken
But then he'd remember he had to wind it, oh
Though he knew some day he'd remember to wind it and it wouldn't work after all
Isn't that the way it works
Isn't that the way it goes
While the fox he lurks
And while the rooster crows
Isn't that the way things are
The way the world ain't flat
But you can only run so far before you make it back
He could drink from the sink by craning his head far to one side
The day he figured that out, one of the horses died
It was one of the twins that barely a week'd been alive
It was the one who could barely stand
We'd wrapped his legs with gauze and bandages from inside from one of the kitchen drawers
We called him stretch
Cuz he was so skinny and tall
Momma said both twins rarely live with horses
We was lucky to have one livin at all
And me and my momma slept in the stall next to them in the bed of a pickup
All us kids piled in
I remember the momma horse lickin and cleaning up her newborn babies
She was working so hard (she was working so hard)
She was working so hard (she was working so hard)
She was working so hard
She was working so hard
She was working so hard
She was working so hard
Isn't that the way it works
Isn't that the way it goes
While the fox he lurks
And while the rooster crows
Isn't that the way things are
The way the world ain't flat
You can only run so far before you make it back
Isn't that the way it works
Isn't that the way it goes
While the fox he lurks
And while the rooster crows
Isn't that the way things are
The way the world ain't flat
You can only run so far before you make it back
You can only run so far
You can only run so far
Before you make it, before you make it back
The song "Ichabod and Abraham" by Chadwick Stokes tells the story of a man who is carefully getting ready for the day, making sure that his clothes match up and putting on a shirt with sleeves that are always too short. He frequently checks his watch, which often stops, but he realizes that he just needs to wind it. The themes of time, mortality, and inevitability run throughout the song as the man contemplates the fleeting nature of life.
The lyrics shift to a memory of the singer's childhood on a farm where a horse has just given birth to twins. One of them is struggling to survive, and the family does everything they can to keep it alive, even sleeping in the stall next to the horses. The mother horse works tirelessly to care for her newborns, and the family watches in awe of her hard work. The themes of survival and perseverance are emphasized, and the contrast between the fragility of life and the strength of maternal love is touching.
Line by Line Meaning
He put on his shirt carefully, making sure that the buttons matched up
He was particular about dressing himself and ensuring his buttons were aligned.
His sleeves were always too short
His shirt sleeves were consistently too small for him.
But at least it meant he could always see his watch
But the shorter sleeves allowed him to continuously keep an eye on his watch.
And often he checked the time
He regularly looked at his watch.
And it would be stopped
His watch would often stop functioning.
He always thought it was broken
He typically believed his watch was broken.
But then he'd remember he had to wind it, oh
Only then would he recollect he needed to wind it.
Though he knew some day he'd remember to wind it and it wouldn't work after all
Although he was aware that eventually he would remember to wind the watch, but it might not work anymore.
Maybe that would happen on the exact day he didn't think it was broken
Perhaps this would occur on the precise day he thought his watch was operating fine.
Isn't that the way it works
Isn't that how life operates?
Isn't that the way it goes
Doesn't that just happen?
While the fox he lurks
As a cunning fox keeps watch.
And while the rooster crows
And a rooster heralds the sunrise.
Isn't that the way things are
Isn't that reality?
The way the world ain't flat
Despite what's been said, the world isn't flat.
But you can only run so far before you make it back
You can only run away for so long until you inevitably return.
He could drink from the sink by craning his head far to one side
He discovered that he could drink from the sink if he tilted his head at an angle.
The day he figured that out, one of the horses died
On the same day he learned to drink from the sink, one of the horses passed away.
It was one of the twins that barely a week'd been alive
It was one of the twin horses that hadn't lived for even a week.
It was the one who could barely stand
It was the one which could barely balance on its legs.
We'd wrapped his legs with gauze and bandages from inside from one of the kitchen drawers
They had used kitchen supplies such as gauze and bandages to wrap the horse's legs.
We called him stretch
They nicknamed the horse 'Stretch'.
Cuz he was so skinny and tall
Due to its thin and tall stature.
Momma said both twins rarely live with horses
His mother had explained that twin horses seldom survive.
We was lucky to have one livin at all
They considered themselves fortunate to have even one horse still living.
And me and my momma slept in the stall next to them in the bed of a pickup
He and his mother slept in a pickup truck bed in the adjacent stall.
All us kids piled in
All the children sandwiched themselves in.
I remember the momma horse lickin and cleaning up her newborn babies
He vividly remembered the mother horse cleaning up her newborn foals.
She was working so hard (she was working so hard)
She was working tirelessly.
She was working so hard (she was working so hard)
She was working non-stop.
She was working so hard
She was putting in so much effort.
She was working so hard
She was working incredibly hard.
She was working so hard
She was giving it her all.
You can only run so far before you make it back
You can only run away for so long until you inevitably return.
Isn't that the way it works
Isn't that how life operates?
Isn't that the way it goes
Doesn't that just happen?
While the fox he lurks
As a cunning fox keeps watch.
And while the rooster crows
And a rooster heralds the sunrise.
Isn't that the way things are
Isn't that reality?
The way the world ain't flat
Despite what's been said, the world isn't flat.
You can only run so far before you make it back
You can only run away for so long until you inevitably return.
Isn't that the way it works
Isn't that how life operates?
Isn't that the way it goes
Doesn't that just happen?
While the fox he lurks
As a cunning fox keeps watch.
And while the rooster crows
And a rooster heralds the sunrise.
Isn't that the way things are
Isn't that reality?
The way the world ain't flat
Despite what's been said, the world isn't flat.
You can only run so far before you make it back
You can only run away for so long until you inevitably return.
You can only run so far
You can't run forever.
You can only run so far
You will eventually have to stop running.
Before you make it, before you make it back
Before you return to where you started.
Contributed by Elizabeth B. Suggest a correction in the comments below.