“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.
Keep Sake
Chadwick Stokes Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
One gonna settle me down then bring me back up again
I'm gonna put my family back together again
One gonna hold my woman another gonna hold my job
One gonna help me get up, another gonna help me stop
One gonna help me talk right, one gonna lay me down to sleep
One gonna hold my thoughts and another gonna hold my bones
One gonna keep me warm and another gonna keep me cold
One gonna bring religion, right from a Coleman stove
One gonna help me keep, and another gonna help me take.
One gonna run me down, a hail of bullets in my wake.
You're gonna keep my soul it was yours to have long ago
(humming)
I'm gonna buckle my belt around the ceiling pipe
I'm gonna buckle my knees and I'm gonna lock em up tight
I'm gonna hold a pen while you drag my arm across the page
One gonna hold my memories another gonna close the door
One gonna leave me restless another wanting more
You're gonna keep my soul it was yours to have long ago
The lyrics of Keep Sake by Chadwick Stokes depict the struggles of a person who is coping with the issues in his life. The song brings forth the idea that there are different factors that play their part in helping a person heal or mend after he has been broken. The first verse of the song is conveying the message that there is one thing that will work as a remedy for the physical pain of the person, while another thing will help him overcome his emotional agony. The next line talks about how the person will settle down after he has been knocked down and then come back up again. The person wants to bring his family back together and put the pieces together that fell apart.
The second verse signifies how the person is coping with his job and relationship issues. The phrase "one gonna help me get up, another gonna help me stop" represents that the person is struggling with balancing his job and relationships. The next line "one gonna help me talk right, one gonna lay me down to sleep" highlights the struggle of the person to communicate properly and to have a peaceful sleep. The third verse metaphorically narrates how the person will take his own life after enduring the struggles that he has been facing. The last verse discusses how the person’s thoughts and memories will be held by someone while also contemplating the idea of soul and existence.
Line by Line Meaning
One gonna heal my body another gonna heal my pain
I need different remedies to heal my physical wounds and emotional hurts.
One gonna settle me down then bring me back up again
I need moments of calmness followed by revitalization to keep moving forward.
I'm gonna put my family back together again
I want to reestablish a connection and unity with my relatives.
One gonna hold my woman another gonna hold my job
I need support for my personal relationships and my professional life.
One gonna help me get up, another gonna help me stop
I require assistance to start and stop various aspects of my life.
One gonna help me talk right, one gonna lay me down to sleep
I need help with communication and relaxation throughout my day.
(Humming)
We take a moment of silence and reflection.
One gonna hold my thoughts and another gonna hold my bones
I need someone to help me with both my mental and physical well-being.
One gonna keep me warm and another gonna keep me cold
I need to experience varying degrees of temperature to feel alive.
One gonna bring religion, right from a Coleman stove
I find spirituality in ordinary things, like cooking on a camp stove.
One gonna help me keep, and another gonna help me take.
I need people who encourage me to both accumulate and let go of things.
One gonna run me down, a hail of bullets in my wake.
I am constantly on the move, pushing myself and facing opposition.
You're gonna keep my soul it was yours to have long ago
I feel like my soul belongs to someone else and they will continue to possess it.
(humming)
We take another silent moment to reflect on this statement.
I'm gonna buckle my belt around the ceiling pipe
I am contemplating self-harm or suicide.
I'm gonna buckle my knees and I'm gonna lock em up tight
I am experiencing anxiety or a desire to restrain myself.
I'm gonna hold a pen while you drag my arm across the page
Even though I may feel controlled or powerless, I will continue to express myself through art.
One gonna hold my memories another gonna close the door
I have people who will keep my past alive and others who will encourage me to move on.
One gonna leave me restless another wanting more
I have people who will push me out of my comfort zone and others who will motivate me to strive for more.
You're gonna keep my soul it was yours to have long ago
I still feel like my soul belongs to someone else and they will continue to possess it.
Contributed by Alexander R. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Jason Lankford
This song absolutely broke my heart 💔 on the weeds finale, who knew how personal it would be to me after my divorce
MrPorkchops
I dont watch weeds, but man is it cool to have SR on a show