“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.
Lost and Found
Chadwick Stokes Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Oh don't you make them break down an open door
I see it in your face, somewhere far away
You've gone just now
I was thinking of that room up in Oakland
The one where I burnt the suitcase on the floor
You said can you believe that we are in the past
Oh, here we are, still close to the start
Still time to shape who we are
You take the moon and I'll take the stars
Let our feet barely touch the ground, we are lost we are found
Remember that night in January
We got all dressed up and bought scissors at the store
You cut off the bottom of your wedding dress in the parking lot
Oh we made a fire by the river, took our dog and Lewis and nothing more
Over the town line, you said you would be mine, I said I would be yours
Oh, here we are, still close to the start
Still time to shape who we are
You take the moon and I'll take the stars
Let our feet barely touch the ground, we are lost we are found
Oh and here we are, still close to the start
Still time to shape who we are
You take the moon and I'll take the stars
Let our feet barely touch the ground, we are lost we are found
The song "Lost and Found" by Chadwick Stokes is a nostalgic and reflective piece about reminiscing over the past and realizing the present moment. It begins by addressing the singer of the song, asking if they can hear something calling them and not to refuse opening doors. The lyrics suggest that the singer is caught up in something, lost in a distant memory, which is reflected in their faraway gaze.
The second verse continues this theme of memory, describing a room in Oakland where the singer and someone else had burned a suitcase. The memory feels like it could have been yesterday, but it takes a moment to realize that it lives in the past. The chorus follows, emphasizing the idea that the present moment still offers space and time to shape one's future. The singer and another person take the moon and the stars, metaphorically suggesting that their possibilities are limitless. The song concludes with another memory, this time of a night in January where the singer and another person went out, bought scissors, cut off the bottom of a wedding dress in a parking lot, and made a fire by the river.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh can you hear them calling you
Others are trying to reach out to you, can you listen?
Oh don't you make them break down an open door
Don't make others work hard to reach you, be open and approachable.
I see it in your face, somewhere far away
You seem distant and lost in thought, far away from the present moment.
You've gone just now
You are mentally disconnected and lost in your own thoughts at the moment.
I was thinking of that room up in Oakland
I was remembering a place where we were together before, it made me nostalgic.
The one where I burnt the suitcase on the floor
I remember a specific incident, where something was burnt on the floor in that room.
You said can you believe that we are in the past
You reflected on how time has passed since we were last in that place.
Let's stay a little longer
You wanted to stay in that place a bit longer, savoring the memories.
Remember that night in January
Do you recall the night in January when something memorable happened?
We got all dressed up and bought scissors at the store
We dressed fancy for the occasion and bought scissors, perhaps for an impulsive purpose.
You cut off the bottom of your wedding dress in the parking lot
You impulsively cut off a part of something you cherished, perhaps a sign of liberation.
Oh we made a fire by the river, took our dog and Lewis and nothing more
We had a simple yet beautiful moment by the river, enjoying the company of our pet and loved ones.
Over the town line, you said you would be mine, I said I would be yours
We made a commitment to each other, bound by love and loyalty.
Oh and here we are, still close to the start
We still have a long journey ahead of us, but we are in the beginning stages.
Still time to shape who we are
There is still time to discover and mold ourselves into who we want to be.
You take the moon and I'll take the stars
We can divide and conquer our dreams, taking different paths to reach our goals.
Let our feet barely touch the ground, we are lost we are found
We may feel lost at times, but we are still making progress, discovering ourselves as we go along.
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Chad Stokes Urmston
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Guilherme Govea Simões
Best regards of a really big fan of you from Brazil! I was really hoping to listen to this new record and put in it WHOLE here shows us why you recorded it in the first place.
Everyone can dream so, if you could, please come to 🇧🇷
Jesse Bilderback
Loving it. See you in STL next month!! Bringing you something special Chetro.
J L
yes fell in love with this song after the first second
Brett Forstel
"Oh, here we are, still close to the start" should be Oh, here we are, still close to the death star!
MrPorkchops
I thought I was the only one lol