Chris and Thomas is an American folk duo consisting of Christopher Anderson… Read Full Bio ↴Chris and Thomas is an American folk duo consisting of Christopher Anderson and Thomas Hien.

With sounds gathered from the landscapes of the American Southwest, chris and thomas’ music could just as easily find its home in the rainy hills of the early 1970’s English countryside. Combining American roots instrumentation with soothing vocal harmonies, the duo’s rustic sounds and heartfelt songs are filled with thoughtful lyricism.

chris and thomas became close friends at the historic art school in Liverpool where John Lennon and Paul McCartney had met up decades before. During their student years they found themselves in the bohemian surrounds of a group of painters, sculptors, renegades, holy men and metaphysical explorers who had made up much of Liverpool’s underground. They played the drunken Irish pubs till the sun shone and they sang for the Queen while they earned music degrees in film composition.

In the late 90’s the two had created “Cook Au Van,” a traveling cooking show. The vehicle for the show was literally an old gas board utility van that they had converted into a five star restaurant. Made from exquisite found objects, the van boasted water fountains, changing works of art and a fully functional wet bar. Inside the van, they hosted dinner parties for the Lord Mayor and countless British celebrities. After doing the circus lifestyle with the traveling restaurant and cooking for the likes of Jarvis Cocker, Bill Drummond, politicians and fine artists, the two had decided to turn back to their true love of music.

In 2003 chris and thomas arrived in Los Angeles, California. The duo’s live debut was on 11/18/03, opening up at the Hotel Café for singer/ songwriter Alexi Murdoch. Their unique live performance which involved playing with one condenser microphone and gathering around it like some modern day Carter Family, quickly earned chris and thomas a name on the L.A club circuit.

That was just the beginning. Returning from a weekend in Joshua Tree, the two were greeted by multiple phone messages from excited friends who had heard their song “Take These Thoughts” on L.A.’s influential NPR station KCRW. It was news to the pair. Their EP, Vista Street Sessions, was passed on by a mutual friend to the station’s tastemaker DJ /music director Nic Harcourt. Harcourt programmed the disc on his show, eventually included it on NPR’s syndicated Sounds Eclectic, which introduced a national audience to chris and thomas. Since then a lot has happened.

On air performances on KCRW and other radio stations followed with appearances at SXSW and other venues and festivals throughout the country. More radio stations have added chris and thomas to their playlists as their fan base continues to grow in the U.S., in continental Europe and in the UK.

“Take These Thoughts” recently won best song of the year in the Americana category at the Independent Music Awards 2006. The duo’s full length debut Land Of Sea was recorded with renowned producer/engineer Mark Howard (Bob Dylan, U2, Tom Waits). Howard, who used to work with producer Daniel Lanois for over ten years, has a very unique way of recording. He rented out an old sound stage in Hollywood the size of Abbey Road Studios, where he set up vintage recording equipment, Persian rugs, Victorian lamps and brought in legendary musicians to accompany chris and thomas on their record.

The record was first released in the UK in 2006 in conjunction with a 5 week tour and has gained critical acclaim and rave reviews (4 stars and runner up to album of the month in MOJO Magazine).

The US release includes the bonus track "Horse In The Sky". The song, penned by chris and thomas and Oscar nominated composer John Debney, is featured in the end credits of Garry Marshall’s new film Georgia Rule starring Lindsey Lohan and Jane Fonda.

chris and thomas’ woven harmonies and sparse instrumentation will make you think of big skies with small clouds.

Morning Song
Chris and Thomas Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

When you wake up in the morning
And the gods? in you are golden
And everything is new
There is nothing you can do
There is nothing that you can't do

And the light is shining through ya
And the birds are singing to ya

Of love
Of love
Of love
Of love
Of love
And the love is comin' through ya

When you wake up in the morning
And you've overlooked the warnings
That everything you do is coming back to you

And whatever we've been dreaming
We're walking with that feeling
It doesn't matter
We'll go with the weather that comes
And it comes

When you wake up in the morning
And the gods? in you are golden
And all you feel is right
There's nothing on your mind
The time has gone

And whatever we've been dreaming
We're walking with that feeling

It doesn't matter
We'll go with the weather that comes

Overall Meaning

The song Morning Song by Chris and Thomas is a feel-good tune that celebrates the joy of waking up in the morning and feeling alive. The opening lines "When you wake up in the morning / And the gods in you are golden / And everything is new" set the tone for the rest of the song. The reference to "the gods in you" can be interpreted as the feeling of being alive and one with the universe, which is a powerful experience that makes everything feel new and exciting.

The following lines "There is nothing you can do / There is nothing that you can't do" speak to the sense of limitless possibility that comes with feeling alive and invincible. The world is your oyster, and nothing can hold you back.

The chorus of the song brings in the theme of love, which is presented as something that flows through everything and connects us all. The birds singing of love seems to symbolize the interconnectedness of everything in nature and the way that we are all part of a larger whole.

The final verse brings up the idea that sometimes we overlook the warnings that life presents us with, but even when we face difficulties, we can still walk with a feeling of optimism and determination. The idea that "we'll go with the weather that comes" suggests a resilience and adaptability in the face of life's challenges.

Overall, the lyrics to Morning Song are about the joy of being alive and the way that feeling of aliveness can connect us to the wider world and give us a sense of purpose and hope.

Line by Line Meaning

When you wake up in the morning
As soon as you wake up in the morning, at the beginning of your new day.

And the gods? in you are golden
When you feel most alive and like anything can be possible.

And everything is new
Everything around you looks fresh and unexplored, nothing like you have seen before.

There is nothing you can do
There aren't any limitations or hurdles stopping you and your ambition.

There is nothing that you can't do
You can achieve anything you set yourself out to do.

And the light is shining through ya
The daylight is energizing your entire being and making you feel invincible.

And the birds are singing to ya
The surrounding wildlife is singing and praising you for your accomplishments.

Of love
The sounds of the birdsong symbolize love and harmony.

Of love
The birds remain singing of love throughout the day, keeping the consistent feeling of love alive.

Of love
Love is what fuels the surrounding nature to keep singing and expressing joy.

Of love
Love should be something we should exude through every action, thought, and word.

Of love
Love is the strongest emotion we can feel, and it brings purpose and meaning to everything.

And the love is comin' through ya
Love is flowing through you, out into the world, a sense of fulfillment.

When you wake up in the morning
Once again, as soon as you wake up in the morning.

And you've overlooked the warnings
In spite of the warning signs, when you try to ignore life's lessons and plow ahead recklessly.

That everything you do is coming back to you
You should be accountable for each of your deeds as they always end up bouncing back to you in some form.

And whatever we've been dreaming
Whatever dreams we have had.

We're walking with that feeling
We are carrying the feeling of our dreams throughout our day.

It doesn't matter
It is unimportant.

We'll go with the weather that comes
We will face the weather's changes with a positive outlook regardless of our current conditions.

And it comes
The changing weather and situations always emerge, regardless of our expectation and preparedness.

When you wake up in the morning
Once more, as soon as you wake up in the morning.

And the gods? in you are golden
You feel most connected to the universe and that you were meant to be a part of it.

And all you feel is right
You feel selfless and that everything will work out in the end.

There's nothing on your mind
Your mind is completely free of worry and anxiety.

The time has gone
You have spent your entire day in positivity and love, and the time has flown by.

And whatever we've been dreaming
Once more, our past dreams which we still hold on to.

We're walking with that feeling
We will carry that feeling of our past dreams with us throughout the day.