A Lesson in Geography: story

In July of 2008, through a series of planes, greyhounds, taxis and fellow musicians’ vehicles, I traveled halfway across Canada to promote “Through the Wires”–just myself and a guitar. To say that it was an experience that created a sensory overload would be an understatement. I came back with a new perspective on things, and a new batch of songs in my pocket, this song being one of them. 

I’ve often found that what makes relationships forged during travel so intense is the urgency of it all. In the middle of July last year, I found myself on a greyhound from Halifax to Saint John with a woman who was in her mid-thirties. She had two children with a man she no longer loved, and who had shut down on her years before. Now she was making her way down the eastern seaboard to meet a man she had only spoken to via phone and internet for the last six months. She had been married since she was 18 years old, and had never known much else. “You must think I’m crazy,” she said. I didn’t. “You’re the only one,” she replied when I said this. “My whole family have practically disowned me over this…but there comes a time when you have to take a risk.” My story–that I was going around playing songs for people in dark bars–paled in comparison.

We talked for most of the bus ride until I got off in Saint John. She asked to buy one of my cds. “You’ve never even heard me play! It could be terrible!” I said. “I want something to remember this conversation by,” she said. 

I often wonder how it turned out with her, but that’s how these things go. The urgency of it all. The anonymity of it all. All that I have told you was told to me without any real prompting. Sometimes we just need someone to talk to, and for her that day, it was me. Don’t get me wrong–it was actually quite a delightful conversation; we laughed our asses off for most of the trip together. Amidst the laughter, came the story. A Lesson in Geography is an overview of that time, and that mindset. It speaks to what was going through my head for a month last summer–but it was a pretty unique month, even beyond the basic touring life scenario. 

I demoed the song first at home, and then recorded the album version on “Room in the City” with Steve Miller @ Artist Development Recording Studio in St. John’s, NL. The home demo (featured on myspace prior to the release of the record) was a one take with guitar and vocals, but in the studio I was able to add organ, xylophone and glockenspiel (heard throughout and mainly during the instrumental break).