new frontier - gauge, january 2000
words/music: smith

seven days for seven years
he towed the line
paid the man to hold his fears
and mark his time
raised a family well
in a name brand padded cell
with soothing sounds and bedroom rounds
and a state run dinner bell
then had a dream
electronic screen
heat and the fury and sight

he found a new frontier
in a copper wire
there to build a new main street
with the founders’ fire
but the man’s already there
to tape and break the midnight prayer
so to spread the word he led a sleeping herd
into the lion’s lair
hypnotist and greed
they took heed
send in the white coats to blind

we can’t break him
drugs and the voltage refuse to take him
strap him down again
he is a danger we must remake him

for seven generations here
beyond the shadow’s line
passed down a way to capture fear
and encircle time
then a horde came from the east
a broken word with every peace
let fury’s heat be sight to fight the farmer’s false release
but greed must expand
you’re on tomorrow’s land
send in the blue coats to bind

we can’t break them
desert starvation refuse to take them
push them back again
they are a danger we must remake them

real audio clip

one of the strongest tunes to come out of the winter in the boulder a-frame. alec spent a number of nights chopping at the bass line at meb's fender rhodes (with ski hat, gloves, and beer, as the studio/garage was whatever temperature the mountaintop was, plus about 10 degrees).

new frontier also has some of the strongest cd liner artwork not used in the cd liner. meb had taken a gorgeous sunset photo of little bighorn national monument, site of custer's last stand (photo was actually taken on meb's cross-country adventure with bill hoyt - see the recently posted excerpt from the upcoming book), but the images for each tune proved too diverse and were visually confusing when used all together. they may surface soon.