Paulie of the Earth is about my dad, Paul Thomas. My mom and much of our family endearingly referred to him as Paulie much of the time. Paul passed away in May of 2020 after battling a rare lung cancer in spite of being an exceptionally healthy dude his entire life. It took us all by surprise and was hands-down the most devastating loss that I’ve endured.
It took months for me to write anything about it. When it came to writing a song for him, I wanted to honor my dad in a way that spoke to who he was, and not what happened to him at the end. Conveying my sadness and loss wasn’t where I wanted to go, so instead I wrote “Paulie” to tribute my father at his most alive and vibrant. It’s about Paul in his early 20’s, breaking free from the restraints and trauma of his childhood in upstate New York and heading west for the wild spaces he dreamed of in Wyoming, Montana, Utah and Arizona. His vibe was something like Kerouac meets John Muir in the 70’s, often hitchhiking and riding train cars to get where he was going.
Nature and the outdoors were his sanctuary as a kid. My aunts (his sisters) remember him drawing and reading for hours on end – learning as much as he could about animals, rocks, trees, plants, etc. He could identify anything we came across in the woods. He would catch snakes and snapping turtles and bring them home as temporary pets. When I was growing up in Vermont, my dad, brother and I hiked a lot. The woods was our Sunday church and we knew we were always gonna learn something.
In the time of his life that the song is referring to, Paul was a hiker, skier, kayaker, and artist based in Jackson Hole, WY. He and his friends would work through the winters at ski resorts, shops and restaurants, then take out on Grand Canyon river trips and national park adventures. Paul got to know the land out there intimately and would often solo hike deep into the mountains, collecting as many moose and elk antler sheds as he could carry out. He carved them into hyper realistic eagles, knife handles, and whatever else he could dream up. Eventually Paul’s three sisters all migrated west too, inspired by the beautiful adventures of their big brother, and took up permanent residence. In one of his first winters out west, he met my mom applying for a handyman job at a ski resort in Alta, Utah.
For “Paulie of the Earth” I wanted to revel in the joy of his life as a young man, in love with the Earth. We recorded the song in our home studios, passing tracks around from New Hampshire (Brendon), to Connecticut (James), to Philly (Trevor), to Buffalo (Katie). Having recorded our last album “Night Is Alive” in the same fashion, we’d already found our stride in making music long-distance. I played acoustic guitar, bass, and composed the percussion stuff – a combination of cajon, foot stomps, and light drums. James recorded piano and 12 string acoustic guitar. Trevor sent a scratch track of a lead guitar line, and he nailed it right out of the gate so we kept it. The harmonies were arranged by all three of us taking stabs at parts and piecing together what felt best. Once we had our pancakes all in a stack, our cellist Katie Weissman played and arranged cello.
lyrics
Paulie of the Earth
A pioneer of his own
Seeking refuge in the Seventies
Wilderness on the run
He meets spirits in the mountains
and canyons older than time
Carved by waters of impermanence
like memories carved in our minds
Paulie
Where will you go today?
What is calling to you...
What does it say?
It's an uncommon language
that few of us understand
Not of symbols, words or letters
but a connection to the land
From the Tetons
to Yellowstone
with antlers strapped to his back
Conversations with the universe
under stars in a sleeping bag
What do they say?
Paulie
Where will you go today?
What is calling to you...
What does it say?
It was you who broke the cycle
You who ended the pain
The familial waves that drown us
aren't so easy to escape
But you did
You did
At any rate…
Paulie
Where will you go today?
What is calling to you...
What does it say?
credits
released September 23, 2022
Written and produced by The End of America
Mixed by Brendon Thomas
Mastered by Dave Downham at Gradwell House
Performed by:
Brendon Thomas - Lead Vocals, Acoustic Guitar, Bass, Percussion, Whistle
James Downes - Vocals, Piano, Synth, 12 String Acoustic
Trevor Leonard - Vocals, Electric Guitars
Katie Weissman - Cello
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