When I was younger
I lived up on 318
And I still recall the window wall
Down on mezzanine
We heard the thunder
Way before the soundproof tiles
And my father said he saw the sun
When he was just a child
But now, I finally lost the urge
To tell everyone the stories that
My parents handed down
'Cause now it's such a different town
Now it's such a different town
When I was younger
I had this recurring dream
And I still remember how I felt
When I'd wake up & scream
There was a monster
Hiding underneath my bed
"You must remain within these walls"
Is what the monster said
But now, I finally lost the urge
To tell everyone, that there was a time
When people went outside
And walked around
But now it's such a different town
Now it's such a different town
Now it's such a different town
Now it's such a different town
I lived up on 318
And I still recall the window wall
Down on mezzanine
We heard the thunder
Way before the soundproof tiles
And my father said he saw the sun
When he was just a child
But now, I finally lost the urge
To tell everyone the stories that
My parents handed down
'Cause now it's such a different town
Now it's such a different town
When I was younger
I had this recurring dream
And I still remember how I felt
When I'd wake up & scream
There was a monster
Hiding underneath my bed
"You must remain within these walls"
Is what the monster said
But now, I finally lost the urge
To tell everyone, that there was a time
When people went outside
And walked around
But now it's such a different town
Now it's such a different town
Now it's such a different town
Now it's such a different town
"This is the one tune that wasn't written in 2020. Or eve recorded in 2020. Here's the story, in a nutshell.
My family use to spend time up in Germantown, NY. From 2000 until 2013. (So the song was written somewhere in between those years). There was a small bookstore nearby in Tivoli, NY. The town closest to Bard College where my parents met. I bought an old science fiction book from the 1970's there called 'The World Inside' by Robert Silverberg. I never actually finished reading it, but the premise was a future world where most of the planet was covered by buildings. Almost everyone lived in theses huge structures called 'Urban Monads'. They never saw the outside world.
Fast forward to 2020, year of the pandemic, and sure enough, here we all are. Many of us living inside our homes and apartments for the better part of a year. It seemed almost too perfect a song for our time. So I dusted off an old demo and added it to this album. Not only was it written in the 'before Covid' times. It was also a very different time for me. So many things have changed since then. My work, my family. Even before the lockdowns I had been moved into a 'Different Town'.
I think that might be the theme of this record. I try to be positive but it's clearly about grief and loss, as I'm sure you've figured out by now. In my experience, every loss or change catapults you into a different town. Every loss. Every life event.Every time.
Welcome stranger."
-Barney, 2021
My family use to spend time up in Germantown, NY. From 2000 until 2013. (So the song was written somewhere in between those years). There was a small bookstore nearby in Tivoli, NY. The town closest to Bard College where my parents met. I bought an old science fiction book from the 1970's there called 'The World Inside' by Robert Silverberg. I never actually finished reading it, but the premise was a future world where most of the planet was covered by buildings. Almost everyone lived in theses huge structures called 'Urban Monads'. They never saw the outside world.
Fast forward to 2020, year of the pandemic, and sure enough, here we all are. Many of us living inside our homes and apartments for the better part of a year. It seemed almost too perfect a song for our time. So I dusted off an old demo and added it to this album. Not only was it written in the 'before Covid' times. It was also a very different time for me. So many things have changed since then. My work, my family. Even before the lockdowns I had been moved into a 'Different Town'.
I think that might be the theme of this record. I try to be positive but it's clearly about grief and loss, as I'm sure you've figured out by now. In my experience, every loss or change catapults you into a different town. Every loss. Every life event.Every time.
Welcome stranger."
-Barney, 2021