Follow Your Bliss Liner Notes:

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1. kathy ( russell)       **for my mother-the first musical inspiration**

kathy where’d the music go/why’d you put down your french horn/don’t you play piano anymore/i used to crawl down underneath/the pedals moving with your feet while your hands carried you away/i remember, do you remember/ kathy where’d the music go/don’t you sing out anymore/those little operas for humdrum chores/it’s time to get up, it’s time to get up in the morning/sweet melodies for everyday things/i remember, do you remember/how you used to sing like a child, you used to sing like a child/you used to sing like a child, kathy please don’t be so quiet now/kathy where’d the music go/all those records you loved so/dancing slow to stevie wonder/but joni was your favourite one/yes she’s from saskatchewan/just like you, just like you/i remember, do you remember/how you used to sing like a child/you used to sing like a child/you used to sing like a child/kathy please don’t be so quiet now /kathy where’d the music go/why’d you let him steal your joy/why’d you let him still your fingers/it’s time to get up, time to get up in the morning/and start playing, start playing/i remember, and i know, i know you remember/how you used to sing like a child/you used to sing like a child/you used to sing like a child/kathy please don’t be so quiet now/i know you can still sing like a child/yes you can sing like a child/you can still sing just like a little child/kathy please don’t be so quiet now/kathy please don’t be so quiet now/kathy please don’t be so quiet now

allison russell: lead vocals, acoustic guitar | awna teixeira: background vocals | benny sidelinger: banjo | mikey “lightning” august: drums | chris merrill: electric bass | drew lindsay: piano | jeremy lindsay: background vocals | horn arrangement by chris neal | horn section: chris neal - tenor sax, shane jonas - flugelhorn, andrew zelm - trombone


2. montana ( teixeira)

you can’t take it away/after it’s all gone/sitting there by yourself/with everything you’ve done wrong/i’ve had a better life with you out of my mind/i’ve had a better time dancing by myself/i have nothing more than the words right out of my mouth/ i want nothing more/the sun is rising high on the mountain side/montana never let it die/things are going to be just fine/don’t waste your time/montana/never let it die this big ol’ world has got you good/it ain’t no surprise/maybe someday you’ll be big enough to look it right in the eye

awna teixeira: lead vocals, electric guitar | allison russell: background vocals, clarinet | benny sidelinger: wurlitzer | mikey "lightning" august: drums | chris merrill: electric bass | dan abu-absi: electric guitar


3. when we are love ( russell)       **love is everything!**

when we are low low low low low/who can imagine a beautiful pattern/when we are low low low low low/all the birds singing are so many warnings/the morning drags us kicking/a troubled sleep too broken/ the day runs mocking swifter than our plans/oh our plans/ when we are high high high high high/all the world gleaming with purpose and meaning/when we are high high high high high/ who can imagine a moment of suffering/the night’s a promise keeping/touched awake dreaming/the day drifts gently perfectly aligned/oh aligned/when we are love love love love love/a vast galaxy but a speck in the dark/when we are love love love love love/we can burn bright before we go out/sunlight on spider webs heavy with rain/stretched across the front gate/torn and spun again and again/oh again/yes we are love love love love love/a vast galaxy but a speck in the dark/we are love love love love love/we can burn hot before we go out/sunlight on spider webs heavy with rain/stretched across the front gate/torn and spun again and again/oh again

allison russell: lead vocals, acoustic guitar, background vocals | awna teixeira: background vocals, electric bass | benny sidelinger: dobro | mikey "lightning" august: drums | dan abu-absi: electric guitar | jeremy lindsay: background vocals


4. pink shoes ( teixeira)       *for joanna seaton oct.6th,1977 - apr. 7th, 1992**

smiling wide/outside all on your own/the sun came down on you/little heart/i screamed your name as loud as i could/and the rain came and washed me out/little pink shoes running real fast/time is moving slow/you wouldn't look back/and you never did know/spring came before winter had time to say/i need you to wait/all your life/you dreamt of angels above the clouds/you were always too big for this town

awna teixeira: lead vocals, acoustic guitar | allison russell: background vocals, clarinet | benny sidelinger: electric bass | mikey "lightning" august: wurlitzer | jeremy lindsay: background vocals | chris neal: organ


5. follow your bliss (russell)       **thank you joseph campbell**

she’s always late for something/he’s always less than present/ all despite their best intentions/caught up in another other moment/follow your bliss that’s what he said/soon enough we’ll all be dead/ but those stars are still bright though they might have died/go on shine, shine/she’s always going away/he’s always having to stay/she’s surprise/he is fire that bides/ they are loving they are love they are love for awhile… smells like winter forced to surrender/sidewalk grinning crocuses splendour/suddenly strangers seem familiar/since a voice down the wire made everything better

allison russell: lead vocals, acoustic guitar | awna texeira: background vocals, accordion | benny sidelinger: dobro | mikey "lightning" august: drums | chris merrill: electric bass | horn arrangement by chris neal | horn section: chris neal - tenor sax, shane jonas - trumpet, andrew zelm – trombone


6. western skies ( teixeira)       **for loren vince james howe dec. 20, 1971 - nov. 28, 2004**

outside the door i ran with my heart/i held with two hands/i don't know where i go/on top of the grainer i can see you for miles/you laugh and you cry holding it all in the palm of your hands/you come and you go/it's all just a show/where you gonna hide when your glass is dry/and i'm waiting for something to change/could it be this beast inside/inside of me/there's always a place in my heart that will stay/by the riverside wild my train car awaits/there's gotta be something/in these warm western skies/that tells you she loves you/she does oh yes she does/you did what you could while you were in town/i'll hold your smile in this angry heart of mine/i'll hold your smile in this angry heart of mine/and follow your foot steps as you dance around

awna teixeira: vocals, acoustic guitar, harmonica | allison russell: vocals, banjo | benny sidelinger: dobro | mikey "lightning" august: drums | chris merrill: electric bass


7. maudite guerre (russell/teixeira/sidelinger/august)
**lyrics anonymous from 16th century france - we started putting together this piece during sound checks**

le beau prince d’orange tôt matin s'est levé/est allé voir son page va seller mon coursier/que maudite soit la guerre seller mon coursier /est aller voir son page va seller mon coursier/mon beau prince d’orange ou voulez-vous y’aller/que maudite soit la guerre voulez-vous y’aller /mon beau prince d’orange ou voulez-vous y’aller/je veux aller en france ou le roi m'a mandé/que maudite soit la guerre roi m'a mandé /je veux aller en france où le roi m'a mandé/mis la main sur la bride le pied dans l'étrier/que maudite soit la guerre dans l'étrier/mis la main sur la bride le pied dans l'étrier/j’ai parti sain et sauf mais j'en reviens blessé/que maudite soit la guerre j’en reviens blessé / j’ai parti sain et sauf mais j'en reviens blessé/un coup à la mamelle puis l’autre a mon côté/que maudite soit la guerre a mon côté /un coup à la mamelle puis l’autre a mon côté/le beau prince d’orange est mort et enterré/que maudite soit la guerre il est enterré

allison russell: lead vocals, background vocals, clarinet | awna teixeira: accordion | benny sidelinger: banjo | mikey "lightning" august: drums | chris merrill: double bass | hand clap party: alli, awna, benny, mikey, zach goheen, margan thargan


8. go easy (russell)       **it’s hard to be gentle with ourselves sometimes…**

there is a new start/show them your kind heart/there is a stranger you’ll learn to love/you can step lightly/try to go slowly/these are the moments/you are alive/and nothing is easy/no one is easy/so honey go easy when it gets hard/geese in the morning/crows in the evening/feel the land humming under the city/we can step lightly/try to go slowly/these are the moments/we are alive/sing to the them softly raise your glass often/don’t be reluctant to stop and admire/stop and admire love fill up inspire love/this is the moment you have arrived/honey go easy when it gets hard/this is the moment we have arrived

allison russell: lead vocals, electric guitar | awna teixeira: background vocals, electric bass | benny sidelinger: dobro | mikey "lightning" august: drums | drew lindsay: piano


9. in the days (teixeira)
**it is so hard to lose loved ones. it can sometimes be hard to separate the pain from the beautiful memories we have of them. these memories are the last thing they had to give.**

remember me on a sunny afternoon/remember me like a warm wind in june/remember me when the moon is high above/you can dream and you can love about it all/in the days when you sang the night away/in the days when your smile would rarely fade/your heart is full of laughter and tears all through the years remember me/remember me growing flowers in the spring/remember me truly sorry for everything/remember me in the stars up above/you can dream and you can love about it all/in the days when you danced the night away/in the days when you’d fight for everything/when you believe the laughter and tears all through the years remember me/there once was a day when i would come around to your back door/and we would fool around with all the ideas the beautiful ideas of running away/in the days when you wander without a care/in the days without a care in the world/you were free /all the laughter and tears/ all through the years remember me

awna teixeira: lead vocals, gutbucket bass | allison russell: background vocals, clarinet | benny sidelinger: banjo | mikey "lightning" august: drums | chris neal: organ


10. to the morning ( russell)       **a hymn to the survivors i’ve been privileged to know**

sing oh we sing and we sing to the morning/we didn't think that it was coming /we didn't think it was ever coming back/weak oh so weak we are weak but still willing/on hands and knees out of the stinking building/into the yard sunlight shot through barbed wire/they're outlined in amber outlined in gold/broad well-fed shoulders good strong thick clothes/faces like children stricken by visions they can't explain/sing oh we sing and we sing to the morning/we didn't think that it was coming we didn't think it was ever coming back/yes we are visions terrible frightening but we are miracles struck by lightning/struck by lightning left for dead but still moving/hungry so hungry we're nothing but hunger/and there's a danger even in water/ chocolate can kill you when you've been so starved/sing oh we sing and we sing to the morning/we didn't think that it was coming/we didn't think it was ever coming back/weak oh so weak we are weak but still willing/on hands and knees out of the stinking building/into the yard sunlight shot through barbed wire/run yes we run we run into the future/memory runs faster tells us it's futile/the past is a tumor corrupting our lives/sing oh we sing and we sing to the morning/we didn't think that it was coming we didn't think it was ever coming back

allison russell: lead vocals, acoustic guitar | awna teixeira: background vocals, electric bass, glockenspiel | benny sidelinger: dobro | mikey "lightning" august: drums, shaker |jeremy lindsay: background vocals


11. kiss me in the dark ( teixeira)

call me when you come undone/love me when you’re wild/leave me in the morning sun/hold me through the night/tell me when you’re doing fine/show me when it’s right/holler when you come around/and make me feel alive/live like nothing’s ever old/give away your smile/hold on like you’ll never go/kiss me in the dark/let me take you far away/let me take you right/be with me another day/ stay with me tonight

awna teixeira: lead vocals, acoustic guitar | allison russell: background vocals, clarinet, glockenspiel | benny sidelinger: banjo | mikey "lightning" august: orc drum | chris merrill: electric bass


12. fernanda (teixeira)       **for my grandmother maria fernanda de castro teixeira**

there once was a girl with a heart of pure gold/honour the queen and give her a throne/maria fernanda i sing this for you/i light you a candle it burns for the truth/waiting for you/in the vineyards where the vines they grow/on the mountain side you left your home/waiting for you/i sing and i dance in my heart you will be/forever my love will be for the street/she walks by she smiles and opens her eyes/take nothing for granted the little bird cries

awna teixeira: lead vocals, accordion | allison russell: backgrounds vocals, clarinet | benny sidelinger: banjo | mikey "lightning" august: piano | chris merrill: double bass


13. as long as we go (russell)       **inspired by winter in humboldt park, chicago, il**

this cold is trying to kill us/we fight it with songs/fight it in our bed with our bodies and our tongues/these sheets smell like hope/but they’re keeping us down/get up, get up, get up can’t sleep this whole one out/but we can go slow, we can go slow, we can go slow/as long as we go/ring around the moon is it really sailor’s doom/frost on the brown grass in humboldt park/geese are walking on water it’s frozen so fast/the streetlight jewels a glint of ice on your eyelash/slipping under the sill/brushing up against the pane/seeping underneath the door/and resting on our eyelids/a little green hint just a little less frigid/the sun’s coming back like it’s never gonna leave us/we can go slow…as long as we go, as long as we go, as long as we go…..

allison russell: lead vocals, acoustic guitar | awna teixeira: background vocals, glockenspiel | benny sidelinger; background vocals, banjo | mikey "lightning" august: background vocals, drums | chris merrill: electric bass | as long as we go choir: alli, awna, benny, mikey, jeremy lindsay, chris neal


14. benediction (russell)

shadows of clouds on the mountains/shadows of clouds on the pines/sun stroked waves forward faced sudden grey/memory chases behind/island beguiling and nameless/small kayak rocked in the wake/at times unknown grievous and broken/the only path left to make/rain like a blessing after the drought/benediction falling slaking parched doubt/brave sail holds the horizon/bold bird it cleaves it in two/silhouettes bent on the starboard/a westerly list renewed/simple as running a foot race/complex as the colour of sky/questions no answers no ending/why does it help to cry/shadows of clouds on the mountains/shadows of clouds on the pines/sun stroked waves forward face sudden grey/memory chases behind

allison russell: lead vocals, electric guitar | awna teixeira: background vocals, banjo | benny sidelinger: dobro | mikey "lightning" august: drums | chris merrill: electric bass


this album is dedicated to all of you who bought pre-sales and made this recording possible. we can’t thank you enough for enabling us to follow our bliss. we hope you enjoy this work as much as we have enjoyed creating it for you. po’ girl gives deep thanks to all our friends and family who support us and inspire us –maggie ellis tour manager and business manager extraordinaire, the russells, the georges, the teixeiras, the sidelingers, the ellises, the augusts, jt and the clouds, zach goheen, bridget galvin, kurt lock, marjorie and barry miller, rick and gail thaler, bill and micki lippe, susie giang and the whole fleming artists family, sandra and luciano at lucky dice music, bob and claire at grapevine music, northwest media, cd baby, susan and all the wonderful folks at goldenrod distribution. and thanks to all you angels who have taken us into your homes, fed us, and given us the support and love we need to do what we do.

“it is not the goal i want but the flying toward it. what ever i lose because of this decision, i will know it was unnecessary to me anyway. i can no longer turn my back upon it, nor even face it half way. music shall remain.”
james gayfer- march 16th 1916 - april 7th 1997

po’girl is:
allison russell- lead vocals, background vocals, clarinet, glockenspiel, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, banjo, handclaps

awna teixeira- lead vocals, background vocals, accordion, gutbucket bass, electric bass, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, banjo, glockenspiel, harmonica, handclaps

benny sidelinger- background vocals, dobro, banjo, wurlitzer, electric bass, handclaps

mikey “lightning” august- background vocals, drum kit, piano, wurlitzer, orc drum, shakers, handclaps

featuring special guest appearances by chris merrill, chris neal, dan abu-absi, drew lindsay, and jeremy lindsay of our favourite band, jt and the clouds
www.jtandtheclouds.com

produced by po’girl and zach goheen | engineered and mixed by zach goheen at benjamin balcom’s minbal studio, and at zach’s house in chicago, il mastered by jj golden, golden mastering in ventura,ca www.goldenmastering.com | cover art by dinny pocock | crafted and assembled by the whole po’ team