NOTE: THIS TRACK HASN'T BEEN MASTERED YET AND SO YOU'LL NEED TO TURN YOUR SPEAKERS UP A BIT.
Last month, I wrote four songs in two days.....two each night came as dreams, and then I had to get up early in the morning to write everything down. This one is the 3rd of the batch, and is about what it means to be a US expatriate who still cares very much about fighting the right wing fascist take-over of the country. I spent my whole career in very-stressful (and low paying.....) government service for the State of Texas....trying to do the people's business in a state where those who run things very much don't want the people's business to be done. So on the one hand, I feel like I have made my good faith contritutions to making things better and so it's ok that I left the country to live in Central Mexico back in 2015. But on the other hand, watching the good people at the No Kings protests, I sure wish I'd been there for that.
Like the first two songs of this batch of 4 that I'm recording, I was in a mindset where I was feeling particularly strongly about trying to make the music fresh, new and different from what I've done before. And since I've written and recorded around 250 songs in my lifetime, that's a lot to try to not be repetitive when there's only 12 notes in the western scale :-) And so for this particular song, I used a crazy guitar tuning that I saw online: F-A-C-G-C-E (for those of you playing at home). The YouTube channel video I stumbled on had the clickbait title of "Try this tuning...beautiful chords just fall into your hands!"
Needless to say, "beautiful chords" did not just "fall into my hands," but after fooling around with this tuning for a few minutes, I saw how I could make it work for this song. I also used a lot of exotic vocal harmonies for this one....all in the name of trying to break new ground. I'll leave it to the listeners to say whether it works musically.
Expatriate (But Patriot Still)
(© 2025 Walter Ehresman)
Just because I left doesn’t mean that I don’t care,
but I think I’ve earned my rest, having long-since done my share;
And in truth I couldn’t stay there as I watched the things you do;
To stay just helps to normalize the darkness that ensues.
[chorus]
‘cause I don’t share your values, or your violent blank-eyed stare;
And I don’t respect the careless way you boast that you don’t care;
And we cannot share the same space, so I left there when I could;
But my fight is still for principles for which the country stood
(at least the ones I’d like to think for which the country stood).
Before I left, I felt detached from what I saw around—
frantic misplaced intensity for things morally unsound;
Or else immerse in games so deep all fun has been leached dry,
while denigrating women while out hangin’ with the guys;
And hatred for “the other” as the blame flies everywhere
(except, of course, the mirror—you won’t ever put it there);
While nobles and their purchased politicians pull the strings
by ginning up your bigotries as you vote for bloody kings.
[bridge]
I’m gone, but I still follow news of all the things you do;
Some people say I shouldn’t, but my heart gapes at the view,
as it breaks to watch the suffering of all but greedy few.
Walter Ehresman: vocals, acoustic six-string guitar, acoustic/electric fretless bass, key percussion, electric mandola.
Engineered and produced by Walter Ehresman at Snipe Bog Studios, San Miguel de Allende, Mexico.
For my official releases, please click here: https://walterehresman.bandcamp.com/
p. 2025 Walter Ehresman. All rights reserved. Snipe Bog Records
