For Sugar Train, Sally’s Well, You Stir Me Up and Dream Standing There.

Words and Music by Kerry Klontz © & ℗ 2013

Edited, mixed and mastered at The Furnace Room Studio

http://www.thefurnaceroomstudio.ca

Dwight Forseth  Sound Engineer

Additional tracks  recorded at The Furnace Room

 

Sugar Train

 

Sugar train rollin’ through my back yard                              

Rocks so close but it rolls so far

Climb in the box and go for a ride                                  

You might get far if you hide inside.

C’mon sugar train, roll baby roll

I don’t care where I’m a gonna’ go

Gotta’ get outta’ this one horse town

Gotta’ get rockin’ and rollin’ around

 

I’ll be Rockin’, Rollin’, Rockin’ and a Rollin’ all night long (2x)

I’ll be a Rockin’ and a Rollin’

Rockin’ and a Rollin’ on the Sugar Train Roll (2x)

 

You might find a friend you might find a foe                                               

You gotta’ watch your back on the sugar train roll

Say a little prayer before you close your eyes                                         

Or you might wake up with a big surprise

C’mon sugar train, roll baby roll

I don’t care where I’m a gonna’ go

Gotta’ get outta’ this one horse town

Gotta’ get rockin’ and rollin’ around

 

I’ll be Rockin’, Rollin’, Rockin’ and a Rollin’ all night long (2x)

I’ll be a Rockin’ and a Rollin’

Rockin’ and a Rollin’ on the Sugar Train Roll (2x)

 

Credits:

Ben Forseth; drums

Dwight Forseth; bass

Kerry Klontz; vocals, guitars and harmonica

 

Philosophy of Sugar Train

 

As a kid growing up in Wetaskiwin I used to go hang out in the field by the railway tracks south of town. There were times when we used to hang on to the ladders of the freight cars as the train would start moving and see who could hang on the longest. After being away from my home town for many years I moved back and  lived in a home right beside these same tracks. Early one morning after being wakened by the train going through my back yard, literally less than fifty feet from our property line, I was inspired to write this song. My thoughts were of the hobo’s that used to ride the rails to get from one destination to another and the friends or foes they might meet along the way. Life is also a journey where we encounter many different people and situations.

 

Growing up in a smaller city may have its limitations with further education, work opportunities , entertainment possibilities etc. As a younger person I had the longing to get out of that "one horse town." Sugar Train represents getting away to someplace that seems sweeter and where we can find greater excitement and happiness. Just like sugar gives a quick energy boost but also has negative effects on our health the dream of getting on a Sugar Train is a false hope. There is no quick way to fulfill a dream.  There’s a saying life isn’t a bowl full of cherries and it isn't  a sugar train either but it is possible to be happy and content right where we are at.

 

You Stir Me Up

 

I remember the day I first saw you, about 14 years ago

At Boston Pizza in Yellowknife, we had nowhere else to go

You walked in with your head held high and you showed some kind of glow                                                                          

You looked my way and you caught my eye then something inside let me know.

I heard you talking about me behind my back, I came over and I said hello.

 

You stir me up

I got thinking about you

You stir me up,

all night and all day too

You stir me up

I get dreaming about you

You stir me up like no other one could do

 

January ‘99 we made a promise,

up north when it was 40 below.

I asked for your hand before midnight and you responded kind of slow.

Seven months later you became my wife so we would not be alone.

You’ve been my companion and you’ve been my friend

but we still got a long way to go

You’ll be my lover until the end,

even when we’re growin’ old

 

You stir me up,

I get thinking about you

You stir me up,

all night and all day too

You stir me up,

I get dreaming about you

You stir me up like no other one can do

You stir me up, I get thinking of you

You stir me up,

when we have a little fight too

You stir me up,

I get dreaming about you

You stir me up like no other one can do

 

Credits:

Ben Forseth; acoustic drums

Jon Coxford; bass

Kerry Klontz; vocals, guitars and harmonica

 

Philosophy of You Stir Me Up

 

This song is the true story of how I met the love of my life. When I asked for her hand she responded kind of fast and then asked me to say it again. I had driven from Edmonton to Yellowknife to surprise her on her birthday and make the proposal. When I passed through Peace River at about three in the morning I was astounded by the magnificent Nothern Lights. That was a good sign. Life has been good together, even with its trials, because we have each other.  It’s the difficult things in life that build strength of character if we let them. We’ve had trouble in our marriage, like every couple experiences. Marriage is not just meant to be for our own satisfaction and to have our needs met. I believe the greater purpose is to refine us and make us better people. In the old days when gold was refined heat was applied to the metal until it became molten and the impurities would rise to the surface. The gold smith would keep skimming off the impurities until he could see his own reflection in the gold and then would know the impurities were gone. Relationships reveal some of our flaws when tensions arise. It is good to know we are loved even in spite of our flaws and that we can also change to become more like the image of our Creator.

 

Backslider

 

You may think I’m wandering away from my faith

But I’m still believin’ with a heart that aches

You can call me a sinner if it makes you feel better

You can call me Backslider but you don’t know my pain.

 

I once was called faithful on the inside lookin’ out

Now I’m just bein’ real, on the outside lookin’ in

You can call me a sinner if it makes you feel better

You can call me Backslider but you don’t know my pain.

 

Take the log from your own eye so you can see better, help me

Take the dust out of my eye so we can love together

Take the log from your own eye so you can see better, help me

Take the dust out of my eye so we can love eachother.

 

Sometimes you move forward, sometimes you move backward, sometimes you move along at a slower pace.

The harder you try it seems the harder it gets

God’s got to get us to the end of the race, by His grace.

 

Take the log from your own eye so you can see better, help me

Take the dust out of my eye so we can love together

Take the log from your own eye so you can see better, help me

Take the dust out of my eye so we can love each other.

 

Credits:

Words and Music by Kerry Klontz © & ℗ 2010

Kerry Klontz - vocals and harmonica

Angela Power - vocals

Other background vocals - Bridge Songs Collective

Bass - Kevin Stennes

Drums - Degan Richards 

Electric guitar - Dave Von Bieker

Keyboard - Daniel Mantai 

Produced by Dave Von Bieker

Mixed by Dave Von Bieker

Mastered by Kory Gable

 

Philosophy of Backslider

 

This song was written in a state of pain and disillusionment after I had pastored a church for five years. We decided to resign due to personal reasons and shortly after that the denomination we had served shut down the church and took the assets from the people who were the rightful stewards. This was a huge betrayal and it seemed like a part of me died when I found out what happened. It was like a light switch inside was turned off and instantly something changed that was beyond my control. When I wrote this song thoughts going through my mind were of what other Christian people might think of me because I had no desire to go to church or be part of church programs. What I had thought was so important prior to all of this suddenly seemed meaningless. What it really comes down to in being a follower of Christ is that we love God and show our love for Him by how we love each other. Relationships that are genuine, honest, caring and supportive are most important when it comes to living out our faith.

 

Sally’s Well

 

Sally went down to fetch a pail o’ water

Sally went down to the well well.

Met Alister on the way to the water

Alister said, “I won’t tell.”

 

Well well, that’s a deep subject

well well deep ol’ well

Well well, that’s a deep subject

well well deep ol’ well

 

Sally went down to fetch a pail o’ water

Tripped on her skirt and she fell fell

Sally went down to fetch a pail o’ water

Hit her head hard on the wishin’ well.

 

Well well, that’s a hard subject

well well hard ol’ well

Well well, that’s a hard subject

well well hard ol’ well

 

Sally has a baby grandson maybe

Hit her head hard and she can’t remember well

Sally has a baby grandson maybe

Hit her head on the well, she can’t tell

 

Well well, that’s a hard subject

well well hard ol’ well

Well well, that’s a hard subject

well well hard ol’ well

 

Well well, that’s a hard subject

well well hard ol’ well

Well well, that’s a hard subject

well Sally’s Wishin Well

 

Credits:

Dwight Forseth; bass

Kerry Klontz; vocals, guitar, harmonica, kitchen spoons, jaw harp and foot stomp.

 

This song was more of a challenge to mix because the main vocal, guitar, harmonica and foot stomp were done on one track and with one take at the end of a long day. It was a last minute spontaneous decision to record this tune.

 

 

Philosophy of Sally’s Well

 

This song uses metaphors to get across a point. The point is that people sometimes find it easier to live in denial than to accept the realities and  responsibilities of life. Denial can be a way to escape our fears and emotional pain or just a way to avoid uncomfortable circumstances. I liken this to hitting your head and entering into a comotose state of being. Denial can cause a person to miss out on some of the greatest joys life has to offer because we put up walls to protect ourselves and in so doing we shut other people out of our lives. In my own life I have a grandson who has been rejected by his father's side of the family. A child is not an uncomfortable circumstance but a precious human being. It is a great joy to have him in my life. When we open our lives to someone who is dependent on us it will cost us something but in the end what counts the most is what we have invested in the lives of these little ones. This song is raw and real, just like life often is.

 

Dream Standing There

 

Saw you standing there, like a shadow on a hill

Waiting for me there, you were standing very still

Dreams then fade away as the shadows turn to grey

Dreams then seem to fly as the sun dies for the day

 

Just one more night until the dreams can live again

One more passage of time until that ship comes in

Will you still be there, like a shadow on a hill

Will you wait for me there, to stand so very still

 

The hourglass is quickly spilling,  

The sand is sadly slipping - away in time lost for eternity

Until the morning sun crests upon the sea.

A new day arises and the morning is born

The shifting shadows flee from a glorious morn

Then the shadow veiled dreams turn to reality

Reflecting the color of a world we have never seen

Taking us to places where we have never been.

A new day’s born. A new day’s born.

 

Credits:

Lisa Forseth; flute

Dwight Forseth; electric guitar

Jon Coxford; bass

Kerry Klontz; vocals, guitars and harmonica

 

Philosophy of Dream Standing There

 

I've had "dreams" that have fallen apart and some have turned out to be nightmares. What I found is that there is always a new beginning. Also, some of my dreams seemed to be de-railed by circumstances beyond my control. I've come to accept even the difficult experiences as a part of my journey that has shaped me and prepared me for my future. I still have a dream and a destiny yet to be fulfilled. Our destiny is something that unfolds as we walk forward. We don't see the complete picture of what is going to be but we can see far enough ahead to keep making progress on our journey. For me the encouraging thing is that there is no time limit and no age limit in fulfilling my destiny. I sometimes have thought that years have been wasted and wondered what could have happened if I had made different decisions. It seems we face roadblocks and detours in life that set us back. Now I believe that nothing can hold me back from fulfilling my destiny and the trials of life can only make me stronger and a better person. The key for me is to focus on what is in my heart, and not be distracted by the pressures of life or other people's expectations. This life really is just a shadow of things to come and a preparation for my destiny that will continue for eternity.