Having been to sea and ranged as far as Finland and Chile, it’s now off to the depths of outer space — to the Oort Cloud which surrounds our solar system. An electric bass supplants the upright on this track, which is a the lone straight up rock song of the album — I would even call it a rock epic.
“The Comet and The Wandering Moon” is the first new song I attempted after the first EGPhest — after having so many other artists cover my songs, the prospect of writing new ones was a bit intimidating... well a bit more so than usual anyway.
The idea started with the fanciful notion of grabbing a comet by its tail, which I think of as owing a bit to something like "The Little Prince" and maybe a bit inspired by the Alison Kraus / Robert Plant cover of “Killing the Blues.” Then there’s the game einy-meanie-miny-moe, though I guess given that little rhyme’s history, it might be considered “problematic.”
More problematic was the fact that not long after I’d finished the song, a certain someone’s tendency to grab women by their nether regions became known and I felt that cast an unfortunate pall over this new composition. I was hoping the episode would pass into obscurity along with everything else related to this character after the following November... no one was so fortunate, alas.
So those are the vagaries of writing — or creating anything. The meaning it takes on after you create it is not something you can control. A similar thing happened with a crucial line The Albatross Song. The choice to not change these works and even include them as is on the album might just be stubbornness on my part, but I hope they will end up having longevity beyond this moment.
lyrics
You were rooting through trash on the edge of downtown
Scouring estate and yard sales
Scavenging parts from cars abandoned in a meadow
In a heavenly flash she flew in earthbound
And became your holy grail
It’s so easy to forget she can only be viewed through a telescope
Like a dispatch from the Oort cloud
Into your orbit she’d sail
Disrupting your world in such a spectacular show
You’re seized by the need to touch her somehow
You want to grab her by the tail
Expend all your strength and refuse to ever let go
Don’t aim for shooting stars
Don’t pine for the wandering moon
Never set your sites on a comet
Don’t aim for shooting stars
Don’t pine for the wandering moon
Never set your sites on a comet
You’re aware her path is an elliptical route
You can predict without fail
Yet you’re so entranced by her ethereal glow
You cannot catch her — that’s not allowed
The physics won’t let you prevail
You might as well snatch at flakes from of a flurry of snow
Don’t aim for shooting stars
Don’t pine for the wandering moon
Never set your sites on a comet
Don’t aim for shooting stars
Don’t pine for the wandering moon
Never set your sites on a comet
Yes, there’s a cosmic spark to her embrace
Yes, her impact’s made a mark you cannot erase
But once she departs you must not give chase
For you’ll always be kept apart by silent and empty space
Your meteoric rise was eclipsed by your doubt
You feared like mad you’d fail
It was imperative that you crash and burn, you know
Feel the earth drag under your plough
Thresh your wheat with a flail
Steady yourself and resist the pull of tomorrow
Don’t aim for shooting stars
Don’t pine for the wandering moon
Never set your sites on a comet
Don’t aim for shooting stars
Don’t pine for the wandering moon
Never set your sites on a comet
Don’t aim for shooting stars
Don’t pine for the wandering moon
Never set your sites on a comet
credits
from At Home At Sea,
released July 12, 2019
E.G. Phillips (Vocals, Guitar), Eve Fleishman (Backing Vocals), Charles Choi (Violin), Ben Osheroff (Lead Guitar, Organ, Bass), Ben Visini (Drum Kit)
produced, recorded and mixed by Ben Osheroff
mastered by Matt Boudreau, Working Class Audio
songs and artwork by E.G. Phillips (ASCAP)
published by Ducks With Pants Music (@duckswithpants)
E.G. Phillips is a San Francisco based songwriter who creates lyric driven songs with his own special blend of whimsy and cinematic imagery which he uses to give a wry take on dealing with the longings of the heart and the madness of existence.
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