Barstow - Son Volt/Jay Farrar - 2005
Lyrics

Anyone caught speaking Esperanto
Is thought crazy or headed for jail
There's peace in the wilds of West Texas
Where the sun and the sky prevail
Take no notice of the rising waters
Take no notice where the rivers run dry
They’ll be digging through the landfills
To find evidence of our great demise

There’s a changing pattern before us
And the past tells the story quite well
By the time we make it to Barstow
We’ll be more than halfway to hell

Waves of adverts that promise revival
Trinket-ware that batters the brain
The devil bought the key to Branson
Drives a backhoe and wears a gold chain
Now we’re living in the unnamed timeframe
Bets in Reno are on the human race
Woke up in another test market
With a new headache filter in place

There’s a changing pattern before us
And the past tells the story quite well
By the time we make it to Barstow
We’ll be more than halfway to hell
By the time we make it to Barstow
We’ll be more than halfway to hell

Trivia

Farrar, known for being as lyrically cryptic as a secret agent, makes some bizarre observations that unwittingly ring familiar for Americans, post 9/11.

In fact, in the first song on the album, the breezy "Feel Free," Farrar sings about the end of the world, while at the same time revealing -- as cryptically as possible -- his apparent deep-seated religious beliefs.

"World is gonna burn up 4 billion years from now / if it doesn't happen anytime soon / Cruel and unusual all around / window of opportunity uplifts the spirits down / cropping up and digging in / final plateau no longer seems like a burden," Farrar intones with his trademark gravel baritone.

He takes it one step further in the stark "Barstow," complete with harmony vocals from Nashville mainstay Gillian Welch: "There's a changing pattern before us / and the past tells the story quite well / by the time we make it to Barstow / we'll be more than half way to Hell"

So now maybe it makes sense: Jay Farrar = JF = Jesus Freak? Possible, and while not even the CIA officials could decipher what Farrar is really saying in his songs, much of Sebastopol marks some of his clearest writing since Son Volt's debut album, 1995's brilliant Trace.

"The Devil bought the key to Branson Drives a backhoe and wears a gold chain..." "Woke Up In Another Test-Market, With A New Headache Filter In Place"...best lyrics ever!! When I listen to the lyrics of this song it doesn't surprise me to learn that Jay is a Kerouac fan.

Even More Trivia