Download "It's a Long Way Across the Wire," Chris Thile's Song of the Week from our November 16, 2019 broadcast. The band: Chris Thile, Aoife O'Donovan, Mike Elizondo, Eric Doob, Alex Hargreaves, Armand Hirsch, Gabriel Kahane.

Tom Papa reads an excerpt from his book ‘Your Dad Stole My Rake’ on the importance of strangers in our lives and points out a few new groups of strangers during our November 2, 2019 show. Find more about the book and Tom’s tour dates at tompapa.com.

Tom Papa heads to Portland, Oregon during Halloween week, tries to determine who’s wearing a costume and who’s just “Portland,” and sets off on a quest with a local wizard. Find Tom’s tour dates at tompapa.com.

Chris Thile’s Song of the Week for October 26, 2019: “Mutton and Strawberries.” The band: Chris Thile, Rachael Price, Mike Elizondo, Armand Hirsch, Gabriel Kahane, Jeremy Kittel, Joey Waronker. — Lyrics: What hath God wrought Of strength unfelt Gifts neglected And love withheld What hath God wrought (x3) Lucretia left the world without a fight Father left it clutching the handle of a knife His memory never failing to give that knife a twist All has led to this: Mutton— My children scattered like so many seeds Separated from one another and from me All my colleagues snickering at Samuel Morse the Scientist All has led to this: Mutton— (x2) Dark magic or miracle I don’t care It’s wonderful Listen, America’s about to bare her soul And maybe her teeth as well It’s a sound To behold Good or bad only someone else’s time will tell —and strawberries And a wire to connect the world A wire to remind it That nothing can become itself ‘Til something else defines it One wire to connect the world One wire to remind it That nothing can become itself ‘Til something else defines it Now a ghost of wire haunts this world A ghost of wire drives it Unto the need to know itself And with that knowledge binds it One ghost of wire haunts this world One ghost of wire drives it Unto the need to know itself And with that knowledge binds it ‘Til we use it to connect the world And let the world remind us That none of us become ourselves While someone else defines us

Chris Thile’s Song of the Week for October 19, 2019, “Vail Monograph, Version 2” The band: Chris Thile, Aoife O’Donovan, Mike Elizondo, Jeff Babko, Matt Chamberlain, Chris Eldridge, Alex Hargreaves, Noam Pikelny. — Lyrics: “Canst thou send lightnings So that they may go And say unto thee here we are?” A rhetorical question From our Father In Heaven To Job in his suffering Here below To Job in his suffering— As we sent the first lightnings All those years ago I quoted that question by heart Then delivered the answer Full of magnets and wire On behalf of a dreamer Here below On behalf of a dreamer— “Sounds like you did this” I did but— It was the least that I could do —than I would do to serve his genius To serve his— `“Sounds like it’s time to set the record straight Nothing’s wrong with calling a good man great, but a bad man...” No, he’s not a bad man Though it’s true before we met The God of Wire was struggling to connect What he had with what he dreamt Then I applied a method to the madness And the thing began to click We were like a couple little kids ‘Cause it was clear this was it I’d take him by the hand and lead him to whatever future he had seen And pan whatever gold was in his stream Of consciousness that flowed between his heart and anything like love for the doer of his dreams “Sounds like he used you” He did but— Oh how I burned to be of use —to be of use and not be slave to A mind as— As cold and dry and barren as this one is At least when in comparison to one like his “You have a great mind” No, his is the great mind And it will never be at rest Will ever trade this moment for the next And what it has for what it’s dreamt So even if the present is exactly what he wanted it to be He’ll miss his un-manifested destiny And find a better man than me To take him by the hand and lead him to whatever future he’s been seeing And pan whatever gold’s still in his stream Of consciousness that flows between his heart and anything like love for me I send him a lightning Every now and then Saying unto him “here we are I don’t expect you to answer But I miss you dear dreamer And what we did together Here below O what we did together here”

Tom Papa reads an essay on what life is like with children, originally from his book Your Dad Stole My Rake. Find more information about the book and Tom’s tour dates at tompapa.com.