Hard​-​Earned Harvest (album)

by Wes Mantooth

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1.
Hard-Earned Harvest 02:35
lyrics
Sometimes I dwell on chances missed, Sometimes I feel I’ve done my best To claim a measure of success, And yours is a hard act to follow. So many times I’ve heard your words— Your life is now, so look around And drink it in while you can— It doesn’t get any better than this… Late summer day, apples plucked, Carted to the press, washed and crushed, Squeezed into a cider rush, Hard-earned harvest fills our cups— Drink it in while you can. So many times I’ve heard your words— Your life is now, so look around— The kids are young and close at hand— It doesn’t get any better than this day On Obstruction Point, where air is thin, But we made it back this year again. Three generations spreading out A picnic at the snowmelt lake— Drink it in while you can, Drink it in while you can.
2.
Slow Down, Sit Down 03:20
lyrics
When restless ambition feels too big For the rooms that watched us grow And you can’t see yourself contented ’Til you’ve made it on your own Slow down, sit down… let me see your smile Slow down, sit down… we’re together now Colliding in the kitchen, bite your tongue We’re in the same boat Riding waves, fighting sea sickness Waiting for the storm to blow Slow down, sit down… let me see your smile Slow down, sit down… we’re together now Slow down, sit down… think about The luck that we’ve been thrown Slow down, sit down… think about Everyone who’s stopped to lighten our load Slow down, sit down… try to recall Your little feet dangling off the floor Slow down, sit down… every meal we’ve gathered round Is part of who we are Slow down, sit down… feel the nuzzle on your hand Our dog is longing for a crumb Slow down, sit down… we love him like a child His muzzle growing whiter all the while Slow down, sit down… let me see your smile Slow down, sit down… we’re together now
3.
Hardwood Deal (2020) 02:34
lyrics
Cowering as if the front door led to a cliff. We could be on the way to something big, Stepping out into the risk. Stepping out into the risk. But I don’t want to be the driving wedge Who splits apart a hardwood will, Through half-tamed tongues and spinning heels-- Remember how good times feel, Remember how good times feel I could give you words, chords, and melodies… And hope that they won’t fade away I could play you songs from when I was your age But you’ll make your own discoveries. Our problems pale... as problems go, But here and now they steal the show. No one’s gonna come and ring the relief bell, No one’s gonna tell… what we’re thinking Through the walls… no one’s gonna tell And I don’t want to be the driving wedge Who splits apart our hardwood deal. Caught up in the push and pull Remember how good times feel, Remember how good times feel I could give you keys, strings, and slender reeds… And hope that they won’t fade away I could play you songs from when I was your age But you’ll make your own discoveries.
4.
Hay Long Gone 03:24
lyrics
Come late August, early September, First frost can’t be far. Trailer hitched to our ’70 Courier— Hay hauling time is here Half-hour drive to Sequim valley farms, Hand-painted signs advertise Timothy grass, sweet alfalfa— Hay hauling time is here Tight with twine, 60-pounders, Resting on end, rise to my shoulder. Eight and eager, fed on Farmer Boy tales— Hay hauling time is here You were just one, And I was too young to know About memories left in dusty lofts Still, here we are Feeding on hay long gone Hands grip rough Manila , Grapple lowered on the pulley with care Dad hooks the hay, checks for balance, Hollers for me and Mom to heave away— Hay hauling time is here Bale by bale the loft grows full, Bale a day goes away Hungry heifer and her yearling— Hay hauling time is here New gaps near the rafters, Become a fort with tunnels and lairs Feeding time, make repairs, Downsize ’til the loft is bare— And hay hauling time is here again You were just one, But your time would come, Bales of memories left in dusty lofts Here we are, Feeding on hay long gone
5.
Cassette 02:44
lyrics
I’m flipping through an old box of our tapes A few familiar faces in a crowd gone strange But it all takes me back when cassette was king, Download on demand—how could we have dreamed? Inside each plastic box, a fragile ribbon road, Two spools for where you’ve been and where you’re going Particles are charged, waiting silently To meet the music maker that will set their music free We’d stock up on cheap blanks down at Radio Shack, Carefully label each and every track Classical to classic country, 80s pop to indie fringe Some beg for reacquaintance, some make me cringe Inside each plastic box, a fragile ribbon road, Two spools for where you’ve been and where you’re going Particles are charged, waiting silently To meet the music maker that will set their music free My 12-string stayed with you when I left home. Soon you’d found a sound that was all your own. Packages would show up in my mail, We started swapping tapes of new originals. Inside each plastic box, a fragile ribbon road, Two spools for where you’ve been and where you’re going Particles are charged, waiting patiently To meet the music maker that will set their music free.
6.
Solstice Slide 04:16
lyrics
The days were getting longer I was pruning from a ladder, and you were playing below me Our summer soup had begun to simmer Papers purged or filed away in a bid to rise above the mundane My soul chose its company then shut the gate The changes of September around the corner Let’s make the most of this ride down the solstice slide August evening at the harbor— Looking back at Mt. Angeles—rough silhouette softened by distance, Where we climbed among the details and dangers Ferns in rock pockets, dead-end drop-offs, some holds firm but others rotten Time to learn the mountain’s bargain, giving and unforgiving The changes of September around the corner Let’s make the most of this ride down the solstice slide Maybe I’ve been less than faithful to lofty vows made back in June And I’ve let some of my summer fruit go wasted on the ground Trying to find a balance between taking stock and living Giving and receiving, artifice and honesty The changes of September around the corner Let’s make the most of this ride down the solstice slide
7.
Christmas Song (2019) 03:29
lyrics
What does it take to recreate this holiday season? We’ll make the drive out to Lazy J’s— Try to decide between the fir and pine Up in the attic—boxes to bring down— Props to set the stage for this annual parade Stand the tree where it’s stood for years— Drape the branches with all that they can bear What does it take to recreate this holiday season? I look out the window—we could use some snow— Sinatra’s dreaming of a white Christmas on the stereo Stand the tree where it’s stood for years— Drape the branches with all that they can bear The handmade and homely, profound and holy— All are welcome here What does it take to recreate this holiday season? You’ve worked behind the scenes—breathing life Into fleeting, fragile time Stand the tree where it’s stood for years— Drape the branches with all that they can bear The handmade and homely, profound and holy— All are welcome here All are welcome here
8.
Treasure in the Tangle 03:20
lyrics
What will you and I remember of your tenth summer on this earth— Shining sharp against the blur, anchors in the drifting years. Summer berries so abundant—two down the throat, one for the bucket. Guide your hand through prick and scratch, There’s treasure in the tangle of our blackberry patch. What will you and I remember of your tenth summer on this earth— The platform in the maple tree, riding down the long pulley. Searching through the garden rows in Grampy’s cap and my green coat. Days are long, you’re free to spend The treasure in the tangle of this old piece of land. What will you and I remember of your tenth summer on this earth— Shining sharp against the blur, anchors in the drifting years. Hours lost inside the pages of your current favorite author. In the tales of peace and war, Treasure in the tangle of all that came before. What will you and I remember of your tenth summer on this earth— Shining sharp against the blur, anchors in the drifting years. Grabbing at these fleeting moments, hoping you will always guard them. Will it be near or far— The treasure in the tangle that you’ll go looking for?
9.
Barter 03:27
lyrics
Life has loveliness to sell, All beautiful and splendid things, Blue waves whitened on a cliff, Soaring fire that sways and sings, And children’s faces looking up Holding wonder like a cup. Life has loveliness to sell, Music like a curve of gold, Scent of pine trees in the rain, Eyes that love you, arms that hold, And for your spirit’s still delight, Holy thoughts that star the night. Spend all you have for loveliness, Buy it and never count the cost; For one white singing hour of peace Count many a year of strife well lost, And for a breath of ecstasy Give all you have been, or could be.
10.
Celebration of Life 03:38
lyrics
Though half in jest, you left a wish To go out Viking style on a blazing ship. But those funerals were mostly Hollywood myth, And you really weren’t that decadent, So there we stood with paper boats in our hands. You would have smiled To see this scattered family Circled in your memory, Humbled by your humility— You would have smiled… The pond it was a shallow one, but it held the setting sun, Mountain cliffs, and sky, and trees, minnows darting underneath. You were there although you’re gone, And Mother Nature carried on, embracing and oblivious. You would have smiled To see this scattered family Gathered in that majesty Circled in your memory, Humbled by your humility— You would have smiled… No wealth or weapons, just words and ashes Into the paper hulls were packed. Drifting out across the pond, Heading toward some great beyond— Those little boats still holding on when I took a last look back. You would have smiled To see this scattered family Picking up abandoned oars, Bringing your ship back on course. Circled in your memory, Humbled by your humility— You would have smiled…
11.
Uncle Bill 03:47
info
12.
Lifeline (from the Snowfields to the Salish Sea) 04:53
lyrics
We might say we chose this stream, But maybe we were chosen Either way, we have a choice To leave it better than when we came Leave it better than when we came Don’t look away… don’t let go lightly… don’t look away... When life throws a lifeline The more we learn, the more we lose An appetite for industry If bounty’s bound, sold by foot and pound We will follow the fish and forests down Unless we turn around Don’t look away… don’t let go lightly… don’t look away... When life throws a lifeline Follow it upstream Some still cling to a dream, A stream as it was meant to be— Water’s clean, meandering In tidal grass, fish wait to journey To come back from the journey Don’t look away… don’t let go lightly… don’t look away... When life throws a lifeline Follow it upstream ’Til you’re looking from the snowfields Out to the Salish Sea
13.
Hurricane Ridge 04:29
lyrics
Hurricane Ridge Last night a perfect alchemy of clouds Sifted the hills above our town. Winter’s finally come around, The long-awaited theme laid down— It’s up to us to find the variation. Coastline curves below, we wind the mountain road, Deep into the heart of transformation. Then we’re out there on our own, With packs and skins and skis and poles And a climb through trees to reach the open bowl. Look out… across the folded valleys, On mighty Mount Olympus, glaciers are receding. Look in… rest with my legs burning— Cannot face the fact that a heart will just stop beating. Look out, look in… look out, look in… let the seasons slowly spin. The snow this year lies deep enough To bury boulders, logs, and brush. The year before the slopes were bare Across the better part of winter, The summer brought the lightning fires and dried up streams. Look out… across the folded valleys, On mighty Mount Olympus, glaciers are receding. Look out… for the other Washington— In the highest office, a fool so dangerous. Look out… he puts his billions first, And given half a chance he would sell this beauty off. Look out, look in… look out, look in… let the seasons slowly spin Look out, look in… look out, look in… can we slow the great decline? Look out, look in… look out, look in… fight the falling averages Look out, look in… look out, look in… this winter’s variation Decades to go for the kids below— They’re as far as I can see. Will they find these jagged jewels shining like today, Deep set in the crown of winter’s glory? Look in… rest with my legs burning— Cannot face the fact that a heart will just stop beating. Look out… across the folded valleys, On mighty Mount Olympus, glaciers are receding. Look out, look in… look out, look in… let the seasons slowly spin Look out, look in… look out, look in… this winter’s variation.

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released December 23, 2023

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Wes Mantooth Kirkland, Washington

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