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Distracted Assassin

from Cassandra, Cursed by Walter Ehresman

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See the video here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=0FBNN0Z9-L8

One of the strongest and most powerful songs on the new album, "Distracted Assassin" had a very personal genesis for Ehresman:

"One day I got the idea to do something I very rarely do, which was revisit the old piles of lyrics and song ideas that are stashed around the house, and see if there was anything worth salvaging......And I came up with this song which, to my surprise, seemed finished.......It was dated May of the previous year, but to be honest I have no memory whatsoever of writing it (although it was definitely mine, because the handwriting is so bad)......I must have come up with the idea in my sleep, gotten up to write it down, then gone back to bed......I know what it's about, though, when I think back to what was happening at that time......the end of close, long-time friendship due to my friend finally drifting all the way into a right wing fever dream, where his wife and family and other friends had always been.....Very sad and devastating, and I'm sure something that has happened to innumberable people in the US as half the population seems to have lost its mind over the last years."

The dynamics of the song's construction really drive the lyrics home, with simple acoustic guitar, harmonium and bass all there is......until the giant Pink Floyd-ian guitar break in the middle, which then winds back down to end the song on a quiet, heartbroken note. Very affecting.

lyrics

Distracted Assassin
(© 2022 Walter Ehresman)

What have you brought me, distracted assassin?
"Informative" lists, or farewells that ring true?
The cadre diminished, slow moments to pass in;
A chamber of echoes—no footprints ensue.

Some conscious decision, distracted assassin?
An act of volition, or negligent whim?
The cost is the same, and the toe-tag still fitted;
These details may not matter much in the end.

Remembering days when we thought we were soldiers
of common cause facing a world that’s gone mad;
But maybe I’m looking through mists past my shoulder;
And maybe rewriting those thoughts in the sand.

Was it all real, distracted assassin?
These days I have questions about my recall;
A foxhole for one is a tough thing to dance in,
and lying down in it is just no dance at all.

Remembering days when we thought we were soldiers
of common cause facing a world that’s gone mad;
But maybe I’m looking through mists past my shoulder;
And maybe rewriting those thoughts in the sand.
And maybe I’m looking through mists past my shoulder;
And maybe rewriting these thoughts in the sand.

credits

from Cassandra, Cursed, released October 17, 2023
Walter Ehresman: vocals; acoustic & electric guitars; keyboards; 4-string acoustic/electric bass.

Produced & engineered by Walter Ehresman at Snipe Bog Studios, San Miguel de Allende, Mexico.

p. 2023 Walter Ehresman. All rights reserved. Snipe Bog Records.

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Walter Ehresman San Miguel De Allende, Mexico

Called "the quintessential Austin DIY artist" by famed local disc jockey Charlie Martin , Walter Ehresman was an eccentric presence in the Austin music scene from the '80s until his 2015 move to Mexico. A prolific songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and recording artist...and a restless musical spirit, always looking for something new, expressed with fearlessly honest, socially-conscious lyrics. ... more

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