The Music from the High Country project isn’t just about covering the greats; it’s about finding my own voice in these mountains. This dispatch is dedicated to my first original song for this project, "Why Is It So Damn Hard?"
It was born out of that specific kind of frustration: the feeling that for every step you take forward in life, things have a way of pushing you back two. In the Americana tradition, we often talk about the beauty of the high country, but we don't always talk about the mental grit it takes to keep your head above water. This song is about the work, the mounting bills, and the resilience required to keep your hand in a fist when everything feels like a struggle.
The Recording: Wood and Wire
I recorded this in a single take. No punch-ins, no vocal tuning, and no safety net. I wanted the performance to mirror the lyrics: raw, a little tired, but determined to finish the thought. It’s just wood and wire, captured exactly how it sounds when I’m writing in the early hours before the world gets loud. It’s the "High Country" sound in its most unvarnished state.
The Lyrics
Every time I take a step
I seem to fall back two or three before I stop
And when I catch my breath
I get the wind knocked out of me until I drop
Try to climb up to the top
But the place I reach is nowhere near the peak
And I give it all I got
But it never seems to give the things I seek
Feels like someone out there is teasin me
Like the world is bent on beatin me
Reality and me just can't agree.
Why is it so damn hard
For things to go with how I plan?
I work and try and pray and fight but man!
Things are always so damn hard.
Coming close to givin up
Wanna leave it all behind head for the hills
Always feelin short on luck
When I work today to pay yesterdays bills
Wish I knew it was like this
Or maybe not because then i may up and quit
Squeeze my hand into a fist
And pray to God to give me strength to not submit
... even a little bit
Maybe what Jack said was right
We choose do these things because they're hard.
And maybe the whole point
Is to prove out all our effort through our scars.
The "Jack" Connection
The line in the interlude, "Maybe what Jack said was right / We choose do these things because they're hard," is a direct nod to JFK’s 1962 moon speech. He argued that we shouldn't do things because they are easy, but because the challenge itself is what measures our progress. In the end, the work itself is the point.
Thanks for listening to the first of many originals to come.
- Pete
