the late Gordon Downie
the tragically hip, “ahead by a century,”
from: Trouble at the henhouse, 1996
“First thing we’d climb a tree
And maybe then we’d talk
Or sit silently
And listen to our thoughts
With illusions of someday
Cast in a golden light
No dress rehearsal
This is our life
And that’s where the hornet stung me
And I had a feverish dream
With revenge and doubt
Tonight, we smoke them out
You are ahead by a century
You are ahead by a century
You are ahead by a century
Stare in the morning shroud
And then the day began
I tilted your cloud
You tilted my hand
Rain falls in real time
And rain fell through the night
No dress rehearsal, this is our life
But that’s when the hornet stung me
And I had a serious dream
With revenge and doubt
Tonight, we smoked them out
You are ahead by a century
You are ahead by a century
You are ahead by a century
You are ahead by a century
You are ahead by a century
You are ahead by a century
And disappointing you is gettin’ me down
”
This is a band I learned about relatively recently, but have only quite superficially explored their catalogue. Gordon Downie, their lead vocalist and group foil passed away in 2017. Their impact on Canadian arts, Indigenous affairs and environmental issues was considerable. So from a bevy of samples, I picked “Ahead By a Century.” To me, it is a love song propped up by a desperate cadence. The country stopped in its tracks when he was lost and this is the piece radio stations turned to memorially. I like how they built & unveiled dynamic ranges of sound. Try their 1998 lp Phantom Power. What happens when hip turns tragic?
