The Reach
Release date: 10/11/2026
The story behind the song:
The Reach is an interesting tune for me. I originally wrote the lyrics separate from the music as I was laying in bed watching lightning from a distant summer storm and listening to the distant thunder. As is often the case with the bits I write just before I fall asleep, I wrote down the lines and set them aside and drifted into the land of nod. Several hours later, I was awakened with a start as a giant bolt of lightning flashed very nearby followed by an immediate and continuous visceral cracking of a large hundred-year old maple tree falling… and falling… and falling… a continuous, deep cracking that seemed to last for minutes. In my sleepy adrenalized state, I was sure that the tree was going to come through the roof. Before my feet could hit the floor, the power was out and the pitch of night was consumed by a deluge of rain. Daylight came. Damage was assessed. A symphony of chainsaws and generators played in the morning sunlight; a common morning program following a grand Michigan summer storm. Power was restored rather quickly and as I retreated to my studio, I recalled the words I had written the night before and put them to a guitar piece that came to me almost as soon as I sat down. You never know when the muse is going to strike. I recorded it immediately; this is that recording.
The Reach – Lyrics
Night rains move across the darkness.
Lightning illuminates the treetops above
Shades of grey move slowly across the dark sky.
With an imperfect stillness I know your love
It’s a lonesome sound, moving on.
It’s a lonesome feeling, moving away.
Rain slows and distant thunder rolls
I’ve reached the end of this day.
Silhouettes of trees frame the western sky.
A distant freight train blows its horn.
I lay here thinking about tomorrow and yesterday
And all the todays before I was born
It’s a lonesome sound, moving on.
It’s a lonesome feeling, moving away.
Rain slows and distant thunder rolls
I’ve reached the end of this day.
It’s a lonesome sound, moving on.
It’s a lonesome feeling, moving away.
Rain slows and distant thunder rolls
I’ve reached the end of this day.
