This one is the second entry in the “Barkham Saga,” or whatever you want to call it. It’s connected to Dinner at Barkham’s in a couple ways, and follows the same title character. It’s a pretty long one, clocking in around 5 and a half minutes. The song is structured after its title – it’s a two parter, and the second part acts as the bridge of the song, taking the listener “here, there, and back again.” I know it sounds pretentious, but it’s cool just trust me.
The most obvious connections to Dinner at Barkham’s are in the lyrics – Barkham is directly mentioned a couple times and appears as a character in the song. The lyrical connections are written so that Dinner at Barkham’s and Here, There, and Back Again don’t really have a timeline. The aftermath of both songs is described in the lyrics for the other one, so it gets a little weird canonically.
This one is classic Downcoast – almost all minor chords, strong Halloween vibes, a weird structure, really long, etc. It’s super fun to play and we think it’s great live.
David got his good friend Sebastian Mendoza to record a spoken word intro for the song, and we play it through the looper pedals at our shows before we start the song. Whenever this eventually goes on an album, it’ll likely stay. It’s just so perfect. Great job Sebastian.
Moonshiners warn soap-dodgers
Say “he rides with skull in hand”
Among the hollowest haunters
Spurs crackling, the tungsten
Headless rabbi cast a western shadow
Shuffled off his mortal coil
Logistics even he don’t know
Inquire, then you’re met with oil
Shotgun! La-la-la
Shotgun! La-la-la
Stammer-ammer-ammer-ammer-ammering his name be the last noise you can squeak
Hammer-ammer-ammer-ammer-ammerspace he call a home, the cursed banshee
So-so-so-so-so-so-so-so-so-so-so-so-so-so-so-so-so-somebody save me!
Soundtracked by a thunderclap, he’s here there and back again
When you’re magnifying, frying the ants, oh
Make sure you get them all
For the buggers make up his torso
Explanations once again out the window
Flying town to town, raising gravestones
One hand reaching the sky
And Raimi spotted taking his notes
Then a manor he spies, he says
Shangri- La-la-la
Shangri- La-la-la
Rem-mem-mem-mem-member the tale t-t-t-t-told throughout history
A mem-mem-mem-mem-memorial of matter with familiar identity
So-so-so-so-so-so-so-so-so-so-so-so-so-so-so-so-so-stone outside reads:
Here lies Barkham, our monarch, he’s here there and back again
Clouds begin to turn a shade of colors never seen
Changing focal lengths it seems, he’s entered into a
Dream of horrorscapes, reaching far beyond
What’s thought possible, Bosons all but gone
None who die survive
Roots will bind his steed, his feet, frozen to the swamp
Dryrot growing in his lungs, was he really not
Taught about this land, who surveys the claim
Barkham’s tiled floors, echoing his name
None who die survive
Oh, he sprints until he’s less than bone
He’s almost reached his end
Well, he’s had one, but you know what I mean
Strange, a Pontiac he spots in his peripheral
Crooked branches flying, whirring the locusts
The ants all make it home
Skull splashes in the mire, it’s torsoless
And his eyes look up to see the face
Oh, Barkham arrives, drag his skull on home (here there and back again)
Oh, Barkham arrives, drag his skull on home (here there and back again)
None yet – maybe sometime in a while.
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As of writing this, we just played this song live for the first time at The Olympic on October 8th, 2022. Super super fun. It’s maybe our fastest song (?) and really high-energy. David’s still figuring out how to sing it in a way he likes, but it’s getting there. We really want to play it directly after Dinner at Barkham’s since the songs flow so well into each other. Maybe they’ll have to be sequenced like that on an eventual album too.
Update: we played it more. David still hasn’t figured out how to sing it just right, but we did end up playing it right after Barkham’s.
Another update: David figured it out!