Small Comforts

by The Chairman Dances

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about

The single “Small Comforts” was inspired by William Carlos Williams’ “To a Poor Old Woman”, a brief poem about the pleasures of eating plums. The Chairman Dances’ song, using its own language, reimagines Williams’ work, expanding its scope to include both the beauty and elusiveness of comfort. “Small Comforts” is the first single from The Chairman Dances’ album of the same name, out January 27.

lyrics

A poor old woman buys a bag of plums.
A poor girl, a few feet away,
tends to colicky children.
She puts her hair back with a hair tie,
sits in her jeans on the sidewalk
and feeds them until,
the smell of ripe plums filling the air,
their screams suddenly
stop. Silence. The old woman’s lips
smack, she slurps. Juice drips
down her cheek, down
her arm. She grins. Dabs
the corners of her mouth with a handkerchief.
The children, tears in their eyes, howl
with new vigor, motion, kick
toward the old woman as she ambles out of
sight. Losing then regaining her balance,
the girl gets up, her own eyes filled
with tears. She disengages the stroller brake
and walks home, hungry for plums.

--
N.B. The above is a free verse poem. To see it formatted properly, download or view the following PDF: https://upenn.app.box.com/s/qvls931xpwo8s3walhv1uqc5p7e4eool

credits

released October 14, 2022
Ashley: vocals
Mike: high hat
Eric: vocals, all other instruments

Recorded by Eric / Mixed by Jesse Soifer

Artwork by Heather Swenson

Photograph by Rachel Del Sordo

Find us at: thechairmandances.com