End of the World with You

Listen while you read:  Calexico

I thought you were the one who said cold wars were a bust
She doesn't want a Romeo, just someone she can trust
With an ear to the ground

Love in the age of the extremes
There's nothing better that I'd rather do
Than to scatter all the myths
And walk to the start of the end of the world with you

Turn up the microphone on the national parks
You gotta switch something off if you wanna get it right
A crater full of wisdom in James Turrell's eyes

Light in the age of the extremes
There's nothing finer that I'd rather see
Than to scatter all the myths
Find another way around getting stuck at the end of the world with you
The end of the world with you
At the end of the world with you
At the end of the world with you
At the end of the world with you
At the end of the world with you

If you travel out to space at the speed of light
Would you send me a letter from a star going by
Can't see too well out here in the dark

Time in the age of the extremes
There's nothing better that I'd rather feel 
Than to scatter all the myths
Bring back a little piece of mind for you and watch the view
At the edge of the end of the world

~  Joey Burns & John Convertino (Calexico)

Love. Light. Time. In the age of the extremes. Sometimes it feels like we're on the edge of the end of the world, doesn't it? Calexico's ninth album, The Thread That Keeps Us, will be released on January 26, but this single has been out since October. Watch the video; the lyrics are craftily displayed there.

Although they've been hanging out in Northern California lately, Calexico is an indie band from Arizona. That desert landscape was certainly inspirational for the band. Most noteworthy in the song is the reference to James Turrell, a fellow Arizonan. Turrell is an artist primarily concerned with light and space. His is a fascinating story, but he may be most known these days for his Roden Crater. Turrell obtained an extinct cinder volcano outside of Flagstaff back in 1979 and for decades has been moving tons of dirt and digging tunnels in order to create a massive naked-eye observatory for experiencing celestial phenomena. The date for completion has passed by several times, and Turrell no longer predicts when his project will be finished. But of his creation, he says this: "I make things that take you up into the sky. But it's not about the landforms. I'm working to bring celestial objects like the sun and moon into the spaces that we inhabit. I apprehend light. I make events that shape or contain light."

Okay then. Perhaps more grounded in the song is the reference to the national parks. As you are aware, the current administration recently announced the decision to shrink Bears Ears National Monument by more than 1.1 million acres (85%) and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument by 800,000 acres (46%). I have been to most of the canyonlands in Utah, and the beauty of these landscapes is breathtaking. There is only one reason for opening up this land to developers and corporations: the Almighty Dollar. The price we will pay for this raping of the land is unimaginable and unforgivable. Turn up the microphone.

Yes, lately it feels like we are at the edge of the end of the world. Where would you like to watch it end?