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4000 Feet

by Tofu Boy

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about

"4000 Feet" is a passionate rock song about two worlds colliding, as a nomadic traveller returns to their family home in the suburbs.

It's about different lifestyles, preconceived notions, and the misunderstandings that follow.

This track was inspired by many things, including Frank, who I met while travelling.


__Frank__

"I met Frank again in the hostel bar. He told me about his travels by bike and how he went everywhere on it. The heavily laden bicycle outside that I'd taken a picture of yesterday was his. He had travelled from Europe and was slowly making his way from place to place. It sounded as though he had a hard life. He was almost displaced. He travelled on a grueling shoe string budget and on a bike so weighted down that it didn't corner. He said that other road users rarely made correct allowances for its cumbersome load and he'd had many near misses. He told me how he'd stayed at the hostel last night but today he would have to pitch a tent in the rain. He talked about his son who he was separated from, and how he had recently taken in a lodger who had stolen from him. He talked about a lack of money, but in his actions he showed a resolve to continue, with raised eyebrows and an exasperated sigh he talked about what was next. First he planned to sell a large bundle of climbing rope because it was too heavy to keep carrying.

In our two interactions I mostly listened, and that he seemed glad of. This morning, after 20 minutes or so he was called away by a voice on the tannoy in the bar, 'Would the person who's left an axe on the stairs come immediately to reception'.

The staff were concerned about a having an axe (along with his other possessions) on the stairs in their deserted hostel. They found it strange and worrying, and maybe if children were staying there, it was. But for Frank the axe gave him a source of fuel and warmth from fire wood. I like to think that maybe he'd found an acceptance and a kind of happiness from having little to lose in life, and to me his relaxed nature and haphazardly placed belongings seemed to reflect that."

lyrics

4000 Feet by Tofu Boy

From a cold start
how slowly the engine warms
constant effort is required to coast not stutter
and you came from the mountains
cold to the touch
the snow adrift
4000 feet up

Your family from the suburbs
thought you had waffle irons on your feet
your hair frozen each strand to the tip
looked like cables supplying TV
you'd climbed rope carried in a backpack
fractured the earth with a pick
the earth shattered under lovers feet
then under your waypoint tack

You headed for the summit
it was difficult as you climbed
then you found the beauty in life
embracing the changing design
now they welcome you into their mansion
Lower Heights ground your folklore
and as you enter their fortress
all you notice is the lock on the door

Hey!
why don't you go outside
is making money the only way to thrive
you're living your life like you died
rain and snow mustn't stop your life

From a cold start
how slowly the engine warms

credits

released June 4, 2021
Recording, production, mixing and mastering by Josh Shirt at Shirty Mastering (www.shirtymastering.com)

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Tofu Boy Fort Collins, Colorado

Tofu Boy has a folksy punk-rock sound with catchy hooks and exuberant lyrics.

Listen out for his love of 8-bit sound, and, sometimes, a Nintendo 2ds on percussion.

His songs have received positive critical reviews.

In 2022, he played gigs at The Forge Pub and Blast & Scrap in Fort Collins, Northern Colorado. ... more

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