“The Hand That Held Me Down” describes the ultimate human betrayal with words that hurt like, / the heights to which you drag me / just to hurl your scorn /. The accusation of the chorus / did you hold the hand that held me down /, captures the essence of disloyalty while the harmonica simulates the vulnerable feelings expressed.

Rarely does Stephen’s use words that give indication of time and place. In the last track "My Baby's Gone” he uses a contemporary reference quite effectively; he quietly moans, / I’ve lost my floaty, then he cries with a whisper / my baby’s gone /. The pace quickens epically and the quiet whispered phrase becomes the roar of a relenting chorus.

“Fly Low Carrion Crow” is the most interesting from a vocal standpoint. Stephen’s trades in his strained throaty vocals for a more restrained lower register. In the song “Miss Merri” the cowboy base line is an inferential musical clue reflecting the loss of America's soul in the sprawling fields of suburbia. / Oh miss merri don’t despair me / we got ways to numb your pain / same old story / blood, sweat, glory / just hope all your trials were in vain.

These collection of songs indulge my emotions. I revel in the lyrics and music to feel alive with pain. You don’t have to be there, to go there. I would love the Two Gallants to write more about the state of the world, topics of great importance, political, and social unrest. They have the power in their writing and their music to stir the nation, for now they stir the soul.

Listen: The Hand That Held Me Down MP3 

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