ANDY SHAUF - Wendell Walker (Live at The Drake Hotel)

Directed and edited by Mitch Fillion
Camera Operators: Mitch Fillion, Colin Medley, Dylan Leeder
Audio Recording by Michael Fong
Mixed and mastered by Jarrett Bartlett

[jerrymainus]

This is still some of the most profound songwriting/storytelling I’ve ever heard in my life

[jocelynnj]

YouTube I can't believe you put an ad in the middle of this song! You have no soul!

[RemyThunderknife]

This is a god damn masterpeice and I can't bear to listen to it more than once a month.

[RamblinView]

One of the most haunting and moving musical performances I have ever watched..I've been coming back for years

[TheNoidleshow]

this feels like a sliver into some other dimension we're not meant to be seeing. literally everyone is right in the pocket. as close to perfect as anything i've ever seen.

[Jbalzer]

This might be the most intricate murder ballad I've ever heard.

[thebluelight]

he's such a great fucking storyteller, this song especially. leaves you hanging on after every word

[stephaniemayor]

I watch this video over and over and I am 100% transfixed every. time. I swear this performance is a meditation.

[krinkadink]

I went through the darkest times of my life while listening to this song on repeat for that year. It will always remind me of how I once laid in the snow and listened to it over and over again. Changed my life.

[WisconsinWanderer]

I listen to this every now and again to remind me of how hauntingly brilliant this song is, it literally takes me to another dimension.

[irockwithbillgates]

Andy was kind enough to come back out for an encore. I don't know if he picked my request because of how loud I screamed it or what. "Wendell This song has brought me great comfort(not alone) and the kindness people have showed me has been wonderful. I love you all and you are my heroes. Don't give up.

[cp]

Folks, this here is a MASTERCLASS in every sense of the word.

[Stewpkiddable]

the way they are all just standing so stoically while Andy begins. its almost melancholy, especially the viola or violin player, he has an intensity about him. the drummer is also completely in the fucking zone and i love it.

[meatfruit]

The single most beautiful, haunting and sad song I’ve ever heard and undoubtedly ever will. A lyrical masterpiece accompanied by the most minimalist, delicate and yet powerful music .

[dudleycunningham]

Haunting. I think of the that Room That He Created -- inside a sod house, in the Prairie Provinces. Cheap wood paneling and peeling, blood-stained wallpaper. A bleak, flat winterscape outside, through tattered, yellowing lace curtains. All stuff in my mind: that's what his riff and his voice and his poetry created.

[DeannaFaye]

This is like listening to a crime novel in song form 👌

[Rain_power]

The frail falsetto for "the voice of God" is brilliant.

[theoryshaw]

This song never goes where you think it will, and the reason it's awesome.

[fernandaverdesoto]

Wendell Walker was a friend of mine
We'd stain our teeth in the summertime
And with lips of purple, the winter would roll
Past the boarded windows into our souls
And shake our weary bones
Now this past winter was the coldest in years
It's hard to explain if you've never lived here
But it locks your doors and starts your mind
Thinking in circles just to pass the time
And breaks your weary heart
Now Wendell Walker was a man of God
But he didn't care much for his sober mind
And when the cold mixed in he was turned around
Heard the voice of God and the angels sound
A message just for him:

[Refrain]
"My son, my son, she is the devil's child
Won't you save her while you can
Cut down the other man"

[Verse 2]
Now Wendell Walker was a friend of mine
But he married too young in the summertime
Their hearts weren't ripe so they fell apart
And I found myself with a joyful heart
As our secret lives began
We found our moments in between the hours
When Wendell Walker drove his car to town
But one day he found a letter that I wrote for her
On the top of her dresser and in his winter mind
He heard the voice of God say:
[Refrain]
"My son, my son, she is the devil's child
Won't you save her while you can
Cut down the other man"

[Verse 3]
With the voice of the lord ringing in his ears
And the note to his wife that confirmed his fears
He sat down on the edge of the bed
Read the letter again to see who'd sent it
But it was signed 'forever yours'
He stood up slow like he'd just been hit
Walked into the kitchen where his wife was sitting
He said, "my mother called on the telephone
She says she needs some help so I'll be back in the morning"
And he grabbed his heavy coat
My phone rang while I was watching the news
She said the house was ours to cure these winter blues
So I made my way, and we turned the blinds
And Wendell walked in just in time
To see our secret die and say:

[Outro]
"My son, my son I'm gonna have to cut you down"
He pointed his rifle to my eyes
But his hesitating hands
Were shaking from the cold
So I pushed his gun away
Just as he found his strength
And the bullet kissed her lips
And I cried:
"My god, my god what have I done?"
And he reloaded his gun
And he put it in his mouth
And I stood in the room that I'd created

[Dellstarwalker]

Thank you for the song, Andy. Posted it on my