I discovered the music of Jeffrey Foucault a few years ago and I’ve been a big fan of his ever since. Jeffrey is an American songwriter from Wisconsin that writes beautiful, poetic lyrics and combines it with music that’s a little bit country, blues, and folk. He’s the type of small-town troubadour songwriter I love, in the style of Townes Van Zandt.
The song I picked of his for today is called “Ballad of Copper Junction (A Journeyman’s Lament).” “Ballad” is a great five-minute plus track that evokes images, for me, of wide open fields.
This is very far from the imagery I’m used to seeing – I grew up and still live in the Philadelphia metropolitan area, where I’m more accustomed to concrete and tall buildings. But listening to “Ballad” is so great because it transports me to Jeffrey’s world.
“Ballad” is the first track on Jeffrey’s debut album from 2001 entitled Miles From the Lightning. Here’s a bit of my favorite lyrics from the track:
My father laid the trees down He broke them with his hands And now I'm just like him I got nowhere left to stand And that wagon's rolling empty And I've got nothing but the frame I fill A union card And a pair of workman's hands
Listen to “Ballad” below. If you like the song, you can support Jeffrey’s music by checking out his website here. Happy listening!
