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Inspired by the Maya Angelou poem “I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings,” I have always been struck by how people limit themselves.  Rousseau once wrote “man is born free but everywhere he is in chains.”  As I write this I realize I years ago wrote a song entitled “Chains” exploring the same theme. 

The time signature in this song shifts continually because it seemed to support the narrative best that way.  As with most of my more complicated songs, I tried it many ways before choosing the one that sounded the most natural to me.  This was a difficult album and demanding in its own way on the players.  I love the way Steve Rodby and Tom Brechtlein played this.  I recall we only did a couple of takes.