CHAD: I was exploring Country music, and looking to see what styles there are out there that are unusual. Eventually, I decided that what I really wanted to do was something I considered either “dark country” or “noir country”.

And, since it was a darker type of Country music I wanted to explore some darker topics. This one tackles the issue of loneliness.

I travel a lot for work, and make the same drives fairly often. I tend to break my trips into segments and stop in the same familiar places along the way. I often see some of the same people in those places every time no matter the time of day or night I get there. I wondered about that. Why is the same guy sitting there drinking coffee whenever I’m there no matter what time it is?

That question led to me making up a story about a person who does that.

It’s definitely not a “happy” song, and it was made even less so when we were trying to work through the bridge when Thea said “Make it Christmas”. So, yeah.

I’m sure you made other changes too, Thea. Would you like to discuss any of those?

THEA: Well, it’s closing time, it’s snowing, nobody’s there except this guy and the waitress, the traffic tells us everyone else has somewhere to go (Chad’s so good at painting these scenes)…so as long as we’re sympathizing with this lonely older man, we also imagine that his holidays are desperately lonely too. And I feel for him even more at that moment in the song.

I think I changed whatever you had to “countdown on the wall”, and a few other things…but this one was (as is most often the case) your concept and primarily your writing, and it’s a good thing to talk about.

Because next time we see “that guy”, we can at least smile at him and ask him how he’s doing.

Or just quietly pay for that coffee.